We Welcome the Designation of New Marine Protected Areas Including Gwantaldo Island
On April 11, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officially designated the waters surrounding Gwantaldo Island in Jeju as a Marine Ecosystem Protected Area (Areas for protecting marine ecosystems), and the waters near Sindo-ri as a Marine Species Protected Area (Areas for protecting marine organisms). With this announcement, the total number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated by the Ministry has increased to 57.
This designation is significant for two main reasons. First, the main habitat of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin—whose need for protection has long been recognized—has now been designated as a protected area. Second, Gwantaldo Island has been designated as the largest single marine protected area in the country, covering 1,075.08 square kilometers.
In particular, the designation of Gwantaldo Island marks a meaningful starting point for establishing large-scale MPAs exceeding 1,000 square kilometers in size. It represents an important step toward fulfilling the goal set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (CBD-GBF), which calls for designating 30% of the ocean as protected areas by 2030.
The Korean government has declared its intention to designate 30% of its territorial waters as MPAs in line with its commitments to the international community. Therefore, the continued designation of large-scale MPAs is essential. This latest designation is especially encouraging as it demonstrates the government’s commitment to translating its policy direction into concrete action.
It is also of great significance in terms of international cooperation. At the upcoming 10th Our Ocean Conference (OOC), to be held in Busan starting April 28, the Korean government will be able to showcase its contribution to global marine biodiversity conservation efforts. Moreover, together with Korea’s recent ratification of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), this move sends a strong signal of Korea’s commitment to international solidarity in marine protection.
We hope this designation marks the beginning of more systematic and effective marine protection policies by the government. In particular, we call for the establishment of a clear roadmap and action plan to expand MPAs to 30% of Korea’s territorial waters by 2030. In addition, there must also be robust post-designation management and ongoing assessment of existing MPAs. To the end, the government should expedite the enactment of the proposed “Marine Protected Areas Act.
We sincerely welcome the government’s decision and look forward to further progress in its marine conservation efforts.