Wando County Leads Carbon Neutrality with Public-Private-Government Cooperation for Zostera Marina Transplantation

150,000 Eelgrass Plants Transplanted
into the Waters of Jangjwa-ri

Wando County announced on the 20th that, in cooperation with Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Fisheries Resources Agency Namhae Headquarters, Environmental Foundation, and residents of Jangjwa-ri, they transplanted 150,000 eelgrass plants, a representative blue carbon species, into the waters of Jangjwa-ri.

This eelgrass transplantation was carried out as part of Korea Electric Power Corporation's "Marine Forest Cultivation Project." The waters of Wolhang-ri, Soan-myeon, where eelgrass had previously thrived in large quantities, faced a high risk of uprooting due to overcrowding in a limited space. Therefore, a project was undertaken to relocate and replant the eelgrass in the waters of Jangjwa-ri.

Wando County collaborated with the private sector, government, and public institutions to transplant 150,000 Zalpi plants in the Jangjari sea area. Provided by Wando County

The work began in early March, and a total of 150,000 eelgrass plants were transplanted into the waters of Jangjwa-ri. In addition, participants had a meaningful time sharing the importance of blue carbon by making 1,000 eelgrass planting units themselves using clay and traditional Korean paper (hanji).

Eelgrass is a marine protected species and a representative blue carbon recognized by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), with the ability to absorb carbon up to 50 times faster than terrestrial green carbon. According to last year's survey on the distribution of eelgrass in Wando County, eelgrass covers a total area of 10.54 square kilometers, with the largest populations found in Soan-myeon, Nowha-eup, and Geumdang-myeon, in that order.

Since 2023, Wando County has been promoting seaweed and eelgrass transplantation projects with the goal of restoring marine ecosystems and contributing to carbon neutrality. As part of this effort, 60,000 eelgrass plants were transplanted into the waters of Gukhwa-ri, Cheongsan-myeon, and 40,000 into the waters of Donggo-ri, Sinji-myeon. Generally, the survival rate of transplanted eelgrass is only 5-10%, but the eelgrass transplanted into the waters of Gukhwa-ri, Cheongsan-myeon, recorded a high survival rate of 61.8%, proving that the waters of Wando are an optimal environment for eelgrass growth.

An official from the county stated, "We will do our utmost to further expand corporate and civilian participation in eelgrass transplantation and marine forest creation projects, to practice carbon neutrality and preserve the pristine waters of Wando."

Meanwhile, as the largest domestic producer of seaweed, Wando County has taken the lead in carbon neutrality by directly visiting NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy to explain the excellence of Wando's seaweed, discuss blue carbon certification for seaweed, and explore the development of the marine bioindustry.

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