The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) launched the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Support Project (YSESP) on Friday to conserve the marine ecosystem.

The project, supported by Japan's electronics giant Panasonic, is part of WWF's Global 200 - which lists 238 regions across the world that need immediate conservation.

The seven-year regional marine conservation project aims to redress public concern and ensure proper protection and effective management of the critical habitats in and around the Yellow Sea by supporting local communities' sustainable conservation activities.

Five Chinese and three South Korean organizations, including environmental NGOs, environment-related grass-roots government bodies, research institutes, communities and the media, could get about 40,000 yuan a year for conservation work.

The last date for submitting applications is October 31. The conservation activities, mainly public education, of the chosen organizations will last through next year.

"Although the money is not big, the project stresses how people can work in partnership," said Dermot O'Gorman, Country Representative of WWF China.

The project will be implemented by WWF in China in cooperation with the State Oceanic Administration, State Environmental Protection Administration and State Forestry Administration on other environmental issues.

Pilot schemes in China and South Korea have to adopt international standards of conservation.

The project is expected to present a successful Asian human-marine ecosystem co-existence model, O'Gorman said.

The Yellow Sea is noted for its extreme biodiversity because of its world-class continental shelf.

(China Daily September 8, 2007)