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Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem 2020 endorsed

GEF-UNDP/UNOPS Yellow Sea LME Phase II Project

By IW:LEARN

October 26^th, 2020

With the strong commitments of PR China and RO Korea Governments, the updated Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) or YSLME TDA 2020 was endorsed by the YSLME Interim Commission Council (ICC) during its 5th meeting held on 19 October 2020. This was also made possible with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and other partner organizations. The YSLME TDA was first published in 2007 and the YSLME TDA 2020 provides an update to the summary of the state of the YSLME and reports on the impacts of governance, legislative, and regulatory change put in place since 2007, as well as changes in awareness of the impacts of climate change and emerging pollutants, based on recently collected and analyzed scientific data.

The TDA 2020 concludes that the implementation of the YSLME SAP in the region since 2009 at various levels, streaming through the region to national and local governments and communities, has resulted evidently, inter alia, in reduction in fishing efforts measured by decrease in the number of fishing vessels and increase in body sizes of capture fisheries landings, the successful scaling-up of integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA), increased collaboration in monitoring and reducing marine litter, and increase in number and expansion of marine protected areas, among others. The YSLME SAP has also proven to be a useful platform for enabling innovative partnerships across governments, UN agencies, business associations, non-government organizations, and academia.

Green rectangles represent the spatial gaps of endangered waterbirds and their habitats; the yellow triangle represent the spatial gaps of endangered mammals and their habitats. Source: Liao, G.X. & W, L., 2019.

New perspectives on emerging issues related to fisheries, pollution, ecosystem changes and biodiversity are also reflected in the TDA. Some of the findings suggest the need to continue long-term monitoring to assess and understand the effectiveness of fishery resource recovery projects such as marine ranching, and to address the increasing extent of microplastics pollution at all trophic levels. The TDA also underlined evidences of seasonal ocean acidification, broader range of climate change impacts, and changes in patterns of harmful algal blooms in the Yellow Sea.

Spatial distribution of sea-surface temperatures in the Bohai Sea and upper YSLME (Source: SOA. 2018)

The scientific findings of the TDA serves as an integral basis in the updating of the YSLME SAP 2020-2030. This updated SAP will guide the future course of interventions in the YSLME. The YSLME ICC-5 Meeting technically cleared the SAP 2020-2030, subject to final review by countries prior to adoption.

The TDA is a scientific and technical assessment that identify and quantify water-related environmental issues including their root causes and impacts, and help prioritize main challenges as well as determine areas of intervention to improve the state of a particular transboundary water. The GEF and the Agencies pioneered the use of TDA to inform a set of formally-agreed actions, governance reforms and realignments, and institutional arrangements that constitute a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) to address the priority concerns.

Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem 2020 endorsed

About the YSLME II Project

The GEF-UNDP/UNOPS YSLME II Project is a transboundary initiative that began in 2005 as a response through transboundary diagnostic analysis of environmental problems, and development and implementation of the SAP for the YSLME. Its overall aim is to help PR China and RO Korea achieve sustainable ecosystem-based management and restore the Yellow Sea’s natural resources for generations into the future. This second phase of the project provides assistance to PR China and RO Korea in implementing the SAP and supporting the institutionalization of the long-term regional coordination mechanism for the implementation of the SAP/YSLME beyond the life of the project.

The YSLME Phase II Project is financed by the GEF, implemented by the UNDP, and executed by the UNOPS.

For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Yinfeng Guo (yinfengg@unops.org), as well as visit the project page on iwlearn.net and the project website.