Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
K-water to hold symposium on Nakdong River estuary restoration
An aerial image of the Nakdong River estuary / Courtesy of K-water
By Lee Hae-rin
By Lee Hae-rin
Dozens of scholars, government officials and civic group members will discuss sustainable use of estuaries in a global discussion event here.
The Ministry of Environment and the Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) said, Monday, they will hold the International Estuary Symposium (IES 2021) at Ananti Hilton Busan from Tuesday to Thursday.
Under the theme “Restoration and Future for the Nakdong River Estuary,” K-water and the ministry will present the results of the river ecosystem restoration through the opening of the estuary gates.
Nakdong River estuary is regulated by a 2,4o0-meter-long barrage built in 1987 to control the inflow of seawater into farmland and secure drinking and agricultural water for nearby regions, including Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
However, the biodiversity of the river, which plays a vital role in the estuary ecosystem, had been diminished since the establishment of the barrage, as it limited water flow.
Thus, the gate-opening project was started in 2019 to restore and protect the biodiversity of the estuary, and by its third opening in July 2020, the possibility of improvement was confirmed as the estuary's ecospecies including eels and anchovies were found again in the waters upstream of the gates.
During the three-day symposium, the participants will inspect the Nakdong River estuary barrage at the fourth opening of its gates. They will then discuss restoration, management, and future value of estuaries, and share examples of not only the Nakdong but also other estuaries in the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“The Nakdong River estuary restoration project is one of the leading cases in the world, where the functional aspect of the barrage and ecological aspect of the estuary are both maintained successfully. The ministry will keep working with local municipalities, civil society and experts to enable the coexistence of humanity and nature at the estuary,” Minister Han Jeoung-ae said in the press statement.
IES 2021 follows the latest government guidelines on social distancing, and limits the number of on-site participants to 49 during all programs and offers free online streaming via YouTube.