Gwangju City Develops Wondangsan Park in Gwangsan-gu into an Ecological Rest Area

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 3rd that it has transformed a neglected space of 13,460㎡ within Wondangsan Park in Jangdeok-dong, Gwangsan-gu, into a lifestyle-oriented ecological rest area with enhanced ecological functions.

Originally, this area was a colony of Somdaerim (Arundinaria humbertii) but suffered from illegal farming and garbage accumulation, and the forest edges were damaged, resulting in a lack of ecological connectivity with surrounding green spaces.

Accordingly, Gwangju City applied for the Ministry of Environment’s ecological corridor restoration project to conserve fragmented green spaces and restore damaged areas in the heart of the urban residential area, securing 400 million KRW in national funding to carry out the ‘Urban Forest Site, Gwangju Wondangsan Ecological Corridor Restoration Project.’

The restoration project divided the space into core areas (Somdaerim colony, ecological wetland), buffer zones (ecological learning and experience areas), and cooperative zones (ecological trails, etc.), arranging conservation and utilization facilities while maintaining naturalness as much as possible.

Through this restoration project, the fragmented Somdaerim colony in the city was preserved, and ecological wetlands, learning centers, trails, and forest experience areas were created, providing opportunities for ecological experience and observation to local residents and youth.

Additionally, the project selected the ‘Osaek Ddakttaguri’ (Pied Woodpecker) identified as inhabiting the area as a target species, improving its habitat to strengthen the ecological nature of Wondangsan Park, and it is expected that the ecological network will expand to the nearby Pungyeongjeongcheon Stream.

Along with this, since 2011, Gwangju City has consistently applied for the Ministry of Environment’s ecosystem restoration projects to provide local residents and students with opportunities for ecological experience and observation close to daily life, securing a total of 7.2 billion KRW in national funding for seven areas including Seha Stream ecological restoration, Pungam Reservoir amphibian habitat creation, and Wolsan Neighborhood Park natural yard creation.

Song Yong-su, Director of the Climate and Environment Policy Division of the city, said, “The ecological corridor restoration project is a meaningful initiative that transforms neglected idle spaces in the city into habitats for living organisms,” adding, “We will continue to strive to expand urban healing spaces where local residents can experience ecological spaces close to their homes.”

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