Dr Nial Moores, Nationwide Director, Birds Korea, January 2025.
- Introduction
In response to the tragic crash and lack of 179 lives on the Muan Worldwide Airport on December 29th 2024, related authorities within the Republic of Korea (ROK) have acknowledged publicly that they’ll examine plane upkeep points and the location of everlasting, bolstered constructions on the finish of the runway at Muan and at different airports nationwide. That is presumably to carry airports into line with clear suggestions already offered by ICAO (2009).
As a result of security of passengers is the precedence of airport managers, there additionally must be an sincere re-assessment of the suitability of the situation of present and of proposed airports – particularly because it pertains to the hen strike threat at every airport. That is an pressing crucial due to the excessive variety of new airports which are being proposed, virtually all in hen vital areas close to to the coast (Determine 1); and in line with an Editorial within the Dong-A Ilbo on January 4th 2025, due to rising issues over the present security requirements of a number of present airports, with requirements maybe weakened by the airports’ lack of financial viability.
As defined in additional element beneath, causes for deep and rising concern embrace runway enlargement on the present Muan Worldwide Airport, constructed subsequent to wetlands which assist ~40,000 waterbirds every winter; the proposed Saemangeum Worldwide Airport, to be constructed inside internationally vital wetland for waterbirds and inside 7km of a pure World Heritage Website; the proposed Gadeokdo Worldwide Airport in Busan, to be constructed inside 7km of the Ramsar Conference-defined internationally vital Nakdong Estuary, and throughout a route utilized by migratory raptors and different landbirds; the proposed Jeju Second Worldwide Airport, to be constructed ~6km from a pure World Heritage website that helps a big colony of cormorants and is near wetlands and a shoreline that helps many waterbirds; the proposed Baengnyeong airport, to be constructed throughout a serious migratory bottleneck and in an space with 1000’s of geese and duck each winter; the proposed Seosan and Gyeonggi-Hwaseong airports, in areas utilized by huge concentrations of geese and different waterbirds; and even the Heuksan Island airport, to be constructed astride the principle migration route for raptors crossing the Yellow Sea between PR China and the southwest of the ROK.
Along with deep issues over the hen strike threat, a re-assessment of all of those airport proposals and their operations might additionally contribute considerably to nationwide efforts to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions and in addition assist the nation to fulfill its personal targets as set out within the legally-binding Fifth Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan (2024-2028). That is “the highest-level, cross-ministerial technique in biodiversity that units out a five-year coverage course to make sure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the nation” (ROK 2023).
Reassessment probably additionally makes nice financial sense. The small airport on Ulleung Island, an island with a inhabitants of solely 10,000 or so folks, is projected to price the nation a staggering 560.9 million USD. As well as, predictions for airport utilization in lots of circumstances appear to have little connection to actuality. The Environmental Impression Evaluation / Assertion for the Muan Worldwide Airport for instance predicted that between 8.3 million and 11.22 million passengers per yr would use the airport by 2020 (EIASS 1998: Desk 2.6.5). In 2023, the precise whole was apparently solely 233,000.
All such re-assessments of airport locality (and operation) within the ROK – as all over the place the world over – must be framed clearly by steering offered by the Worldwide Civilian Aviation Organisation (ICAO). ICAO is the UN company which by means of the Chicago Conference for civilian aviation (1944) works for aviation security throughout the World underneath the banner of “Protected Skies, Sustainable Future” (ICAO 2025). The ICAO will not be a regulatory physique per se. As a substitute, it provides steering primarily based on many years of collective experience of aviation points, regularly up to date as understanding grows. Accordingly, ICAO has produced and continues to replace a sequence of manuals on airport planning, design, operation and upkeep that assist to set the worldwide customary – with a lot of this steering then enshrined in nationwide legal guidelines, by-laws or insurance policies by member States. All of those manuals, together with in some circumstances older editions, could be discovered on-line; and naturally, as a member State, all such supplies are additionally obtainable to related decision-makers within the ROK.
This publish goals to introduce a few of that ICAO steering because it pertains to the hen strike threat on the Muan Worldwide airport and different proposed civilian airports within the ROK; and in addition to evaluate a number of the weaknesses of the Environmental Impression Evaluation course of.
