Korea Zinc Creates 'Bali Mangrove Forest' for Ieum Forest No. 3

Korea Zinc is taking a commemorative photo after creating the third Eum Forest in Bali, Indonesia. Photo by Korea Zinc

Korea Zinc announced on the 28th that it has carried out the third project of 'Forest of Connection,' a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity aimed at contributing to solving environmental and social issues caused by climate change and supporting sustainable development.

The third 'Korea Zinc Forest of Connection' was established on the 22nd of this month on Lembongan Island, Bali, Indonesia. The tree planting event held that day was attended by Korea Zinc employees, local residents, and representatives from Triple Planet, during which 15,000 mangrove trees were planted.

The reason for selecting mangrove trees for the third 'Korea Zinc Forest of Connection' lies not only in the purpose of forest creation mentioned above but also in enhancing the marine ecosystem's blue carbon. Blue carbon has the advantage of absorbing carbon at a faster rate and greater total volume per area compared to green carbon, such as coniferous forests.

Korea Zinc's mangrove forest creation focused on four main aspects. First, from the perspective of biodiversity, the goal was to ensure that the existing forest ecosystem can be sustainably connected, maintaining biodiversity for ecosystem conservation as a major objective of the forest creation. Second, the connection with local communities was considered. Recognizing environmental and social issues, it was judged that partnerships could be established to restore the environment and solve local community problems through forest creation.

Third, it contributes to enabling Indonesian local residents to become self-reliant and sustain their livelihoods. Mangrove fruits, leaves, and flowers are processed into secondary products that help maintain village livelihoods. In particular, color fabrics dyed using mangrove fruit as a dye are exclusively supplied to global luxury conglomerates, significantly contributing to income generation. Lastly, the educational aspect related to sustainability was important. Based on this forest creation project, education is conducted to form a sustainable structure rather than a one-time campaign.

As Indonesia's economic development progresses, pressure to reclaim mangrove forests has increased, resulting in the destruction of over 7.56 million hectares, about 40% of the original mangrove forest area, over the past 30 years. The destruction of Indonesia's tropical rainforests has been recognized globally as a major environmental issue, but mangrove forests are disappearing at an even faster rate than inland tropical rainforests. Korea Zinc's planting of 15,000 mangrove trees is expected to contribute somewhat to carbon reduction activities and the local community.

Since 2022, Korea Zinc has been striving to 'restore' our precious forests through the 'Forest of Connection' campaign. Partnering with the social enterprise Triple Planet, it has created eco-friendly forests domestically and internationally, establishing a total of three forests, starting with the wildfire-affected area in Uljin last year and the mangrove forest in Bali this year. In particular, efforts have been made to select tree species suitable for the local environment and to promote coexistence with local communities. Korea Zinc plans to continue creating Forests of Connection both domestically and abroad.

Kim Ki-jun, Vice President of Korea Zinc’s Sustainability Management Headquarters, emphasized, "Korea Zinc will continue to focus on sustainability across the environment and society beyond carbon emission reduction through eco-friendly social contribution activities such as the Forest of Connection creation," adding, "Above all, we will constantly seek ways to coexist with local communities."

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