Expensive Members, Supporters and Weblog Guests,
As members know, Birds Korea (새와 생명의 터) is devoted to the conservation of birds and their habitats. We conduct analysis to develop plans and designs that may assist to enhance conservation alternatives for birds and extra biodiversity – and thereby assist central and native governments to meet their present commitments to conservation and the SDGs.
As a small, specialised Korean NGO, we’re proud to share that our most profitable work has all the time trusted the assist of our members and on our collaboration with a various assemblage of people and organisations. We thank all those that have shared their time, vitality, concepts and arduous work with us.
Right here follows a brief replace on a few of our work within the second half of 2025.
At the moment, led by Ms Choi Su-Yeon, we’re overhauling our on-line presence. We’re additionally revising the Birds Korea Guidelines. Chook names and order have already been revised in accordance with the 2025 world Avilist. We at the moment are attempting to undergo this checklist species by species to establish nationwide conservation standing.
As there are so few revealed information to make use of to establish inhabitants traits, a number of Birds Koreans way back turned robust supporters of eBird, reviewing data and even translating the Merlin App into Korean for home use. Because the eBird platform has grown quickly (with 990 birders contributing greater than 15,000 checklists nationwide this 12 months already) we at the moment are seeking to discover the very best methods to include these eBird information into our analysis. We’re due to this fact serving to to assist a Cornell Lab-led Asian Regional Assembly of eBird reviewers in Songdo, Incheon, on October 28th and 29th; and we’re additionally coordinating a nationwide stage assembly of eBird reviewers on October 30th – welcoming three new and extremely lively impartial eBirders to the overview staff.
Our analysis and planning work additionally continues at a number of internationally necessary websites nationwide.
In Busan, we signed an MOU in Busan with the Busan Nakdong River Undertaking Administration Workplace in July, and with the assist and coordination of this Workplace and of the Nakdong Estuary Eco centre, we have now initiated an SER- and Microsoft-supported undertaking that goals to revive habitat of the Japanese Taiga Bean Goose Anser (fabalis) middendorffii. The overwhelming majority of the Korea Non-breeding inhabitants of middendorffii Taiga Bean Goose winter alongside the decrease Nakdong River, with key websites that embody Upo, Junam reservoir, Hwapocheon and Busan Metropolis’s ecoparks, together with the Nakdong Estuary. In current winters, this inhabitants has wanted to be sustained by synthetic feeding. In assist of the ROK’s Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan (2024-2028), there’s an pressing want to revive floodplain wetlands – for this species and for specialised floodplain crops, bugs, fish and amphibians, in addition to to enhance water high quality, to cut back flooding and to learn sustainable agriculture, in addition to to offer extra numerous and secure areas for environmental training and “re-creation”.
Rather more might be posted on the Birds Korea weblog over the approaching months about this collaborative undertaking; and there may even be a sequence of associated occasions, beginning with a seminar (Korean language solely) on September 11th. To register for the seminar, please go right here.
Supported by Yeoncheon County, Birds Korea and Birds Korea Yeoncheon proceed to work in assist of biodiversity conservation within the Imjin River Biosphere Reserve and Imjin River Flyway Community Website. Birds Korea Yeoncheon are taking part in a workshop on August 30th; and are conducting Bioblitz occasions in September, October and November. Along with persevering with with our collaborative efforts to determine a Wetlands Park in Jeongok and to develop acceptable governance buildings, we may even take part in a world symposium (“2025 Yeoncheon International Discussion board on Peace with Nature”) being co-organised by Yeoncheon County and ICLEI on October 23rd and 24th. Birds Korea may even conduct additional surveys of Lengthy-billed Plover and, funded by a small grant by way of the EAAFP, counts of Scaly-sided Merganser might be carried out as soon as each three days by way of the southward and northward migration intervals. It will assist us to determine a five-year geometric imply of counts, as a part of Yeoncheon County’s consideration of Ramsar designation of stretches of the Imjin River. Frequent counts of cranes by Birds Korea native knowledgeable Baek Seung-Kwang may even proceed by way of the winter.
On Baengnyeong Island, Incheon, as time permits we’ll proceed to collect and current information, with the intention of finishing a report inside this 12 months or in early 2026 that particulars the large significance of this island to the conservation of biodiversity and its potential for ecotourism. Since 2013, 400 species of chicken have now been recorded on this island, with internationally necessary concentrations of a minimum of two species of waterbird yearly too. Birds Korea members will know that proposals to construct an airport on the island proceed to be authorized by central authorities, although development work lacks enough funding for now. Surprisingly, we have now not been requested by any airport proponent to share our information, or to assist with evaluation of the very excessive chicken strike danger.
For the Hwaseong Wetlands, we developed a depend methodology and took part in collaborative counts of shorebirds and threatened waterbirds in late August. Our shared intention is to evaluate the impacts of a brand new sea wall constructed throughout the higher tidal flat within the Maehyang-Ri Wetland Protected Space as a part of a “blue carbon undertaking” (simply considered one of a number of main threats to the Excellent Common Worth of this website).
