The Korean peninsula’s nature and biodiversity has suffered immensely since the 1940s due to severe deforestation, wars and pollution by unmanaged wide-scale industrialisation in the post-war years. The ecological status of the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), though, is an exception to the deteriorated ecosystems of the peninsula, but unfortunately under threat.
The DMZ, the no man’s land between North and South Korea, deliberately depopulated and surrounded by heavily armed watchtowers, has been in place since the Korean war ended in 1953. It is a buffer zone between the two states where the natural environment of a previously war-torn area has self-recovered to transform itself into a well-preserved ecosystem that harbours diverse natural habitats. It is now a paradise for wildlife, providing refuge for at least 67 of the world’s most endangered species such as the white-naped crane, Amur leopard and Asian black bear, and the original biodiversity of the peninsula.
But this gradual return to nature is under threat, as agriculture is encroaching on the DMZ. The land bordering the DMZ is already being reclaimed for intense production with rice fields and plantations of ginseng. And with food security as a driving factor further agricultural development is expected, destroying (large) parts of the restored habitat and clearing away regrown plant life. Therefore, at the IUCN World Conservation congress, September this year on the South Korean Island of Jeju, scientists and experts on the area are pleading with the southern government to offer the region internationally protected status.
It is the dream of Kwi-Gon Kim, Chairman of the Korea Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) Council, that an Amur tiger will be spotted at the foot of Jiri Mountain on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. For that to happen, Kim, who is also Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, and the Korea DMZ Council, believe they need to activate the Northeast Asia Ecological Network (NEAEcoNET). NEAEcoNET is an initiative designed to promote a single, continuous ecosystem throughout Northeast Asia, including Mongolia, Russia, China, North and South Korea.
According to Kim, for the NEAEcoNET to be successful, the Korean Peninsula would need better cooperation on environmental issues. This would allow for the conservation and restoration of species and their habitats in both North and South Korea. A critical element of that cooperation will be the DMZ.
A resolution on the protected status will not pass during this week’s congress, as there will not be a North Korean delegation attending the congress, much to the regret of Hong Koo Lee, former prime minister of South Korea and chairman of the organising committee:
The above news item is partly reprinted from materials available at IUCN. Original text may be edited for content and length.
(Source: IUCN, 08.09.2012; Asian Correspondent, 07.09.2012; the Guardian, 06.09.2012)