Start of the '365 Clean Suncheonman Project' for the Conservation of Suncheonman Marine Environment

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon City (Mayor Heo Seok) announced that it will actively promote the ‘365 Clean Suncheon Bay Project’ to preserve the marine environment along the Suncheon Bay coast.

The ‘365 Clean Suncheon Bay Project’ is led by five nearby fishing communities and six civic groups around Suncheon Bay to investigate and clean up marine litter such as plastics, which are identified as the biggest pollutants destroying the sea and tidal flat ecosystems.

During the project period, activists from civic groups and fishermen will form the ‘Gaetbeol Jigi-dan’ (Tidal Flat Guardians) to conduct weekly cleanup activities along the coastal areas in front of villages and investigate types of litter. The Gaetbeol Jigi-dan will survey five fixed net locations monthly with experts, recording collected organisms and types of litter, and will investigate not only marine litter washed ashore but also litter flowing in from land.

A citywide campaign to preserve the marine ecosystem and reduce microplastics will also be carried out. On May 30, in celebration of ‘Sea Day,’ a marine litter picking campaign and a shorebird watching program will be held at Hwapo Dock in Byeollyang-myeon. Applications can be made through the Jeonnam Eastern Regional Community Research Institute.

Ji Seok-ho, director of the Suncheon Bay Management Center, said, “Through this project, we hope to increase tidal flat productivity, enhance biodiversity, and lead to improved income for residents,” adding, “We plan to actively support this as a voluntary environmental practice movement by residents based on public-private cooperation.”

Meanwhile, the Suncheon Bay tidal flats completed an on-site inspection last year for World Heritage registration, and the final decision on registration will be made at the 44th World Heritage Committee meeting, which was postponed due to COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.