The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) launched the Yellow Sea
Ecoregion Support Project (YSESP) on Friday to conserve the marine
ecosystem.
The project, supported by Japan's electronics giant Panasonic,
is part of WWF's Global 200 - which lists 238 regions across the
world that need immediate conservation.
The seven-year regional marine conservation project aims to
redress public concern and ensure proper protection and effective
management of the critical habitats in and around the Yellow Sea by
supporting local communities' sustainable conservation
activities.
Five Chinese and three South Korean organizations, including
environmental NGOs, environment-related grass-roots government
bodies, research institutes, communities and the media, could get
about 40,000 yuan a year for conservation work.
The last date for submitting applications is October 31. The
conservation activities, mainly public education, of the chosen
organizations will last through next year.
"Although the money is not big, the project stresses how people
can work in partnership," said Dermot O'Gorman, Country
Representative of WWF China.
The project will be implemented by WWF in China in cooperation
with the State Oceanic Administration, State Environmental
Protection Administration and State Forestry Administration on
other environmental issues.
Pilot schemes in China and South Korea have to adopt
international standards of conservation.
The project is expected to present a successful Asian
human-marine ecosystem co-existence model, O'Gorman said.
The Yellow Sea is noted for its extreme biodiversity because of
its world-class continental shelf.
(China Daily September 8, 2007)
