"Restoring Urban Degraded Areas to Support Otters and Salamanders"... Ecological Restoration Project Underway

Ministry of Environment Signs MOU with Gyeonggi and 7 Other Local Governments
Leading Project as a Model for Urban Nature Restoration
Creating Ecological Forests to Secure Habitats for Various Species
Mitigating Heat Island Effect and Reducing Carbon Emissions through Ecosystem Services

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government is set to actively promote a project to transform 25 damaged areas within cities into ecological spaces by 2025.

On the 19th, the Ministry of Environment signed the 'Urban Ecological Restoration 25+ Business Agreement' at the Seoul Hangang Flood Control Office with 8 local governments, the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology, and the Korean Ecological Restoration Association.

This agreement was established to successfully implement the 'Urban Ecological Restoration Project' included in the Green New Deal comprehensive plan. The urban ecological restoration project aims to restore the damaged natural environment in urban areas of South Korea, where about 92% of the total population lives, creating spaces where humans and nature can coexist.

According to the Green New Deal comprehensive plan, 25 damaged areas within cities will be ecologically restored by 2025.

The participating local governments in the agreement are Gyeonggi-do, Daejeon City, Hwaseong City, Cheongju City, Miryang City, Dalseo District of Daegu City, Gochang County, and Gokseong County, totaling 8 locations. By 2022, they plan to create exemplary cases of natural restoration within these urban areas to lead the project.

The Ministry of Environment will provide budget support for the urban ecological restoration project and promote institutional improvements. As part of institutional improvements, a new category of 'Natural Environment Restoration Business' will be established through legal amendments, and procedures will be put in place to systematically manage the entire process from selecting project candidates to planning, implementation, maintenance, and management.

Local governments will form consultative bodies with local residents, civic groups, and experts to promote successful ecological restoration projects based on stakeholder communication. The Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology and the Ecological Restoration Association will actively support related technologies.

The major projects among the 8 urban ecological corridor restoration projects promoted through this business agreement are as follows.

First, the area around Geondalsan and Gicheon Reservoir in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do will be restored. Wetlands will be restored in the damaged Gicheon Reservoir and green corridors of terrestrial ecosystems that were cut off due to urbanization and local road construction. Through the creation of riverbank water terraces and ecological forests, the environment will be transformed to support species such as the endangered Mongolian toad and the little owl.

Ecological restoration of the Ansan landfill site in Gyeonggi-do will also be promoted. The Ansan landfill was used for waste disposal until 1994, and it will be restored into an environment where species such as the leopard cat and otter can live by creating vegetation zones and ecological connections with surrounding wetlands.

At Uamsan in Cheongju, where the terrain has been damaged by indiscriminate cultivation, ecological wetlands, vegetation zones, and ecological corridors will be established to create an environment suitable for species such as the flying squirrel and goshawk.

The ecological corridor around Dowoncheon and Dalseong Wetlands in Daegu will also be restored. The landscape of areas damaged by concrete and other materials will be improved, creating a natural environment where species such as salamanders and fireflies can inhabit.

Additionally, ecological restoration will be promoted in damaged areas such as Yongdusan in Miryang City, Dongaksan in Gokseong County, Chudong Wetlands-Jangdongcheon-Gyejoksan in Daejeon, and Munsusan in Gochang.

The Ministry of Environment expects that these 8 ecological restoration projects will transform a total of 756,381㎡ of damaged areas into ecological spaces. It anticipates securing ecosystem services such as mitigation of urban heat island effects, carbon storage, landscape improvement, and provision of ecological rest areas.

Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae said, "I hope this business agreement will serve as a stepping stone to protect the ecological health of urban areas where about 92% of our citizens reside and further green restore the ecosystems across the entire country."

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