Strengthening Ecosystem Surveys for the Designation of Large Marine Protected Areas 

- 2024 National Marine Ecosystem Survey to be launched in March

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister Kang Do-Hyung) and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (CEO Han Gijun) will launch the 2024 National Marine Ecosystem Survey in March.

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has been conducting the National Marine Ecosystem Survey since 2015 to secure basic data on the status of and changes in the marine ecosystem, to be used as the foundation for drafting policies and conducting research for the conservation of our oceans. The survey is composed of a basic survey, a biennial nationwide survey that divides Korea’s oceans into two regions, and a focused survey, which is conducted annually in ecologically important waters such as major estuaries and inland bays.

 This year, a total of 672 points in coastal, tidal, and rocky ecosystems across the country will be surveyed, including the 289 basic survey points in the East Namhae, East Sea, and Jeju regions. Based on the survey results, a visualized thematic map will be produced to better promote public understanding. The Ministry also plans to engage in research projects, including the drafting of improvement plans for the National Marine Ecosystem Survey, in consideration of global issues such as adapting to climate change and conserving biodiversity.

 This year, a survey will be conducted focusing on the coastal upwelling area in the East Sea and uninhabited islands in the West Sea, as part of the first-ever survey to identify candidate sites for large marine protected areas, with the aim to fulfill the international goal* of designating at least 30% of the nation’s oceans as protected areas by 2030.  

 * In December 2023, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to conserve and manage 30% of the world’s land and seas as protected areas by 2030.