Pohang City Signs Coastal Disaster Prevention Forest MOU...Building a "Multifunctional Disaster Prevention Forest" Model

Forest-Based Disaster Prevention and Public-Private Cooperation for Proactive Response to the Climate Crisis
Building a "Multifunctional Disaster Prevention Forest" Model for Coastal Erosion Reduction, Carbon Absorption, and Ecological Restoration

Pohang City will build nature-based disaster prevention infrastructure using forests to respond to worsening coastal erosion and compound disasters caused by climate change.

On February 11, the city signed a "Coastal Disaster Prevention Forest Creation Project Business Agreement (MOU)" with Coca-Cola Korea, the Environment Foundation, the Southern Regional Office of the Korea Forest Service, and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Forest Environment Research Institute, formalizing a public-private cooperation system.

Provided by Pohang City

The signing ceremony was attended by 16 key officials from related organizations, including Acting Mayor of Pohang Jang Sanggil, Coca-Cola Korea Executive Director Koo Namjoo, Environment Foundation Secretary General Jung Taeyong, Head of the Southern Regional Office of the Korea Forest Service Lim Hasu, and Director of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Forest Environment Research Institute Park Junil.

This agreement is significant in that it is being promoted as a public-private partnership project to respond to climate change and prevent marine disasters, based on investment from The Coca-Cola Foundation. Under the agreement, the Environment Foundation and Coca-Cola Korea will support project planning, post-project evaluation, and public relations, while the Korea Forest Service, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Forest Environment Research Institute, and Pohang City will provide administrative and technical support and promote participation from local communities and residents.

The project site is public waters around 893-1 Yonghan-ri, Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, where a total of 2 hectares of coastal disaster prevention forest will be created by planting species suitable for the local ecosystem, such as Machilus thunbergii, Euonymus japonicus, Koelreuteria paniculata, and Rosa rugosa.

The project will be implemented in phases until June 2027.

As the risks of coastal inundation and compound flooding increase due to abnormal heavy rainfall, typhoons, and sea level rise, forests are drawing attention as a nature-based solution that reduces stormwater runoff and mitigates soil erosion.

In general, forests are known to reduce rainfall runoff by up to 60% and decrease soil erosion rates by up to 85%.

The city plans to use the creation of this disaster prevention forest to build a "multifunctional disaster prevention forest" model that not only reduces damage from storm surges and typhoons, but also provides carbon absorption, ecological restoration, and landscape enhancement functions.

Under the agreement, each institution will share roles by field and jointly promote the project, including site surveys and design, planting and post-management, technical support, and cooperation to spread ESG values.

Acting Mayor of Pohang Jang Sanggil said, "The coastal disaster prevention forest is a nature-based safety infrastructure that protects the lives and property of citizens," adding, "Based on public-private cooperation, we will proactively respond to the climate crisis and establish a sustainable coastal management model."

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