Abstract
Protecting marine environments and ensuring the ocean’s sustainability is a global issue, and nowhere is this more important right now than in the South China Sea, a body of water offering abundant and complex marine ecosystems. However, because of disputed territorial claims between China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, the South China Sea disputes remain a serious threat to political and ecological security in Southeast Asia. Science diplomacy is advantageous to this dispute management process, and the probability that it can contribute to successfully managing it is high. It is imperative that global scientific, conservation, and legal communities unite to halt coral reef destruction, biodiversity loss, and fisheries depletion. This chapter offers a framework aimed at achieving cooperation and ensuring security in the region.
The author expresses his appreciation for research support provided by Le Thu Ha, a fellow in the Asian Dialogues Program at the Carnegie Council.
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Notes
- 1.
The Coral Triangle Initiative is an intergovernmental, multiple-sponsored, coordinated effort to improve the management of coral reefs and related resources. It covers a triangular area previously determined to be high in coral diversity, encompassing Indonesia , the Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea , and the Solomon Islands. The total area is approximately 1800 square kilometers and includes, for many groups of organisms, the richest species diversity in the world.
- 2.
UNEP funded the project “Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand,” which involved a partnership of seven countries bordering the South China Sea (Cambodia, China, Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). The project consisted of 59 organizations as a “networked institution,” plus around 100 subcontracted institutions and more than 400 institutions involved through individual participation.
- 3.
The Center for Development of Community Initiative and Environment is a Vietnamese not-for-profit and NGO established in 2008. Mekong Delta Youth is aimed at building and improving Mekong Delta youth’s skills. MCD-Marinelife Conservation And Community Development is a leading Vietnamese NGO in the field of coastal and marine ecosystem conservation, striving for a coastal zone of Vietnam with healthy ecosystems and a good quality of life for coastal communities.
- 4.
At the airport in Manila before departing for an official visit to Japan, President Duterte stated that “I do not want to see any military man of any other nation (in the Philippines), except the Filipino soldier.” He added that the Philippines will survive without foreign investors who are squeamish about his bullish rhetoric.
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Borton, J. (2018). Science Diplomacy and Dispute Management in the South China Sea. In: Spangler, J., Karalekas, D., Lopes de Souza, M. (eds) Enterprises, Localities, People, and Policy in the South China Sea . Critical Studies of the Asia-Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62828-8_10
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