Gwangju City, Ecological Restoration of at Least One Damaged Urban Site Annually

Jangnok Wetland. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 15th that, in response to the climate and environmental crisis era, it plans to restore at least one damaged site within the urban area each year by 2025 and actively expand facilities and programs for ecological experience and relaxation centered around living hubs.

Jangnok Wetland, designated last year as the first national wetland protection area within the city, will install ecological restoration and conservation/utilization facilities starting next year according to the conservation plan to be established this year, and will also promote an ecological corridor restoration project for damaged areas in the wetland’s hinterland.

Additionally, this year, the city is promoting a micro-ecosystem restoration project to create ecological rest spaces in two idle sites within the urban area: Jesuksan in Nam-gu and Usan Park in Buk-gu, and plans to discover and restore at least one site annually until 2025.

From the perspective of protecting indigenous biological resources in the region, the ecosystem invasive species eradication project, which began on a large scale in 2019 using the city’s own budget, will be carried out this year with a total of 80 million won including national funds, conducting surveys and removal operations simultaneously.

To promote the conservation and wise use of ecologically excellent areas, nature-friendly ecological tourism will be promoted, the Pyeongchon Bandi Village Nuri-gil trail will be created, and biodiversity exploration camps will be actively conducted.

Nature-friendly ecological tourism, which simultaneously pursues the conservation of natural assets and the improvement of residents’ welfare, is still in its initial introduction stage, so it will be promoted as a pilot project for stable expansion, and the Sustainable Development Council will serve as a bridge to discover ecological tourism sites and programs.

Pyeongchon Village in Buk-gu, designated as the city’s first ecological tourism area, will establish ecological forest trails and exploration paths spanning 2.1 km, and install convenience and information facilities to provide convenience to visitors.

In particular, starting this year, the ecological tourism area development project will support the Pyeongchon Village Residents’ Council to encourage the activation of ecological tourism programs utilizing ecological resources and nearby cultural assets.

Furthermore, to encourage interest and participation in biodiversity among future generations, the “2021 Biodiversity Exploration Camp,” which involves finding, recording, and listing species living in urban forests or rivers, will be held in the second half of this year.

Song Yong-su, head of the city’s Environmental Policy Division, said, “Restoring and expanding ecological corridors within the city is the optimal solution to respond to climate change,” and added, “We will continue to strive to expand healing spaces within the city where local residents can experience ecological spaces close to their homes.”

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