More than 30 small islands with vast areas of platform and atoll reefs. Delicate branching and tabular corals, some of which grow to more than 10 meters in diameter, have been found here. Destructive fishing practices have seriously degraded these reefs.

The biologically and geologically rich resources of the South China Sea (SCS) have been the source of some of the most intense territorial disputes in the world. The People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam all claim some of the islands and reefs of the area, particularly in the area known as the Spratly Islands. Many of these claims are overlapping.

The strategic and economic importance of the SCS is clear. Total fisheries production is estimated at 30 million tons annually, only 13 percent of which is currently harvested.[1] Fishing provides both a substantial portion of animal protein intake for the countries surrounding the SCS, and work for approximately 2 million people in the region.[2] In addition, the SCS is rich in petroleum. Oil and natural gas rigs dot the periphery of the basin. In 1982, the offshore petroleum in the SCS was valued at US$76 billion.[3] Because it lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, the SCS is a major navigational shipping highway, with more than 300 ships passing through each day.[4]

The SCS also has vast ecological wealth.[5] The nearshore areas of the SCS contain more than 70 coral genera.[6] The biodiversity of the SCS has potentially important benefits for the entire region; research indicates that currents carry fish and coral larvae from reefs in the south-central portion of the SCS to surrounding damaged reefs.[7] Thus destruction of coral reefs in the SCS affects biodiversity and reef health on a regional scale.

The controversial issues of ownership have prevented long-term monitoring of reef condition. A proposal to create a marine park has been examined by claimant nations in a series of workshops.[8] In the meantime, however, uncoordinated enforcement throughout the area makes the SCS susceptible to unsustainable commercial fishing and destructive fishing practices. The RRSEA analysis concludes that the only significant threat facing the coral reefs of the SCS is destructive fishing. However, the project was not able to assess the impact of commercial fishing. Minor pressures from military bases may also be present.

Until an agreement can be reached on creating a marine park, claimant countries have proceeded with joint research expeditions. The advancement and success of these joint oceanographic and marine scientific research expeditions (JOMSRE) are important milestones in the confidence-building efforts among nations with overlapping claims in this disputed area. Through bilateral arrangements, the Philippines and Vietnam successfully conducted two JOMSREs in the SCS during the summers of 1996 and 2000, in which they undertook studies on the physical, chemical, and biological oceanography of the area as well as its coral reef ecology.

Notes

1. D. Pauly and V. Christensen, "Stratified Models of Large Marine Ecosystems: A General Approach and An Application to the South China Sea," in K. Sherman, L.M. Alexander, and B.D. Gold, eds., Large Marine Ecosystems: Stress, Mitigation and Sustainability (Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science Press, 1993), pp. 148-74.

2. M.J. Valencia and J.B. Marsh, "Southeast Asia: Marine Resources, Extended Maritime Jurisdiction and Development," Marine Resource Economics 3, 1 (1986): 3-27; J.W. McManus, "The Spratly Islands: A Marine Park Alternative," Naga, The ICLARM Quarterly (July 1992): 4-8.

3. Valencia and Marsh, "Southeast Asia."

4. McManus, "The Spratly Islands: A Marine Park Alternative."

5. J.E.N. Veron, Corals in Space and Time: The Biogeography and Evolution of the Scleractinia (Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales Press, 1995), p. 321; P.M. Aliño et al., "The Fisheries Potential of the Kalayaan Island Group, South China Sea," in B. Morton, ed., The Marine Biology of the South China Sea, Proceedings of the Third International Conference on the Marine Biology of the South China Sea (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1998), pp. 219-25.

6. M.D. Spalding, F. Blasco, and C.D. Field, eds., World Mangrove Atlas (Okinawa: The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, 1997); T. Tomascik et al., eds., The Ecology of the Indonesian Seas, Part 1 (Singapore: Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., 1997).

7. J.W. McManus, "Large and Small-Scale Marine Protected Areas: Planning, Investment, and Intergenerational Quality of Life," in A.J. Hooten and M.E. Hatziolos, eds., Sustainable Financing Mechanisms for Coral Reef Conservation (Washington, DC: World Bank, 1995).

8. J.W. McManus, "The Spratly Islands: A Marine Park?" Ambio 23, 3 (1994): 181-86.