Dr Nial Moores, Director, Birds Korea
In 2014, Birds Korea printed Standing of Birds wherein we pioneered an method to figuring out fowl conservation priorities within the Republic of Korea (ROK). Combining historic and up to date scientific literature and analysis, we grouped all 365 or so regularly-occurring fowl species within the ROK into Purple, Amber, Inexperienced or Gray classes (comparable to their charge of seemingly inhabitants change), additional subdivided into 5 main habitat sorts. Certainly one of these 5 was “Marine”. As acknowledged in our report, “Marine Habitat has an space greater than 4 occasions larger than all the opposite most important habitats mixed. It’s also essentially the most poorly-surveyed…with many data gaps remaining, most particularly on the distribution and abundance of seabirds at sea. Neither a serious assessment of marine biodiversity by the nationwide Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF 2006) nor a Yellow Sea assessment of biodiversity by UNDP-GEF (2007) include any reference in any respect to seabirds” (Moores et al. 2014).
There was some enchancment in analysis of marine habitats since 2014, however many data gaps stay, particularly on the distribution and abundance of birds at sea. As now we have been arguing since our Blueprint publication in 2010, these data gaps can solely fairly be stuffed by a a lot deeper analysis collaboration between authorities analysis our bodies, educational establishments and correctly funded specialists and NGOs, aiming to reply particular analysis questions.
Present ranges of information and analysis exercise are insufficient to preserve seabirds at sea in Korean waters.
For instance, the nationwide Purple Record for Birds printed by NIBR in 2019 assessed the conservation standing within the ROK of solely three marine dependent species: Globally Least Concern however Nationally Close to Threatened Purple-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena 큰논병아리; Globally Close to Threatened and Nationally Weak Lengthy-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix 알락쇠오리; and Globally Weak and Nationally Endangered Crested Murrelet Synthliboramphus wumizusume 뿔쇠오리, an area breeder.
Not one of the three seabird assessments in NIBR (2019) include inhabitants assessments or pattern information; and none have maps with decision or ecological insights enough to assist conservation planning.
At the least as of 2019, there was not even a proper nationwide Purple Record evaluation of e.g., the Critically Endangered Chinese language Crested Tern Thalasseus bernsteini 뿔제비갈매기(first discovered nesting within the ROK in 2016); or of the globally Close to Threatened Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel Oceanodroma monorhis 바다제비, regardless that the ROK helps >90% of the recognized world breeding inhabitants; or of the globally Close to Threatened Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii 흰부리아비.
The Yellow-billed Loon has a world inhabitants estimated at between 16,000-32,000 people (BirdLife Worldwide 2024); and a big proportion of the Alaskan-breeding (and Russia-breeding?) inhabitants has lengthy been recognized to winter in and round Korean marine waters (see e.g., Birds Korea 2010, particularly pages 68-69 & 138-139). Our analysis suits nicely with printed research on Alaskan birds: the species concentrates alongside the Gangwon coast (peaking maybe in March); and in addition winters within the Yellow Sea, with some wintering near islands and others wintering far offshore.
Due to authorities actions, some seabird breeding colonies are protected; and due to some main researchers, actions to cut back the variety of seabirds drowned in nets have additionally been taken. Nevertheless, most Korean marine waters stay poorly surveyed, if in any respect, and unprotected. As such they’re more likely to be more and more weak to impacts from the event of offshore wind-farms, fisheries practices and air pollution.
Being a small NGO, now we have lengthy taken essentially the most sensible and proactive method we will – first aiming to determine after which to evaluate and promote the values of a very powerful areas for seabirds at sea. Thus far, now we have recognized and “promoted” three most important areas off from the east coast which, in our opinion, meet BirdLife Worldwide’s standards for identification as internationally necessary Marine Chicken and Biodiversity Areas – the Gangwon Goseong coast; marine waters off the Guryongpo Peninsula; and the slender sea strait between the Busan mainland and the Japanese island of Tsushima / Teima Do. For greater than a decade, now we have been calling for these areas to be checked out as nationwide (and regional) conservation priorities.
