해양생물 서식지외 보전기관(Ex-situ)의 운영 고도화 방안 연구

Abstract

The Earth's oceans, home to an incredibly diverse array of marine life, sustain over 20,000 species and provide significant benefits to humanity. South Korea has been collecting food resources from the sea for almost 3,000 years, starting from around 3,000 years BC. and it currently ranks as world's largest consumers of seafood. However, with the increasing impact of human activities, marine ecosystems and habitats are increasingly threatened, leading to the extinction of some species. To address the threat of marine life extinction, countries worldwide have established conservation facilities in an artificial space outside its natural habitats to undertake conservation efforts in artificial environments. South Korea has been also operating 13 marine life Ex-situ institution since 2023. This study conducted research on policies from various perspectives to promote the development of marine life Ex-situ institution. For this, the limitations of such facilities in South Korea were analyzed from three aspects: public awareness, budget allocation, and the current legal and institutional framework. Subsequently, an Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) analysis was conducted with 22 experts in marine life conservation facilities, including 8 field experts. Based on the diverse analytical results, the study aimed to propose development strategies for marine life Ex-situ institution. The current limitations of marine life Ex-situ institution in South Korea include, first, a lack of public awareness and recognition. A survey was conducted with 453 respondents to analyze the general public's perception. The results revealed that approximately 85.7% of respondents recognized a decline in marine species diversity. However, only 28.5% of respondents were aware of the existence of conservation facilities beyond natural habitats for marine life. The necessity of such facilities was supported by 77.7% of respondents, and the majority, 95.6% of respondents, believed that active government intervention was required for their operation. The second limitation is the imbalance in budget allocation when compared to the value estimation research of marine life and Ex-situ institution. In previous studies, the estimated value of a single marine species reached hundreds of billion KRW. and contrast to previous studies which estimated the value of Ex-situ institution at 894 billion KRW, there has been an imbalance in South Korea's current budget support for these facilities. The cumulative budget execution amount has not exceeded 10 billion KRW since the inception of support programs. The third limitation of marine life Ex-situ institutions in South Korea pertained to legal and institutional constraints. The designation and expansion of marine protected species or marine protected areas posed a challenge, as they often became performance indicators for government agencies or failed to align with the effectiveness of actual marine life conservation. Private organizations might exploit these agencies for improving their corporate image or select high-profile conservation targets for external recognition, raising concerns about their conservation impact. The results of the AHP analysis conducted among experts for the development of marine life Ex-situ institutions are as follows. Regarding the importance of policy formulation, regulatory improvement related to marine life conservation facilities beyond natural habitats showed the highest level of significance. This was followed by the establishment of a national marine life conservation Ex-situ institution, R&D investment, and the expansion of waterfront areas to enhance public awareness. Based on the survey results from the general public and the advice from experts, various policy recommendations have been proposed to enhance public awareness, including educational programs, promotion, organizing competitions, and expanding waterfront areas. To make budget allocation a reality, case studies of the valuation of marine life conservation facilities beyond natural habitats, based on similar organizations, have been presented, along with suggestions for establishing and operating marine life conservation facilities, proposing appropriate budget allocations. Lastly, recommendations have been made for the scope of the legislative project for the establishment and operation of marine life Ex-situ institutions, including organization and staffing considerations.