Yellow Sea biodiversity needs protection says WWF
mongabay.com
December 13, 2006
In response to worsening pollution in China's Yellow Sea, environmental group WWF is pushing for the establishment of a network of protected areas between China and South Korea.
"The Yellow Sea's biodiversity, including its fishery resources, has been deteriorating for decades due to shortsighted economic activities and unsustainable uses of the natural resources in the region," said Tobai Sadayosi, head of WWF-Japan's marine programme and coordinator for the Yellow Sea Eco-region Planning Programme (YSEPP).
"It is time for all stakeholders to join hands in creating a trans-boundary network of marine protected areas to protect the priority conservation areas being identified."
Image credit: NOAA
According to WWF, scientists from China, Korea, and Japan have identified 23 priority areas for conservation. The Yellow Sea is home to a number of threatened species including the gray whale, the dugong, and several species of sea turtle.
WWF says that industrial pollution, agricultural runoff, and sewage contaminate coastal waters of the Yellow Sea while river dams disrupt natural nutrient flows.
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