Korea set to lead fight against desertification

By Kim Tae-gyu

The United Nations has noted that the top three environmental risks threatening the world are rampant climate change, reduced biodiversity and the turning of productive lands into deserts.

Korea is set to co-head the world’s fight against desertification, which is taking place at an alarming pace. Land around four times the size of Seoul becomes desert every year in China alone, reducing croplands, pastures and woodlands.

Korea Forest Service (KFS) Minister Lee Don-koo said in a recent interview with The Korea Times that the country deserves the role in consideration of its track record of successful forestation over the past few decades.

“Once arable lands turn to deserts, it is extremely hard to return them to productivity. What we can do is to stop or slow down the process, which is currently underway,” said Lee who took charge of the KFS this year, the International Year of Forests.

“Toward that end, we are required to safeguard forests as well as plant new trees. The country’s experiences of forestation will be of great help in achieving the goal and we will put forth various other efforts.”

Lee said Korea will try to come up with a broad-based agreement for the initiative this October at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification session in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

As the first Asian state to hold the high-profile U.N. gathering, the KFS looks to introduce the “Changwon Accord” geared toward enlarging forests to prevent desertification.

Korea is regarded as successfully attaining a rare combination of economic growth and forestations, and is one of the most forested places on the planet.

Yet, a vast majority of countries tend to chalk up an increase in national output at the expense of trees and this is the foremost reason for the expansion of deserts together with over-grazing and over-cultivation.

“The Earth had 6.5 billion hectares of forests, around half of its overall land mass. But the size has shrunk to below 4 billion hectares amid industrialization. Every year, up to 10 million hectares of forest disappear,” the professor-turned-bureaucrat said.

“Among them, Russia has a total of 1.1 billion hectares, which face major threats due to climate change since higher temperatures generate fires and bugs. We need to put the issue on the front burner.”

Lee, who taught at Seoul National University before joining the KFS, reiterated the significance of trees for mankind.

“An institute estimated the values of the country’s forests at somewhere between 70 and 80 trillion won. But the real worth should be 10 or 100 times the estimation,” Lee said.

“When people are sick, they can visit doctors. When cars don’t work, they can be handled at garages. What if we have problems in forests? We don’t have anywhere to bank on then.”

Lee got his Ph.D. at Iowa State University. As a professor at Seoul National University, he has been recognized as the country’s most authoritative expert in the segment.