China

This biosphere reserve is located in the Beiby Gulf Area of Guangxi Autonomous region in the southernmost part of China. It covers only 8,000 hectares, but given the fact that it supports several mangrove species endangered in China (Rhizophora stylosa, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza), as well as rare seagrass species and the sea mammal Dugong dugong, it is of major significance for biodiversity conservation. The biosphere reserve includes mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass habitats. This combination of three coastal habitats in a single location is rare along China’s coast.

Most of the local people (totalling some 34,000 in the transition area in 1998) are originally from the Fujian coast area (eastern China) and are descendants of Han nationality. Their main economic activities are rice and commercial crop cultivation as well as livestock husbandry, mariculture and shallow water fishing. Development opportunities include sustainable mariculture (mudflat and offshore mariculture, including pearl cultivation), further development of ecotourism, shoreline protection, duck-raising, bee-keeping, processing of edible fruits of the mangrove species Avicennia marina etc. Frequent visits by local and national officials provide scope for demonstration and improvement of protection and resource use strategies in China’s marine coastal environment. Shankou Mangrove Biosphere Reserve also offers considerable potential for collaborative activities with other mangrove biosphere reserves in the region, such as Ranong Biosphere Reserve in Thailand and Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam.