Daejeon Gapcheon 'National Wetland Protection', Gathering Citizens' Opinions

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Daejeon City is collecting public opinions on the policy to designate the Gapcheon natural stream section (3.7 km) as a ‘National Wetland Protection Area’.

According to the city on the 16th, the designated area is the section from Taebongbo in Gaseowon, Seo-gu to the stepping stone bridge at Pureunbit Heureumteo in Wolpyeong-dong, Seo-gu, where it has been surveyed that about 800 species of organisms, including 13 legally protected species such as otters, mandarin ducks, and Nakjida-ri, inhabit.

In particular, this section is recognized for its excellent habitat environment for wildlife, as it is home to five endangered species including otters, leopard cats, whooper swans, black kites, and Miho gobies. It is also evaluated as the only urban wetland adjacent to Wolpyeong Park nationwide, with significant effects in preventing the heat island phenomenon.

Accordingly, the city plans to decide whether to proceed with the policy to designate Gapcheon as a ‘National Wetland Protection Area’ by collecting citizens’ opinions. The public opinion collection will be conducted through an online survey on the policy proposal platform ‘Daejeon Siso’ from the 16th of this month to the 2nd of next month.

After gathering public opinions, the city explained that it will hold video conferences with citizens, environmental groups, residents near the wetland, and related parties, followed by a roundtable meeting attended by representatives from various sectors to make a final decision on the necessity of designating the wetland protection area.

If the necessity of designation is recognized through this process, the city plans to submit an application for designation as a National Wetland Protection Area to the Ministry of Environment next month.

Additionally, the city intends to form a public-private consultative body and hold discussions and public hearings to spread the city’s commitment and build public consensus.

Previously, in 2012, the city applied for the designation of the Gapcheon natural stream section as a National Wetland Protection Area, but the designation was canceled because streams were excluded from wetland targets.

Jeon Jae-hyun, Director of the Environmental Greenery Bureau of the city, said, “The Gapcheon wetland is an excellent asset uniquely located in an urban area nationwide, and the city will strive to preserve the wetland ecosystem,” adding, “We ask for citizens’ great interest and participation in the survey.”

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