2. Decreasing the Threat to Plane by Chook Strike
Chook strikes (collisions between birds and plane) are a widespread and rising downside worldwide that entail monetary loss to industrial, civil, and army fleets worldwide in addition to being a supply of mortality for birds and extra not often for folks (Metz et al. 2020; Andrews et al. 2022). Chook strike, maybe with a flock of birds, is at the moment implicated as a contributory trigger within the crash at Muan.
Not all species of hen pose the identical degree of threat to plane. Moderately, the security threat to plane posed by hen strike is outlined by the ICAO (2020) in Part 3.1.4 because the likelihood of a strike multiplied by the severity of harm brought on. As famous in Part 3.3.2, “the severity scale will rely basically on the dimensions of the animal and its tendency to flock or congregate. Typically, heavier wildlife and larger flock measurement will increase the likelihood of damaging an plane and impacting its flight efficiency. Flocking behaviour might embrace a number of impacts or enhance the likelihood of a strike.”
A aircraft colliding with a single small hen is unlikely to pose a lot threat to the plane. Plane colliding with massive flocks of birds which have a excessive mass (physique weight) pose a a lot greater threat. Bigger-bodied birds which frequently type massive flocks, like geese and cormorants, pose the very best hen strike threat in the event that they incessantly fly throughout the runway or closely used flight paths.
On this easy understanding, there are three predominant steps that decision-makers can take to cut back the hen strike threat, the primary two of that are coated on this publish.
The primary, and wisest step, is precautionary. Which means avoiding constructing airports in areas recognized or discovered to have massive concentrations of large-bodied birds – basically migratory bottlenecks and wetlands. This step suits absolutely with ICAO steering and in addition with Goal 1 of the ROK’s Fifth Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan, to “Strengthen biodiversity administration by means of spatial planning” (ROK 2023). If security of plane is the precedence, then most of the currently-proposed airports ought to have been cancelled in the course of the preliminary challenge scoping interval. There may be nonetheless time to take this step.
Second, if an airport is deemed really important and the hen strike threat is taken into account acceptable, then correct analysis must be carried out, in order that acceptable Wildlife Hazard Administration Plans or Programmes could be developed at every airport. That is the stage the place a sequence of adverse and typically costly selections on mitigation must be taken – together with reorientating proposed runways to keep away from probably the most hazardous areas and, as suggested by ICAO (2012, 2020) enacting ecological measures to cut back the attractiveness of the airport space to birds earlier than operation.
And third, managers of airports then want to make use of their evidence-based Wildlife Hazard Administration Programme to cut back the hen strike threat as a lot as they will by means of scaring off birds – particularly close to to runways, but when wanted additionally all the way in which out to 13km from the airport as suggested by ICAO. It’s because 95% of documented hen strikes happen beneath 2,000 ft (=610m) above floor and “an plane on a standard method would descend into this zone at roughly 13 km from the runway” (ICAO 2020, 2-6).
2. Airport Location
To the perfect of our data, ICAO has not made any unequivocal statements on the place airports shouldn’t be constructed. Nonetheless, due to the hen strike threat, ICAO steering has lengthy advocated for avoiding constructing airports in and close to open wetlands with massive numbers of waterbirds and at migratory bottlenecks. A couple of examples comply with.
Nearly 40 years in the past –pre-dating the development of the Muan Worldwide Airport – ICAO (1987), Part 5.6.1, acknowledged that, “Environmental elements must be fastidiously thought-about within the growth of a brand new airport or the enlargement of an present one. Research of the impression of the development and operation of a brand new airport or the enlargement of an present one upon acceptable ranges of air and water high quality, noise ranges, ecological processes, and demographic growth of the world have to be carried out”; and Part 5.5.8 (“Hazards”) acknowledged, “Websites adjoining to wildlife reserves, lakes, rivers and coastal areas, refuse dumps and sewage outfalls, and many others., is probably not fascinating due to the hazard of plane collision with birds. That is of particular significance the place sooner, bigger plane are concerned. The situation of web sites relative to the migratory patterns and routes of birds, particularly massive birds akin to swans and geese additionally requires consideration.”
