Selected as an Excellent Development Aid Case for 'Incheon Forest Creation' in Mongolia... Equivalent to 204 Soccer Fields by 2027

Mongolia 'Incheon Forest of Hope'
[Photo provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City’s 'Incheon Hope Forest' established in Mongolia has been recognized as an excellent case of local government development aid.

According to the city on the 24th, the International Development Cooperation Headquarters of the Office for Government Policy Coordination selected Mongolia’s 'Incheon Hope Forest' project as an outstanding case of local government ODA at the 2nd Integrated Council for Local Government Official Development Assistance (ODA) held on the 23rd.

The integrated council, launched in the second half of last year, was formed to strengthen the integration of ODA projects through policy sharing between the national government and local governments. The meeting was attended via video conference by heads of ODA-related departments from central ministries such as the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and local governments.

'Incheon Hope Forest' is a project to create a forest by planting 250,000 trees in Mongolia.

South Korea ranks 9th in the world in greenhouse gas emissions and 8th among OECD member countries in carbon dioxide emissions, making it both a contributor to climate change-related yellow dust and desertification phenomena and a victim suffering from fine dust originating from China and yellow dust from Mongolia.

Accordingly, Incheon City decided to establish the 'Incheon Hope Forest' in Mongolia to respond to climate change and prevent desertification. From 2008 to 2017, through public-private partnership projects, 112,000 trees were planted on a 104-hectare site in Bayannuur sum and Dashinchiling sum in Mongolia.

Currently, the second phase of the project is underway, planting 144,000 trees over 100 hectares in the Seongginhairhan area of Mongolia from 2018 to 2027, a 10-year period. Upon completion of the second phase, a forest equivalent to 204 soccer fields will be established in Mongolia.

The city plans to plant 18,000 trees on a 10-hectare site this year and is also building infrastructure such as nurseries and irrigation facilities to ensure sustainable afforestation in Mongolia. Additionally, it plans to operate a planting test forest to research tree species suitable for the Mongolian environment.

An official from Incheon City stated, "'Incheon Hope Forest' is regarded as a representative model of international cooperation projects between local governments on environmental issues, following the sister city friendship agreement between Incheon City and Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, in 2017," adding, "We will actively promote international development cooperation projects that bring change to the international community."

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