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1. Project Summary and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project will put forward various measures for the sustainable utilisation of coastal zone resources. This will be done through research on theory, mechanisms and methodologies of integrated coastal zone management. Experience from integrated coastal zone development will provide scientific guidelines and models for sustainable utilisation and integrated management of China's coastal zone. Pilot areas will be selected to formulate the Guidelines for Integrated Coastal Zone Management, the Model for Optimal Distribution of Coastal Zone Resources, the Guidelines on Drafting Plan for Integrated Coastal Zone Development and Conservation.

This project is based on programme area 14F of China's Agenda 21, and is related to programme areas 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B and 11E.

2. Background

China's coastal zone area amounts for about 285,000 km2. The sustainable development of the economy along the coastal region is vital for the well being of the country. The ecology along the coastal zone is vulnerable to both human and natural influence. Climate changes and coastal erosion play a significant role in the development of the coast. The coastal areas are rich in resources that can be utilised. Exploitation of the coastal zone has produced various kinds of pollutants in tremendous amounts. The estimated discharge of polluted water into the sea will exceed 10 billion tons in the year 2000. The lack of scientific guidance on development and utilisation of coastal zone resources for many years has led to damage and waste of resources. The environment is becoming worse from human demands. This has created severely coastal erosion and ocean pollution. To guarantee the sustainable utilisation of coastal zone environment and resources, it is necessary to do research on the vulnerability of the coastal zone to deepen the scientific understanding about the ecological and environmental system of this area. To guarantee the sustainable utilisation of coastal zone resources and environment is not only the overall requirement of national economic development and social development, but also the international obligation of the Chinese government: (1) The Agenda 21 adopted by the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) requires the coastal States to implement integrated coastal zone management; (2) The UN Convention on Climate Change calls on the coastal States to draw up a program for integrated coastal zone management and respond to the impacts of global climate change; (3) The Expert Group of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends the coastal States to adopt integrated coastal zone management and decrease their vulnerability to global climate change; (4) The governments of the OECD States call on the implementation of integrated coastal zone management. China, as an important member of international community, should fulfil its commitment to its coastal obligations.

The "Research on Key Technology for Coastal Zone Resource and Environment Utilisation" has been listed in the "Key Research Project of National Ninth Five-Year Plan". The project will foster a series of technology for environmental protection, resource development, disaster prevention and integrated management in coastal zones, and provide technical support to promote the sustainable utilisation and management of coastal zones.

Since 1980, China has completed ìThe Comprehensive Investigation on National Coastal Zone and Tidal Flat Resources", "The Comprehensive Survey on China's Isle Resources", "National Marine Functional Zoning", "National Marine Development Plan" and some subject investigation and research programs, which have accumulated basic data and experience for launching this project. Over the last ten years, Chinese researchers of various disciplines have carried out studies and obtained a series of achievements in the fields of sea-level change and prediction, coastal zone and marine disasters, coastal erosion, coastal environmental protection and ecological studies, thus laying the foundation for this project. The State Oceanic Administration along with provincial and municipal marine research centres contains a large number of world famous scientists, managing staff and a series of experimental conditions for the research of the coastal environment.

3. Objectives

3.1 Long-term Objective

To explore and study the key technology, rational management mechanism and policies for the utilisation of coastal resources and environment, to improve the scientific and technological level in the development of coastal zone resources and environment protection, to provide a demonstration and to foster experience for the realisation of the sustainable utilisation of coastal zone resources and environment in China for the promotion of coastal zone management.

3.2 Immediate Objectives

• Establish a complete set of methods, mechanisms and systems response to the call of UNCED that the coastal States should adopt integrated coastal zone management;
• Establish the demonstration base of national sea water agriculture in Hainan Island during the "Ninth Five-Year Plan";
• Construct Jiaozhou Bay as a demonstration region for marine ecological distribution and integrated management with rational industrial structure and high technological contribution percentage by the beginning of the 21st century.

4. Outputs and Activities

4.1 Studies on Integrated Management of Coastal Zone Resources and Scientific Guidelines in Integrated Coastal Zone Management

• Carry out studies on coastal zone planning and establish the model on optimising resource acquisition. Set up research groups of scientists specialising in law, economics, ocean and management, and co-operate with the five typical study zones of Liaoning, Jiangsu, Qingdao, Dalian and Hebei, to work out the planning and modelling of the property and resource system;
• Study the regular pattern of the population's seaward movement. The analysis, research and prediction shall be based upon the population census, sample survey and the data on the population from inland to coastal regions collected through the statistics channels of the coastal regions;
• Formulate scientific guidelines on integrated coastal zone management, including coastal zone resources accounting, technology of integrated coastal zone management planning and the operation scheme for ocean space use fees;
• Study the management technology for the prevention of marine environment degradation and summarise the international and domestic experiences in marine environmental protection.

