A port city and two beautiful bays on the northern coast of the South China Sea have been built to be examples of how a harmonious relationship can exist between economic development and protecting the environment, thanks to the aid of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

A symposium was held Wednesday in Beijing to sum up experience in the UNDP-funded project of capacity building for integrated coastal management in northern South China Sea.

Chen Lianzeng, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), said at the symposium that as a result of the three-year project, Fangchenggang in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a sea gate to west China, has become a model example of how it pays equal attention to port construction and ecological protection.

In addition, Hailing Bay in Guangdong Province has obtained valuable experience in the sustainable development of fishery industry, and Qinglan Bay in Hainan Province has figured out a way to develop various resources.

Chen said the experience of the three regions will be of great importance to China's marine resources and environmental protection and the sustainable development of oceanic economy.

According to Xu Sheng, an official from the Marine Environmental Protection Department of SOA, conflicts between various economic sectors in China's coastal areas became sharp with the rapid economic growth over the past decade.

Thousands of hectares of fish breeding areas were destroyed due to reckless enclosing of tideland for cultivation or industrial construction. Mangroves and wild animals in the coastal areas were disappearing, while industrial and agricultural sewage contaminated the sea and eco-system were destroyed, said Xu.

In order to solve the problems, the Chinese government asked for help from UNDP to implement integrated coastal management through the establishment of demonstration zones.

The project was initiated in June 1997, with an investment of 1. 1 million US dollars from the UNDP, and 18 million yuan (US$2.2 million) from China.

During the three-day symposium, UNDP officials and Chinese marine experts will have further exchanges in the fields of coastal management, marine resources and environmental protection.

(Xinhua 11/02/2000)