Environment & Animals

Bird watching

It’s Not Too Late to Revive Saemangeum

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter CHANGWON ㅡ The Saemangeum reclamation project, completed in coastal South Jeolla Province in 2006, has drawn a barrage of criticism from environmental activists at home and abroad for disrupting the local ecosystem. Environmental experts said the reclamation deprived numerous shorebirds, mollusks and fish of their shelters. The Australasian Wader Studies Group said in its latest report that it had observed 137,000 fewer shorebirds and reductions in the presence of 19 other species between 2006 and 2008. Ju Yong-ki, an environmental researcher at Chonbuk National University, claimed it's still ``not too late'' to revive Saemangeum. ``Despite the destruction, Saemangeum still remains an internationally important wetland as a habitat for numerous birds, including endangered species,'' Ju said at a session on the sidelines of the Ramsar Convention. According to his report, more than 53,000 migratory birds still make Saemangeum and adjacent wetlands as their wintering ground. ``More than 1 percent of the total population of endange

Limited Access Essential for Wetland Preservation

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter There have always been clashes between local residents longing for economic benefits from natural resources and environmentalists seeking to restrict public access to areas unaffected by human activity leading to the debate of development over conservation. Dr. Jan Kvet, Czech ecology expert and this year's Ramsar Award winner, found the answer and halfway point in sustainable tourism. ``I do understand both sides ― you could not appreciate an unspoiled environment if you feel you are not benefiting from it and you could also fear that human access could ruin the natural habitat,'' he said in an interview with The Korea Times. He suggested tourism organizers set zoning systems ― access restricted area; access only admitted areas and economic activity-permissible areas. Animals will be strictly protected in access restricted areas. People will not be able to see untouched regions at all. For the partially admitted areas, people will be seeing a natural habitat but will not be able to set up shops or other facilities, he said. Only i

Rice Paddies Eligible to Be Ramsar Site?

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter CHANGWON ― The Korean and Japanese governments have joined together to get rice paddies eligible for recognition as Ramsar-listed wetlands. Delegates of the two states laid a joint resolution on the issue before the Ramsar Convention's meeting Friday. It is to be discussed during Saturday's general meeting, a Korean delegate said. ``Ahead of this convention, many wetlands conservation NGOs and Asian contracting parties showed their strong support of the draft. We expect it to be approved within this convention,'' the official said. ``Rice is grown in at least 114 countries and the size of land used for rice production is measureless.'' The focus of the resolution is on the maintenance and enhancement of the ecological role and value of rice paddies as wetlands systems. According to the statement, more than 100 designated Ramsar sites around the world include rice-filed habitats and play important ecological roles and support a range of biodiversity, including internationally important populations of breeding and non-breeding resident

Experts Seek to Build Eco-Park in DMZ

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter For the past 55 years, the demilitarized zone (DMZ) used to be a place for military and security purposes only. However, with human access thoroughly restricted, it has become a place with a unique natural ecosystem where wildlife resides. With peace slowly opening up on the Korean peninsula, more and more experts are looking into the possible sustainable use of the area ― opening up limited parts of it as an eco-park to let people see the biological diversity in the area. At the ``Preserving Biological Diversity of the Demilitarized Zone for Nature and Humans'' session held Friday at the Ramsar Convention, experts from around the world including George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, and DMZ Forum Board of Trustees member Hall Healy shared their ideas on adopting sustainable tourism to the area and also bringing back biological diversity to North Korea. According to Park Eun-jin, a researcher at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, the DMZ has unique ecological system. Through 55 years of the Cold war, both milita

Cranes in Danger on Development

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter CHANGWON ― The number of ``endangered'' crane species wintering on the Korean Peninsula is decreasing as wetlands disappear due to reclamation and other development projects, an international bird conservation group said, Friday. Of many crane species, three ― the white-napped crane, hooded crane and red-crowned crane ― spend their winter season here but increasing wetlands loss as a result of a series of large-scale reclamation projects for development pose a threat to their survival, BirdLife International said in a side event at the Ramsar Convention in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. In particular, the red-crowned crane is categorized as an ``endangered'' species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UNEP), host of the Ramsar Convention, while the two other species are ``vulnerable.'' The NGO estimates roughly 6,500 white-napped cranes, 2,500 hooded cranes and 1,650 red-crowned cranes survive around the world. ``Their population is still decreasing,'' said Simba Chan, senior conservation officer of the B

Ramsar-Registered Wetlands in Korea

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter There are 11 places here designated for protection by the Ramsar Convention. All have unique characteristics and are considered well worth preserving from a number of standpoints. The list consists of: Yong Wetlands in Inje, Gangwon Province; Upo Wetlands in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province; Jangdo Wetlands and tidal flats at Suncheon Bay and Muan, South Jeolla Province; Mulyeongari Oreum Wetlands in Jeju; Mujechi Wetlands in Ulsan; Duung Wetlands in South Chungcheong Province; Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat, Muljangori Oreum Wetland and Odaesan National Park Wetlands. Yong Wetland is 1,280 meters above sea level and home to a variety of creatures that have lived there for more than 4,000 years. Peat deposits are abundant, too. Upo has the nation's largest primitive natural marsh with an 8.54 square-kilometer area holding 20,000 species of birds including 14 endangered ones. Jangdo Wetland has a subtropical nature with peat deposits. The tidal flats at Suncheon Bay form the appearance of a piece of pottery and consists of reed fi

Cities Seeking Urban Wetland Restoration

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter CHANGWON ― A growing number of Korean cities are considering restoring destroyed urban wetlands to improve the living conditions of people and nature alike. Numerous inland rivers and natural wetlands were routed using concrete blocks or filled in for development, resulting in worsening water quality and making the areas vulnerable to flooding. In response, from the beginning of the century, some city governments initiated urban wetlands restoration projects but many of them failed to achieve what they initially expected for lack of knowledge and experience. In a symposium on restoration of urban wetlands in the Ramsar Convention, Thursday, Environment Ministry official Lee Kyu-man introduced successful ways of urban wetland restoration used by various provincial cities. Noting that artificial straightening or transforming of rivers is not recommended any longer, Lee said, ``It's needed to restore the original characteristics of the wetland harmonized with the surroundings.'' ``Successful cities removed artificial facilities interr

Invest in Nature Like in Economy

UNEP Chief Calls for Global ‘New Deal’ Policy Against Climate Change By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Development and environment preservation are the last things people think of as coming together. Construction and development are words one would never expect to hear positively about from environment experts. Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in an interview with The Korea Times Tuesday stressed flexibility in this regard, focusing on sustainable development that is slower and less damaging to the environment. He said that the environment should be seen as an economic infrastructure. Preserving wetlands from his point of view was not just for the environment but also a way to save money. The wetlands serve a variety of functions such as storage and purification of water, increasing the diversity of eco-systems and peatlands, and storing carbon. He criticized that half of the wetlands in the world were destroyed in the past century. ``Now that climate change has become a real problem wetland storing water is becom

Saemangeum Project Threatens Endangered Species

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 proj