Prospects for Regional Soft Law to Protect the South China Sea Marine Environment

Abstract

International marine environmental law has found its primary sources in international legal principles and conventions. At the regional level, some organisations prefer soft laws as their main instruments for regional marine environmental protection. This article proposes that coastal states could use soft law instruments in the South China Sea (scs) region to protect the marine environment through robust institutional processes, addressing environmental degradation concerns against a tense geopolitical backdrop. Based on discussions of regional practices, this article proposes that scs coastal states could strengthen their regional cooperation efforts using the existing soft-law structures by strengthening implementation cooperation through specific and targeted measures.