This Act is enacted to protect the marine ecological environment, conserve marine biodiversity, reasonably utilize marine biological resources, coordinate and promote the planning and implementation of marine protected areas, and promote marine conservation education.

The competent authority referred to in this Act shall be the Ocean Affairs Council at the central government level, the government of a special municipality at the special municipality level, and the county (or city) government at the county (or city) level.
The jurisdictional scope of the competent authorities of the special municipality or county (city) referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be announced by the central competent authority.

The terms used in this Act are defined as follows:
1. Marine life: refers to marine animals, marine plants, and other marine organisms.
2. Marine biodiversity: refers to the variability of living organisms in all marine areas, including diversity within species, among species, and among ecosystems.
3. Conservation: refers to the protection, restoration, and management of marine life based on the principles of marine biodiversity and natural ecological balance.
4. Marine protected area: refers to a marine area or an adjacent land area that contains biodiversity, special natural landscapes, cultural assets, or ecological resources for sustainable use, etc., which is designated and protected in accordance with the provisions of this Act or other laws.
5. Marine sanctuary: refers to the marine protected area designated in accordance with this Act, which may be managed through zoning, including core zones, buffer zones, and sustainable-use zones.
6. Core zone: refers to an area designated for the long-term protection of marine life, ecological environment, and biodiversity, as well as for academic research. This zone shall be strictly protected, restricting personnel access and prohibiting all development and utilization activities.
7. Buffer zone: refers to an area adjacent to or surrounding the core zone, where human activities are managed and restricted to protect the core zone, and can be designated for research and development purposes.
8. Sustainable-use zone: refers to the area outside the core zone and buffer zone, where the use of marine life, ecological environment, biodiversity, and natural resources is permitted to obtain cultural, educational, academic, economic, and other benefits, and where resources are managed and developed sustainably without compromising the balance of the natural marine ecology.

In order to achieve the goal of marine biodiversity, the competent authorities shall adopt various marine conservation measures to protect the habitats of marine life, and coordinate and promote the integrated planning and implementation of marine protected areas.

Before designation, modification, or abolition of marine sanctuaries, and formulation of marine sanctuary conservation plans, the central competent authority shall, in conjunction with the central competent authority of the indigenous peoples, conduct the process in accordance with the regulations of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law and the Ocean Basic Act for the parts involving the land and marine areas that belong to indigenous people.