Now we have very restricted funding and capability. Our efforts for the Gangwon Goseong coast – each within the ROK and to a a lot lesser extent within the DPRK – have solely been potential because of the extremely productive collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Basis (Korea workplace). Again in 2017, the HSF, along with Birds Korea, produced a pamphlet on seabirds in Goseong; held an exhibition and seminar within the DMZ Museum; met with native officers; and printed a report (largely reproduced in Choi et al. 2019) on our findings.
After a a number of yr hole, once more kindly funded by and in full collaboration with the HSF (Korea workplace), we have been capable of survey the ROK Gangwon Goseong coast correctly once more in early December 2023, and mid-January 2024. This time our survey work was joined by Birds Korea member Mr Kim Eojin, who -in alignment with our our conservation goals – wished to seize among the magnificence and significance of this space to indicate on his very fashionable 새덕후 You Tube channel. His love for birds shines via all of his movies – serving to to generate a nationwide increase in individuals moving into birds.
Our latest surveys there, as in earlier years, consisted of three most important strategies (led in very giant half by the identical observers), permitting comparisons to be made between months and years:
1) Counts (utilizing binoculars) of all birds carried out from a rented fishing boat, “directed” by NM (on December 4th and fifth; and once more on January 16th and 17th), divided into ten-minute transects, with counts beginning c. 1.5km out from the harbour;
2) Counts of flying birds utilizing tripod-mounted telescopes from an elevated fastened level place within the January Pension, Daejin, for quarter-hour earlier than dawn and for 95 minutes after dawn, adopted by a 10-15 minute rely of birds on the water.
and
(3) counts alongside the coast from pre-selected factors of all birds, once more utilizing tripod-mounted telescopes.
Throughout these latest counts, Dr Bernhard Seliger (BS) and Baek Minjae (BM) have been chargeable for all counts of cormorants (December and January); Dr Ha Jungmoon counted gulls and a few geese (December); and NM counted all different fowl species (December and January).
In early December 2023, we counted 38,848 seabirds – together with very giant numbers of Rhinoceros Auklet and Historic Murrelet, and a minimum of two Long-billed Murrelet, with maybe a couple of extra missed in amongst the mass of murrelets and the extraordinary glare skilled in the course of the December boat surveys. Most likely 4 species have been counted in internationally necessary concentrations of 1% or extra of their inhabitants.
In January 2024, we counted solely 7,622 seabirds of 29 species, three of which have been present in internationally necessary concentrations of 1%. A staggering 21 species, nonetheless, have been recorded in numbers that exceeded 1% of the nationwide imply of inhabitants as recorded by the Ministry of Setting (MOEK) Winter Chicken Census. Examples embody Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus 흰줄박이오리, with the 97 counted being greater than double the MOEK Census 10-year nationwide imply of 40; and Purple-necked Grebe 큰논병아리, with the 450 counted greater than ten occasions the MOEK Census 10-year nationwide imply of solely 34… Clearly, many seabird species are nonetheless being massively missed by government-organised analysis, even now.
The overall variety of seabirds we counted in January 2024 alongside the Gangwon Goseong coast compares very poorly with our counts alongside the very same stretch of coast in mid-January 2016 and 2017, after we counted 26,395 and 36,499 seabirds respectively. Main variations between counts / years, included the a lot decrease numbers of gulls in January 2024 than in both January 2016 or 2017.
Along with our producing extra rely information, fortunately Mr Kim Eojin did handle to gather some wonderful footage in the course of the boat surveys: each of birds and in addition of risk that poorly-set nets can nonetheless pose to seabirds.
The 새덕후 You Tube video by Mr Kim Eojin was posted on January twenty fifth right here . Please be prepared for an emotional boat journey…
References
BirdLife Worldwide (2024) Species factsheet: Gavia adamsii. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/yellow-billed-loon-gavia-adamsii on 29/01/2024.
Birds Korea. 2010. The Birds Korea 2010 Blueprint for the conservation of the avian biodiversity of the South Korean a part of the Yellow Sea. Revealed by Birds Korea, Busan.
MOEK. 1999-2023. Winter Chicken Census. Information accessed via database at: https://www.andreas-kim.de/MoE/MoE.html
Moores, N., Kim, A. & Kim R-H. 2014. Birds Korea report on Chicken Inhabitants Tendencies and Conservation Standing within the Republic of Korea. Revealed by Birds Korea, Busan, September 2014.
