Ocean-related zoning and planning in China: A review

• All existing ocean-related zoning and planning initiatives in China are comprehensively reviewed.
• The relationships of these ocean-related zoning and planning initiatives are fully explored.
• Poor coordination among current ocean-related zoning and planning leads to potential issues, innovation is called for.

Increasing demand for outputs (goods and services such as food and energy) has already led to excessive use of marine resources, e.g., over fishing, loss of biodiversity, habitat degradation and damage to the marine environment. How to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of marine management is a common topic among nations. In China, ocean-related zoning and planning, considered as the cornerstones of the management strategy for the development, protection and management of its oceans, have been evolving and changing considerably in the past decades. This article reviews all ocean-related zoning and planning schemes in China and analyzes their features and roles. It discusses the relationships between ocean-related zoning and planning as well as relationships among marine plans, and analyzes their problems in practice to call for an integrated approach in marine management.