Marine Environmental Degradation: An Increasing NTS Threat

The importance of oceans and seas for mankind is increasingly recognized by the international community. The inclusion of an ocean-related goal into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 14 “Life below Water”, is a move to this end. Further development of this momentum has been seen in 2019, with important international meetings convened to discuss necessary policies and initiatives for saving the marine environment. Among the many meetings, the first Ocean Conference convened by the United Nations (UN) in June 2017 in New York was the most high-profile. This was followed by the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) for Sustainable Development in July 2017, during which the protection of marine biodiversity in the high seas was discussed amidst a host of sustainable development issues. These high-level events have successfully shaped the perspectives of the policymakers, increasing global attention towards the health of ouroceans. During the Ocean Conference this year, the UN, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), regional institutions, the private sector, the scientific community, and other stakeholders offered more than 1,400 voluntary commitments, pledging to take action in saving our shared marine environment.

In Southeast Asia, where water bodies account for over two thirds of the region's area, these voluntary commitments, if translated into policies, may have important implications. The South China Sea (SCS), an important body of water in the region, has attracted growing international attention in recent years for maritime disputes involving several claimants, which include Brunei, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Marine environmental protection has been overshadowed by maritime disputes in regional and international security discourses. For instance, between 2009 and 2016, the number of news reports that covered the maritime disputes was 8,795 as compared to 25 news reports on environmental protection.

The same tendency to prioritize territorial disputes was also observed in official discourse. For instance, in the Chairman's Statement of the 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila in April 2017, the SCS was the first issue of the section on regional and international issues, followed by maritime security and cooperation that included maritime environment.