하구 환경관리의 통합성 확보를 위한 관리체제 개선방안

Abstract

Estuaries face on a lot of difficulties in its own setting specifically when the environmental management systems are concerned. Analysis on the existing management systems indicated that the fragmented management system is one of major barriers to develop an integrated national estuary policy. In particular, the policy barriers between the development-oriented agencies and the environmental protection agencies, and the conflicts between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries seemed so hard to be resolved without the proper national level coordinating mechanism. Moreover, the current estuary management system turned out not to be effective in dealing between the estuary-specific environmental problems and the associated conflicts among stake- holders. Thus, this situation calls for the developments of both national level coordinating mechanisms and site-specific estuary management systems. As a coordinating mechanism, we suggested the establishments of National Estuary Committee in the Prime Minister’s Office on the national-level. Also we proposed a development on the Regional Estuary Management Committee for regional level coordination. In order to support an integrated estuary management, it was also proposed to have a development on the National Estuary Management Plan and on the Estuary Management Implementation Plans. This will cover a wide- range of estuary management issues in an integrated perspective. According to the case studies, environmental problems and associated conflicts in the estuary can be managed at the program-level management system which will include the National Estuary Program in USA, Thames Estuary Partnership Program in England and Fraser Estuary Program in Canada. In this respect, we proposed to establish a similar National Estuary Program to solve the facing environmental issues in major estuaries. It could be a few proposed examples the Estuarine Ecosystem Preservation Program in the Han-River Estuary, the Estuarine Circulation Restoration Program in Yongsan-River Estuary and the Salt-water Intrusion Control Program in Sumjin-River Estuary. Four different legalization options were examined to legally support the implementation of the suggested system enhancement, which include the revision and updates on existing laws, enactment of ‘Estuary Management Act’, enactment of ‘Estuary Restoration Act’ with revision of existing laws, and enactment of special laws directly applicable to the individual estuary as like ‘○○ Estuary Management Act’. The second option seems to be favorable because it can fully support the suggested estuarine management system as well as potentially the future management requirements.