By Jessica Cockburn
Developments at New Songdo City have been widely reported on by the print and online media since the launch of the project in 2003. The message that comes across in reports is overwhelmingly positive with many hoping that the project will inject fresh impetus into the South Korean economy. As a multibillion dollar project, New Songdo City will surely be a masterpiece of technological innovation and urban development, just as it will stand as a testament to the work ethic of the Korean people.
Yet in spite of the strong national ― and international ― interest in the Songdo development, one issue remains quietly unaddressed: the environmental cost of New Songdo City.
The city has been touted as one of the ``greenest" urban areas in the world, and is being built according to strict standards of Korean and international green building rating systems, including, for example, the one put forth by LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development). The designers of the city are focusing on a pedestrian rather than a car-friendly transport system and a seawater canal will provide energy efficient transport by water.
Moreover, New Songdo City will provide numerous ``eco-friendly" recreational facilities for residents, while 40 percent of the city has been set aside for so-called ``green-space," which includes the large Central Park and an ``ecotarium."
As with any new development, however, close scrutiny must be paid to Songdo's location. Developments that claim to be built according to specific environmental standards, such as New Songdo, invite especially close scrutiny.
Where is New Songdo City being built? On ecologically marginal or previously disturbed land? No, sadly not. New Songdo City is being built on so-called ``Greenfield Land" ― previously undeveloped land. More specifically, it is being built on inter-tidal mudflats.
Much of the inter-tidal mudflats in the Incheon area have already been reclaimed as part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ). The area currently being reclaimed for the development of New Songdo City includes some of the last remaining undisturbed inter-tidal mudflats in the Incheon area.
To an uninformed observer, tidal mudflats may appear to be of little value. But one has only to observe coastal communities and their close relationships with these tidal areas to realize the fallacy of this view.
To the naturalist and keen observer, much is apparent: mudflats are a vibrant ecosystem and host to innumerable species. Hundreds of micro-organisms and invertebrates have adapted, over millions of years, to live in this environment and these small creatures form the basis of a sensitive ecosystem. At the top of the food chain are a variety of bird species. Some of these birds are permanent residents of the mudflats, and use them for feeding and breeding. Others use the mudflats as feeding grounds on stopovers during southbound migrations.
The Songdo area supports 13 species of shorebirds in internationally important concentrations, as recognised by Ramsar, the international wetland conservation body. According to Birds Korea, an organization based in Busan that works for the conservation of birds and their habitats in Korea, all 13 of these species are ecologically dependent on inter-tidal mudflats for their survival. In the greater Gyeonggi Bay area, of which Songdo is a small portion, surveys have shown declines in shorebird species in the last two decades, and this is directly correlated to increased destruction of habitats by reclamation.
Numerous bird species in the Songdo tidal flats area are threatened by development. The Relict Gull, a globally vulnerable species, has already shown a steep decline in its population at Songdo over the last three years due to reclamation activities. Another flagship species is the Saunders's Gull, which also breeds in tidal flats. Songdo's Saunders's Gulls represent 8% of the global population of this species. The near-threatened Black-tailed Godwit is a migratory shorebird which uses the area as a feeding ground on its migratory route. Songdo has been recognised as the most important site for this bird species in the Republic of Korea, and loss of this habitat could mean the loss of the species for this country.
To be fair, the developers in the IFEZ have paid some recognition to the importance of the Songdo mudflats. In the latest reclamation project at Songdo, during which 715 hectares have been approved for reclamation, 300 hectares are to be set aside for birds. At this stage however, it is not even certain whether all of the 300 hectares will be suitable habitat for these threatened bird species. This may seem like a positive gesture towards the future of the bird populations, but a smaller area to forage and nest in will affect the bird populations. Leaving only 300 hectares, when the original inter-tidal mudflats area of Songdo stretched for more than 5000 hectares, is unlikely to sustain viable bird populations. Some species' vulnerability will increase, others may face extinction.
Considering how much media coverage the developments at Songdo have received, it is worrying that very little mention is made of the effects of the developments on the inter-tidal mudflat ecosystems.
How can a development like New Songdo City claim to be environmentally sensitive, when its development has increased pressure on already vulnerable and endangered species?
Extinction is final, as is habitat destruction. A large artificial Central Park, an ``ecotarium" and green technology such as energy-efficient transport systems cannot compensate for the loss of biodiversity. Can one really speak of New Songdo City as an eco-friendly city when it comes at the cost of irreplaceable loss of wildlife and habitat?
The writer is from South Africa and has been teaching English at Sungshin Girls' Middle School in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. She can be reached at jessicacockburn@gmail.com.