Marine regions and regionalism in South-east Asia

If problems of ocean management are to be solved the seas must be divided up into appropriate regions. Regional boundaries can be based on factors of physical geography or on economic, political or management principles. South-east Asia, with complicated land-sea boundaries, provides a number of examples of different types of marine regions, which can be used as case study examples of problems and solutions in regionalizing the oceans. Eight regional types and locations are described and discussed, and it is concluded that regional arrangements for management or the solution of problems are at present limited to three: the Malacca-Singapore Straits, Andaman Sea and Celebes Sea.