Seoul City Protects Namsan Pine Trees, Removes Invasive Plants to Prevent Habitat Disruption of Native Species

Occasional Removal of 40,000㎡ Distribution Area of Western Ginseng and Kudzu to Protect Ecosystems and Secure Habitats for Indigenous Species

Jungbu Park Leisure Center Kudzu Vine Removal Scene

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Jungbu Park Leisure Center in Seoul announced on the 23rd that from March to November, it has been continuously managing and removing invasive plant species distributed over approximately 40,000 square meters (㎡) out of the total 2.9 million square meters (㎡) area of Namsan to protect native ecosystems and secure habitats for indigenous species such as pine trees, Quercus mongolica (Shingal tree), and Korean mountain ash from being invaded by invasive plants.

In Namsan, naturalized herbaceous plants such as Western horseweed (Eupatorium cannabinum), Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed), and common ragweed coexist with harmful climbing plants like invasive kudzu vine (Pueraria montana), Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), and wild grapevine (Vitis amurensis). Considering the characteristics of these invasive species, from March to June, efforts focus on removing Oriental bittersweet and Ambrosia trifida, and from April to July, on Western horseweed and Oriental bittersweet, while continuously monitoring and removing kudzu roots spread throughout the park until November.

As one of Seoul’s representative parks, Namsan requires extensive management efforts to remove invasive plants, necessitating volunteer support in many areas. Accordingly, from May to November, a total of 160 participants from 14 sessions, including organizations and companies such as Life Forest, Korea Land and Housing Corporation, and Hanseong Motors, joined in nurturing the nature of Namsan.

With many companies and organizations showing interest and consistently participating in preserving Namsan’s natural landscape every year, the Jungbu Park Leisure Center strives to contribute to the spread of green culture through public-private cooperation by discovering seasonal tasks based on the invasive plant management plan and encouraging diverse participation from companies and organizations.

Ha Jae-ho, director of the Seoul Jungbu Park Leisure Center, stated, “While managing invasive plants to protect our native landscapes and species is important, it is equally crucial that companies and organizations take an interest and participate.” He added, “We ask for continued active participation so that companies and organizations can jointly protect the green environment for ecosystem conservation.”

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