Monitoring Indicators: a complete set of methods, mechanisms and systems for integrated coastal zone management established.

Implementing Agencies: State Oceanic Administration, the oceanic administration departments of the coastal regions.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 2000

4.2 The Demonstration Project of Sustainable Utilisation and Integrated Management of Jiaozhou Bay

• Perfect the local agencies for management and co-ordination of marine resources exploitation, carry out research on ecological and environmental monitoring, and comprehensive development and management of Jiaozhou Bay, and establish the model of optimum distribution of the sea resources, management system of the sea utilisation, and the operable measures and methods of management;
• Formulate plan for sustainable development of the marine economy in the Jiaozhou Bay region, including the feasibility study on some shrimp fields' restoration in Jiaozhou Bay, a feasibility report on deep dredging of the Bay's northern navigating route and tidal flat, the scheme on diverting the mouth of Dagu River into the Bay, the general plan of harbour distribution, the scheme of polluted water treatment around the Bay, discharges under deep water and environmental protection, land-sea transportation connection plan;
• Establish the demonstration base of ecological aquiculture in shallow water and tidal flats in Jiaozhou Bay. Taking into account the characteristic of Jiaozhou Bay, develop new methods and techniques for manufacturing medicine from marine organisms, aquiculture, new species cultivation, prevention of diseases of organisms in marine culture, along with of ocean engineering surveys, designs and construction, and establish a set of integrated ecological aquiculture models that make full use of natural resources and improve economic efficiency, and form a fair-sized ecological aquiculture zone;

Monitoring Indicators: completion of different optimal schemes and plans, a models of optimal ecological aquiculture, establishment of a capacity assessment system for tidal flat ecological aquiculture, the production rise in the experimental zone for ecological aquiculture, increase of the science and technology contribution for the development of marine resources by 10%, and increase of annual domestic national production by 30%.

Implementing Agencies: the State Oceanic Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, the concerned government departments of Shandong province.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 2000

4.3 Establishment of Demonstration Bases of Hainan Alkaline Wasteland and Sea water Agriculture

• Carry out studies on breeding technology of oceanic biological agriculture, and cultivate 3 new varieties of salt-enduring vegetable, rice and oilseed crops;
• Grow the new varieties on the experimental beach farmland and gradually improve their quality;
• Set up a gene centre for fine varieties of salt-enduring plants, build Hainan province Research Centre on Oceanic Organism Agriculture, and serve for the spreading of cultivation technology.

Monitoring Indicators: Successful cultivation the new varieties of salt-enduring oilseed crops, rice and vegetables suitable for growing in shallow seawater and tidal flats.

Implementing Agencies: State Oceanic Administration, the Oceanic Bureau of Hainan province.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 2000

5. Inputs

5.1 Chinese Inputs

The Chinese inputs will be used mainly for: the offices of project management, domestic experts and related staff, necessary research facilities, land, the related technical support and data, and part of the construction of the demonstration bases.

5.2 International Inputs

The international inputs mainly include: technical consultancy and training, technical aid and co-operation, main research instruments and equipment.

5.3 Budget

The total capital needed for this project is US$ 4.4 million. The Chinese participants will raise US$ 1.9 million from domestic sources, while the foreign aid and investment will cover the other US$ 2.5 million.

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Table 1. Budget by Item (in million US dollars)

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Table 2. Budget by Output (in million US dollars)

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6. Benefits

The integrated management technology for coastal zone resources and environment will help the scientific development of coastal regions. Research on the regular pattern of the population's seaward movement will provide scientific basis for the forecast and planning of economic and social development in the coastal regions. The achievements in the studies on the technical method of integrated coastal zone management will improve the management level. The completion of the demonstration project in Jiaozhou Bay will provide scientific guideline for construction of harbours with the handling capacity of 300 million tons, the Ecological Aquiculture Zone, the Sea water Multi-functional Demonstration Zone, the Polluted Water Treatment, thus enhance the capabilities of developing ocean engineering and biological engineering technology, and promote realisation of the high-speed oceanic sector development zone. The pilot study on sea water agriculture will change the traditional agriculture that depends only upon fresh water and land, providing more open development space for "soil-free" and "sea water" agriculture.

7. Risks

There are several obstacles to this project: (1) Due to the many parties involved in the use of the coastline, integrated management of the coastal zone remains difficult. Unified laws, regulations and decrees must be applied to enable the integrated ocean management department to implement this project; (2) The implementation of this project will have different impacts on the various users of coastal zone resources. Restrictions will be imposed on some users with bad ecological and environmental efficiency. Administrative and legislative measures must be taken to solve these problems.

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