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Left: Bean gooses are busy catching fish at Junam Reservoir in Changwon, one of the most well-known habitats for migratory birds, Thursday. / Yonhap
Right: Hundreds of migratory birds take a rest at Junam Reservoir in Changwon, a rich habitat for migratory birds and the main venue for the Ramsar Convention, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
CHANGWON ― The number of shorebirds observed on the west coast of the Korean Peninsula has drastically decreased over the past two years as a result of a large-scale reclamation project at Saemangeum, a coastal area in South Jeolla Province, an international bird conservation group said, Thursday.
``Within Saemangeum, we saw the decline of 137,000 shorebirds and declines in 19 of the most numerous species between 2006 and 2008,'' said the Australasian Wader Studies Group, citing a joint report with a local environmental NGO Birds Korea. ``The number of Great Knots there has declined more than 90,000 during the period and nine other species also showed declines of 30 percent or more, including the `critically endangered' Spoon-billed Sandpiper.''
Started in 1991, the Saemangeum project has constructed a 33-kilometer-long sea disk to produce 40,100 hectares of land and 28,300 hectares of farmland, according to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Director of BirdLife International Mike Rands said the reclamation project has caused ``substantial declines'' in shorebird populations in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, where Saemangeum served as an important stopover and vital feeding habitat.
In 2006, more than 22.7 percent of the world's population of Great Knot used the area but now it is estimated at merely 3.2 percent, Rands added.
``Saemangeum still remains internationally important for at least nine shorebird species on northwards migration, but the numbers staying there are now only 25 percent of those present before sea-wall completion,'' he said.
In conclusion, they urge the Korean government to open and enlarge sluice gates in Saemangeum to help restore the natural ecological character and biodiversity within the area and cancel all large and medium-sized reclamations and major infrastructure developments that threaten birds' survival.
pss@koteatimes.co.kr
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무디스, 스페인·伊·포르투갈 신용등급 강등
