Taeanhaean National Park Coastal Sand Dunes Restored to 9 Times the Size of a Soccer Field After 20 Years

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[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Korea National Park Service under the Ministry of Environment announced on the 16th that it has restored 14 coastal sand dune sites, including Gijipo, in Taeanhaean National Park over 20 years since 2001, securing 65,750㎡ of habitat for sand dune plant species. This area is equivalent to nine soccer fields.

Coastal sand dunes are hills formed by sand blown by the wind. They serve as natural breakwaters that protect against typhoons and tidal waves, and they have high ecological value as habitats for various organisms. However, since the 1970s, the coastal sand dunes around Taeanhaean have been damaged due to accelerated erosion caused by changes in wave direction from artificial structures, sand mining, and reduced inflow of river sediments.

In response, the Korea National Park Service, along with its staff and over 1,000 volunteers, has been continuously conducting restoration projects since 2001 by installing sand fences at 14 eroded coastal sand dune sites such as Gijipo and Sambong. The sand fences are about 1.2 meters high bamboo fences installed in a zigzag pattern along the coast, which trap wind-blown sand and accumulate it in place. The total length of the installed sand fences is approximately 10.7 km, and the volume of deposited sand is about 78,900㎥, equivalent to 4,641 25-ton trucks.

Ten species of sand dune plants, including Hordeum marinum and Calystegia soldanella, have naturally colonized the restored sand dunes, forming a sand dune ecosystem.

The Korea National Park Service continues its coastal sand dune restoration work this year as well. Starting with a restoration event at Gijipo Beach in Anmyeon-eup, Taean-gun on the 17th, it plans to restore a total area of 9,000㎡ of sand dunes. The restoration targets are three sites damaged by wind erosion and visitor access: Taean Gijipo (5,000㎡), Meondong (2,000㎡), and Gulhyeolpo (2,000㎡). The Service plans to continuously restore coastal sand dunes in marine and coastal national parks nationwide until 2025.

Song Hyung-geun, Director of the Korea National Park Service, said, "Based on 20 years of coastal sand dune restoration and habitat expansion, we will continue to restore various types of damaged areas to not only enhance biodiversity but also contribute more to carbon absorption based on these efforts."

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