Subsequently, ICAO (2002), Part 2.5.8, states that “An vital consideration associated to airport operational security is the prevalence and habits of birds within the space and the related threat of plane hen strikes. Chook hazards at proposed new airports could be minimized by cautious choice of the location to keep away from established hen migration routes and areas naturally enticing to birds and through the use of the land surrounding the airport for functions which is not going to entice concentrations of birds to the world”; Part 3.8.4 clarifies that it “is important to develop an outline of each the bodily and social setting, which incorporates…— avifauna migration routes, and — ecological programs,” and Part 4.2.3 warns, “the place rivers, lakes, bays or swamps are discovered within the airport space, hen hazard downside might exist. At some airports, this downside has been so critical as to trigger accidents.”
ICAO (2002) additionally consists of an Appendix, “Land-use Tips for the Avoidance of Chook Hazards”, which advises that there must be no hen sanctuaries or recreation reserves inside 8km of airport operations. This latter steering has been adopted into legislation by the ROK’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, however primarily based on questions requested throughout a authorized problem being made to the Saemangeum New Airport in 2024, it appeared to a number of of us that one of many attorneys appeared to view this as a mandate to dam the designation of nationwide Wetland Conservation Areas and Ramsar websites inside 8km of present airports – and never as a method to cut back the chance of hen strike (Nonetheless, a number of of those airport proposals are at websites inside 8km of bird-important, nationally protected areas).
And extra not too long ago, ICAO (2020), Part 1.3.9 states that, “State authorities ought to analyse and approve the situation of latest aerodromes, to make sure that points with excessive potential for wildlife attraction are thought-about and mitigated the place crucial.”
Figures 2 and three present the situation of the Muan Worldwide Airport and the proposed Baengnyeong Airport. Clearly, neither websites are “fascinating” for airports due to their excessive hen strike threat.
The ROK is a small nation. Along with publications with broad-sweep analyses of migratory routes primarily based on predictable hen behaviours, there are a number of datasets and rely packages that could possibly be used for figuring out websites which most clearly pose a excessive hen strike threat.
These embrace the winter hen census, carried out underneath the auspices of the nationwide Ministry of Atmosphere at greater than 200 websites nationwide (MOEK 1999-2023). The winter hen census is primarily targeted on waterbirds (i.e., geese, geese, cranes, cormorants, herons, storks and gulls and many others.) and on recognized, vital wetlands and coastal areas. The winter hen census doesn’t cowl each vital wetland or proposed airport website, and at many wetlands additionally doesn’t seize the seasonal excessive peak in variety of waterbirds. Nonetheless, 23 of those hen census rely websites are wholly or partly inside 13km of Muan Worldwide Airport and 5 of the proposed airports, in whole supporting as much as half one million waterbirds in winter between them (see Desk 1). Two (the Muan Worldwide Airport and the proposed Saemangeum New Airport) are additionally lower than 8km from the pure World Heritage tidal-flat serial property (ROK 2021), whereas the proposed Second Jeju airport is inside 6km or so of the outstandingly stunning Pure World Heritage property, Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone.
It’s subsequently vital to grasp: Authorities knowledge clearly point out that at the very least seven and maybe all eight of those new airports, as soon as operational, will inevitably expertise a excessive or an exceptionally excessive threat of hen strike to plane. The identical knowledge additionally point out the excellent significance of many of those identical websites for biodiversity. As such, biodiversity conservation must be prioritised at these websites, in accordance with the 5th Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan. In any other case, how will it’s doable to cease the ROK’s “clear downward development in biodiversity” (ROK 2023)?
Desk 1. Peak variety of waterbirds recorded by the winter census at Muan Worldwide Airport and at a number of proposed airports, with extra assist info.
