Third East Asian Seas Youth Forum Toolkit - PEMSEA.org

Young Champions for the OceanThe Value of the Oceans and Coasts of East AsiaThe East Asian region is teeming with marine biodiversity. The greatest density ofmangroves and corals are in the region, along with a multitude of species of seagrass, fish,and other plants and animals, some of which are endemic to the region.The region’s coastal and marine environments fill a substantial percentage of theworld’s demand for food, while economic opportunities afforded by coastal and marineenvironments provide livelihood to more than a billion people in the region living with 100km of the coasts.Among the ecosystem services that the ocean and coastal environment are as follows:1. Provisioning Services of Coastal and Marine Resources• Fisheries as a food provisioning service• Aquaculture as a food provisioning service• Building material provisioning service (e.g. lime, mangrove, timber)2. Regulating Services• Air quality maintenance• Climate regulation• Erosion control• Human disease regulation• Water purification3. Cultural Services• Tourism and recreation• Cultural and spiritual value of the resources• Traditional knowledge• Education and research4. Supporting Services• Provision of habitats and nurseries• Primary productivity• Nutrient cycling and fertilityResources distribution in the EASRegion (UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2002).Ocean fisheries — fish in the net — are huge contributors to the world economy, both cash and non-cash. In 2008, nearly 80 million tonnesof fish were captured, with an estimated value of more than 80 billion USD. That catch meant 35 million jobs directly linked to the industry,the livelihoods of more than 300 million people, and food security for millions of coastal communities (UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2012).17