Legal basis

Article 25 of the Conservation and Management Of Marine Ecosystems Act, Article 8 of the Wetlands Conservation Act

Notices on new management plans for marine protected areas or revisions made to existing ones are published on the Official Gazette and website, in accordance with Article 28 of the Enforcement Rule of the said Act.

Definition(Protected Marine Areas)

The Minister of Oceans and Fisheries may designate and manage any of the following areas, whose marine ecosystems or marine landscapes require special conservation, as marine protected areas:

1. Sea areas that maintain pristine marine ecosystems or rich marine biodiversity, with conservation and research value;
2. Areas with unique topographical, geological or ecological features that require conservation or research;
3. Sea areas that have a high primary production capacity or conservation value as a habitat or spawning site for protected marine species;
4. Sea areas that may represent diverse marine ecosystems or are a sample area of those ecosystems;
5. Sea areas with outstanding submarine landscapes, such as coral reefs and seaweeds, and marine landscapes that require special conservation
6. Areas that require conservation to maintain or improve their function as carbon sinks in marine ecosystems; or
7. Other sea areas designated by a Presidential Decree, which are especially necessary for the effective conservation and management of marine ecosystems.

Definition(Wetland Protection Areas)

1. The Minister of Environment, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, or a city mayor/provincial governor may designate any of the following areas that have special conservation value as wetland protection areas and their surrounding areas as wetland buffer management areas:
   1. Ecologically intact or biodiverse areas;
   2. Habitats or stopover sites for rare or endangered animals and plants; or
   3. Areas with unique landscape, topographical or geological value.
2. The Minister of Environment, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, or a city mayor/provincial governor may designate any of the following wetlands as Wetland Restoration Areas:
   1. Wetland protection areas that have been severely degraded or are expected to face further degradation; or
   2. Areas with poorly conserved wetland ecosystems, which are worth restoring through human intervention