The Paradox of an Industrial Capital Becoming a Haven for Migratory Birds: Ulsan, an Industrial City Certified as an International Migratory Bird City

Taehwagang, Oehwanggang, and Hoeyaho Registered as 'Flyway Network Sites (FNS)' for International Migratory Birds

Overcoming Pollution and Increasing Migratory Bird Populations...Global Recognition of Migratory Bird Support Capacity

A flock of mandarin ducks at Hoeya Lake in Ulsan. [Image source=Ulsan City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Ulsan, known as the ‘industrial capital’ of South Korea, has been certified as an international migratory bird city.

An ‘irony’ has occurred where an industrial city, which evokes images of pollution, is presenting itself to the world as a migratory bird city symbolizing environmental conservation.

For the first time among East Coast cities and the first time for a river within a large city’s downtown area, the Taehwa River migratory bird habitat in Ulsan has been listed as an ‘International Flyway Network Site (FNS)’.

On the 10th, Ulsan City announced that the Ministry of Environment and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) have registered a total area of 57.59㎢ including Taehwa River, Oehwang River, Hoeya Lake, Seonam Lake, and Ulsan Bay as an FNS.

This means that the habitat’s capacity to support migratory birds and its ecological value have been recognized by global migratory bird experts and international organizations.

It is the 17th site to be registered in South Korea. Unlike the previous 16 sites, which were mainly mudflats on the west coast visited by migratory birds, this is the first designation of river wetlands flowing into the East Coast and rivers within a city with a population exceeding one million.

Doug Watkins, Secretary-General of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), explained, “Following the overcoming of pollution, the efforts of Ulsan City and its citizens to protect migratory birds have led to an annual increase in their numbers,” adding, “This expectation that the habitat’s capacity will further improve greatly helped experts make their decision.”

Ulsan City applied for registration in 2013 but failed, and based on that experience, it worked to address the shortcomings.

Through surveys of egret populations in Samho Bamboo Grove, the 8th Asia Bird Fair, migratory bird habitat manager workshops, and natural environment investigations, the city expanded both tangible and intangible infrastructure and extended the target areas to include Oehwang River and Hoeya Lake, submitting the registration application again on October 15 last year.

In November of the same year, the EAAFP Secretary-General and his delegation visited Ulsan to conduct on-site inspections of industrial facilities and migratory bird habitats, and held a meeting with the Ulsan Mayor to confirm the city’s commitment to protecting migratory birds.

The criteria for listing as a migratory bird flyway site follow those for Ramsar wetland registration. The site must regularly support more than 20,000 waterbirds annually or more than 1% of the global population of a waterbird species. Another condition is that it must support a significant number of globally endangered species.

The Taehwa River migratory bird habitat in Ulsan has been visited by an average of over 40,000 migratory birds annually over the past three years (53,286 in 2018, 48,605 in 2019, and 23,530 in 2020), and five species?Tundra Swan, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Gull, Baikal Teal, and Freshwater Cormorant?exceed 1% of their global populations.

Although the number of endangered species is not large compared to other sites, the variety of species is diverse.

Endangered species designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) such as the Oriental Stork, Yellow-billed Egret, Tundra Swan, and Black-headed Gull, as well as endangered species designated by the Ministry of Environment including the Lesser White-fronted Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Whooper Swan, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Black-headed Lapwing, and White-naped Crane, visit the area.

An official from Ulsan City emphasized, “Despite pollution caused by industry and population density, migratory birds have returned, and the world has recognized our policies and actions to protect them. This is an opportunity to go beyond the miracle of the Taehwa River and become a global ecological city.”

Currently, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway includes 16 domestic sites such as the Cheorwon Plain, Han River Estuary, Cheonsuman, Suncheon Bay, Upo Wetland, Nakdong River Estuary, and Incheon Songdo Mudflat. Internationally, 149 sites across 19 countries are registered.

The 149th site is the Gore Bernadinga Coast of the Leichhardt River in Australia. Ulsan will be listed next.

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway spans 22 countries from Russia’s Far East and Alaska in the United States, through East Asia and Southeast Asia, to Australia and New Zealand. It serves as a habitat for over 50 million migratory waterbirds belonging to more than 210 populations.

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