PRIO Network

As knowledge of environmental hazard is diffused in the region, the impetus for conflict resolution will grow

Governments of the South China Sea region have only lately come to see that the marine environment in the region is under threat. Environmental ministries are now in place, environmental laws and regulations are being formulated, environmental NGOs and IGOs undertake numerous projects, and environmental experts meet on a free basis across borders.

However, even though governments portray themselves as environment-friendly, marine environmental problems are still not dealt with efficiently. The fishing fleets continue their unsustainable fishing. Coral reefs and mangroves are destroyed. Pollution from traffic at sea, from land based industries and from the growing cities of the region keep flowing untreated into coastal waters. Narrow state interests and power politics continue to characterise state interaction, while co-operation and the influence of environmental groups remain inconsequential. The influence of science and non-governmental actors is limited to agenda setting and the framing of issues raised for discussion.

Recently, though, marine scientists have been influential in attracting the interest and attention of governments and decision makers through the work of UNEP's regional seas programme and through the "Managing Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea Workshops". A UNEP Strategic Action Plan for the South China Sea has been endorsed by all ASEAN members as well as the PRC, and GEF funding will secure a comprehensive package of marine environmental research and projects that will build human and institutional capacity. Thus, it may seem as if the concern for the environment can gradually bring the countries of the South China Sea closer together as they discover their common heritage and its importance as a source of animal protein for the growing coastal populations.



Relevant publications from the project