| EIA carried out? | Accredited? / Begin 12 months of Operation | Variety of Census Depend Websites inside 13km | Highest Census Depend of birds at related census rely websites | |
| Baengnyeong Island | No | Accredited / 2030 | None | n/a |
| New Gyeonggi Worldwide, Hwaseong | No | Two places being thought-about? | 3 utterly (Namyang Bay, Namyang Lake, Daebu Island) | 132,124 (December 2015) |
| Seosan | No | Apparently accredited | 4 utterly (Ganwol Lake, Haemi Stream, Jamhong Reservoir & Seongnam Reservoir); & 1 partially (Cheonsu Bay) | 194,747 (November 2022) |
| Saemangeum | Sure | Accredited (although present authorized problem)/ 2030? | 3 utterly (Mangyeong River, Decrease Stretch, Okgu Reservoir, Okryo Reservoir); 1 virtually utterly (Dongjin River) & 2 partially (Yubu Island, Geum Estuary) | 182,506 (February 2022) |
| Muan | Sure | Operational since 2007 | 1 utterly (Muan Reservoir) & 3 partially (Muan-Mokpo Coast, Muan-Hyeongyeong Myeon & Aphae Do) | 62,729 (January 2021) |
| Gadeokdo | Sure | Accredited (although present authorized problem) / 2030 | 1 virtually utterly (Nakdong River Estuary) & 1 partially (Geoje coast) | 37,824 (December 2015) |
| Jeju coast | Sure | Accredited (although present authorized problem) / 2030? | 2 utterly (Hado, Seongsan), 1 largely (Seongsan-Namwon Coast) and 1 partially (Hwabuk-Seongsan Coast) | 33,944 (January 2021) |
| Heuksan Island | ? | Accredited / 2028 | None | n/a |
| Ulleung Island | ? | Beneath building / 2028? | None | n/a |
Along with the winter hen census (which is referenced in some EIAs however not in others), there are a smaller variety of shorebird counts carried out by the Shorebird Community Korea (2010-2015), with survey and publication supported by Shinan County authorities and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. These counts have clear potential relevance to ongoing runway extension on the Muan Worldwide Airport. And there additionally peer-reviewed papers on e.g., Saemangeum and the Hwaseong Wetlands (e.g., Moores et al .2016, Lee et al 2018; Moores et al. 2022). There are additionally in depth knowledge units on migratory landbirds which have been generated by the Korea Nationwide Parks Migratory Chook Analysis Centre on Heuksan Island for twenty years; and naturally, there are additionally knowledge units generated throughout environmental impression assessments carried out for reclamation initiatives and for the airports themselves. Many of those are accessible by means of the Environmental Impression Evaluation Help System (EIASS).
There are few authorities or formally revealed datasets for Baengnyeong Island and Ulleung Island, and to the perfect of our data, there was no formal EIA carried out for the proposed Baengnyeong airport. Luckily for decision-makers, now we have been conducting analysis on Baengnyeong Island since 2013. We’ve got revealed one report highlighting biodiversity hotspots already; and now we have shared numerous rely knowledge offline and on-line, together with by means of eBird and in nationwide media. It’s subsequently considerably shocking that now we have not but been contacted by airport proponents to share any of our knowledge; and now we have not been requested to supply any recommendation as a part of any consultative course of. This seems to be opposite to steering offered by ICAO (1987), Part 2.2, which advises that, “it’s important that the grasp planning workforce co-ordinate its efforts and search the recommendation of those curiosity teams previous to and in the course of the important levels of the grasp plan.”
3. Growth of Wildlife Hazard Administration Plans
ICAO (2020) offers detailed steering on the event of Wildlife Hazard Administration Plans, together with an evaluation of the hen strike threat for “present and new aerodromes, together with enlargement initiatives” (Part 1.3.8).
As acknowledged in ICAO (2020) Part 1.1.3. “Wildlife dangers fluctuate with the each day and seasonal cycles of wildlife exercise. The species and variety of wildlife at and round aerodromes might range over time as a consequence of land use and environmental modifications (e.g. agricultural practices, urbanization, conservation and local weather change). Aerodromes have site-specific traits concerning their habitat, local weather and environment that must be mirrored of their respective Wildlife Hazard Administration Programmes (WHMP). Elevated air site visitors and the event of quieter plane engines might enhance the chance of a wildlife strike. Wildlife hazard administration strategies and methods ought to subsequently be reviewed yearly and up to date usually to make sure that efficient management strategies are carried out.”
On this understanding, ICAO (2020) advises:
- Wildlife Hazard Administration Plans ought to prolong out to at the very least 13km from airport operations;
- Analysis must be carried out on “the kind of wildlife exercise and actions (for instance: course and altitude)” (Part 2.2.4.3 a);
- “Wildlife surveys ought to cowl your entire yr to account for seasonal modifications and must also take into account completely different phases of the day. The survey must also take into account plane actions, runways in use and wildlife behaviour” (Part 2.2.4.6);
- “The aerodrome ought to hold a file of areas with wildlife attraction or focus within the aerodrome and its neighborhood. This stock ought to result in an evaluation of the present habitat and embrace the explanation why wildlife species could also be attracted. Sure habitats entice species for meals, water or shelter. Examples embrace…massive our bodies of water that entice shorebirds and waterfowl…” (Part, 2.2.4.18).