Though evaluation remains to be ongoing, we documented avoidance of many of the higher tidal flat landward of the brand new sea-wall by shorebirds, which as a substitute concentrated near the one remaining hole in that seawall. We’ll proceed to do what our restricted capability permits to assist correct conservation of the internationally necessary Hwaseong Wetlands Flyway Community Website, and to proceed to advertise its Excellent Common Worth (OUV). This consists of persevering with our calls domestically and internationally for the inclusion of the Hwaseong Wetlands Flyway Community Website in part 2 of the World Heritage Getbol Korean Tidal Flat serial property. In 2020-2021, we recorded greater than 150,000 waterbirds at this website (primarily based on a easy summing of peak counts) and this 12 months, on August 22nd and 23rd alone, we documented 10 species of worldwide threatened waterbird, together with a minimum of 950 globally Endangered Far Japanese Curlew, 1,200 globally Endangered Siberian Sand Plover, two globally Endangered Nordmann’s Greenshank and a juvenile Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Our counts of a number of of those globally threatened species far surpass counts of the identical species – if counts even exist –on the 4 decrease tier tidal flats which (for causes unknown) are at present being submitted throughout World Heritage Tidal Flat part 2: Yeosu Tidal Flat, Goheung Tidal Flat, Muan Tidal Flat and Seosan Tidal Flat. To the very best of our information, two of those websites should not even nationally necessary for waterbirds; whereas a 3rd – Muan – would possibly endure from the imposition of a a lot stricter Wildlife Hazard Administration Program following the disastrous air crash there in late December 2024.
If the nation is to fulfil obligations set out within the Cupboard-approved Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan (2024-2028), all tidal flats which can be recognized to be internationally necessary as outlined by Ramsar Conference standards must be conserved; large-scale restoration must be undertaken of areas that are impounded and stay unutilized; and the entire highest worth coastal wetlands for waterbirds must be designated as World Heritage property. That is, successfully, what was promised again in 2021, after the IUCN, of their formal position of assessing websites for UNESCO, really useful deferral of the 4 top-tier tidal flats included in Part 1.
The ROK’s formal response at the moment, included inside formal documentation submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, was to state that the administration and ecological integrity of part 1 websites could be improved; and initially that 9 new top-tier websites could be included in part 2, together with as proposed the Han-Imjin Estuary and tidal flats in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. This was then re-presented in Supplementary Info, p. 33, as: “Within the stage Part II, tidal flats within the Hangang River estuarine space of the Hangang River System might be included within the extension of the at present nominated
property.” Particulars are supplied inside this Supplementary Info on a number of key websites on this Hangang sub-region: “Of the tidal flats that belong to the Hangang River System, Ganghwa tidal flat (Pure Monument, 44,958 ㏊), Songdo tidal flat (Wetland Protected Space, Ramsar wetland, 611 ㏊), Garolimman Bay tidal flat (Marine Organism Protected Space, 9,204 ㏊) are all designated as protected areas, and Hwaseong tidal flat (7,301 ㏊) is designated as an EAAF Website”. Nonetheless, the ROK argued that almost all of those wetlands are too closely degraded by reclamation actions to be included in a World Heritage property. Such statements have been apparently sufficient to steer the UNESCO World Heritage committee to over-rule the knowledgeable recommendation of the IUCN throughout Part 1.
Subsequent 12 months, in July 2026, The UNESCO World Heritage committee will meet for the primary time within the ROK (in Busan). Earlier than then the IUCN, after which the World Heritage Committee, will assess whether or not or not these 4 new websites collectively contribute meaningfully to conserving the Excellent Common Worth of Korea’s and the Yellow Sea’s tidal flats. In our opinion they clearly don’t. Furthermore, it must be famous that each one 4 have additionally been affected to a lesser or better extent by reclamation actions, contradicting the rationale for not proposing key websites just like the Hwaseong Wetlands. Why have been the Hwaseong Wetlands excluded? Why was Garolim Bay excluded? Why have been all of Incheon’s tidal flats excluded?
Furthermore, a very powerful remaining tidal flat for shorebirds within the Republic of Korea that was included in Part 1 (Seocheon Getbol, together with Yubu Island Ramsar website) is now threatened with additional degradation by the proposed New Saemangeum airport; and proposed airports additionally threaten a minimum of 4 extra internationally necessary wetlands: Baengnyeong, Hwaseong Wetlands, Seosan Lake A and the Nakdong Estuary.
Birds Korea due to this fact continues to do what we are able to to lift consciousness and to share greatest data actually – contributing to documentaries in Korea and abroad; writing knowledgeable letters of concern; presenting at seminars; assembly with decision-makers; and becoming a member of extra widespread campaigns led by different teams for Saemangeum and Gadeokdo. This included encouraging colleagues all over the world to voice their assist for conservation of the Sura Wetland in Saemangeum…
Thanks for studying this far. For those who see the worth of our work, and wish to assist Birds Korea, please contemplate making a donation; or sharing your time and vitality to assist us create occasions for our members or to replace our on-line presence; and naturally, please turn out to be much more a part of the change, by becoming a member of us (membership is barely 10,000 KRW a month)! Thanks!
