This report presents the results from the first year of the ongoing three-years study on development of the national environment management policies and strategies to support sustainable estuarine development in Korea. Objectives of the first year study are - to define management area boundaries of 17 major estuaries, to classify estuarine types in the management perspective, and to develop policy directions of the individual management types. Diverse approaches including field survey, existing data review, case analysis, workshops, interviews and questionnaires were employed to collect a wide range of data and stakeholder’s opinions.

Management boundaries were delineated mainly by the physical, geographical, and land use characteristics of the estuaries. Landward boundaries were commonly determined by the tidal head, but seaward boundaries were defined case by case based on the geographical characteristics and land use patterns of the individual estuaries. It was also included in the management area to support watershed- based management of the main and tributary watersheds lying between the tidal head and seaward boundary. Among the 17 major estuaries, we defined 15 management areas because Ansung and Sapgeu estuaries, Mangeong and Dongjin esturies could be respectively treated as one estuarine system as Asanman estuary and Saemangeum estuary according to their common reponses on the river-mouth barrages.

Socio-economic data indicates that estuaries have been excessively used and developed without considerations on the environment. Top seven largest