We should not have entry to any of the Wildlife Hazard Administration Programmes or Grasp Plans of any of the proposed or present airports within the ROK. Nonetheless, we do – together with all people else – have entry to the environmental impacts assessments for a number of of those initiatives.
Primarily based on our studying of ICAO supplies, we’d have assumed that the analysis for the EIA or EIS for every of those airport initiatives can have been organized to determine potential different websites; to have gathered all obtainable literature; after which completely investigated the hen strike threat as soon as the airport website had been determined.
As ~90% of all hen species in Korea are migratory, we’d even have assumed that analysis on birds would have been carried out by means of a number of annual cycles; and {that a} multitude of analysis approaches would have been taken, together with lengthy intervals of fieldwork spent recording the actions of birds flying throughout the proposed runway space and employment of radar (to file top and course of flight, particularly at evening).
Not one of the 4 EIA I’ve to date independently reviewed comprise such analysis.
Within the case of the Muan Worldwide airport, hen surveys for the unique EIA had been carried out for a complete of about 12 days (August 26th-28th 1997; November 6th-Eighth 1997; and June 1st to threerd 1998). Though there are references to ICAO in some locations, on web page 194 the commentary consists of the commentary that it might be “unreasonable to understand the general website primarily based on the brief survey interval”. Primarily based on this, the commentary on web page 229 then asserts that, “The variety of birds doesn’t seem like very massive, so for those who take note of stopping collisions with some birds throughout operation it’s judged that there will probably be no vital impression” (EIASS 1998; EIASS challenge quantity ME1999H003).
A follow-up EIA was carried out for the runway extension (EIASS 2022: challenge quantity YS2021H001). This included literature overview, which included the winter census knowledge however for under two winters, and didn’t embrace the Korea Shorebird Community counts (p. 154). This literature overview, mixed with six extra days of discipline work, indicated the presence within the wider area of 27 hen species that are both nationally threatened or that are nationwide monuments (Desk 7.1.1-15). The fieldwork discovered 745 Tundra Bean Geese, in addition to large-bodied hovering species together with White-tailed Eagle and Oriental Stork, the latter inside about 100m of the runway (Determine 7.1.1-15, p. 155).
This analysis equally (and it seems, accurately) asserted that, “When flocks of geese and storks transfer to arable land, wetlands or the coast close to the airport space, collisions with plane are anticipated” (p. 162).
Regardless that this assertion was primarily based on very restricted survey, it’s an apparent conclusion that ought to have raised deep issues for plane carriers and airport managers. All alongside the west coast of the ROK and on islands like Baengnyeong, flocks of geese throughout migration and winter roost in open areas, normally on or very near water. Earlier than and at dawn, they then flight out to feed in rice-fields. Many will attempt to feed in close by fields; others will fly additional. Our personal analysis in Hwaseong counsel that some geese probably commuted 20km or extra one-way. Through the morning, most of the geese will then relaxation in the identical fields, or fly again to their most popular roost space, to drink water (serving to with digestion) and to relaxation, earlier than flying again out to feed once more within the afternoon.
Primarily based on this behaviour at different websites within the ROK, it subsequently appears extremely possible that Tundra Bean Geese in Muan would attempt to use Muan Reservoir instantly to the southeast of the runway for roosting. If there was disturbance on the reservoir, nevertheless, they’d then probably congregate as a substitute at low tide on the adjoining tidal flat. From there, the geese would then commute to rice-fields to feed, initially at dawn, after which by means of the day in smaller flocks. Both means, which means that a number of hundred geese would probably commute throughout the runway on a number of dates between October and March. As Tundra Bean Geese have substantial mass, collision with a flock could possibly be predicted to be very dangerous to plane throughout take-off or touchdown.
Formal assessments for the proposed new airports on Jeju, at Saemangeum and at Gadeokdo in Busan are equally flawed.
The Saemangeum EIA (MLIT 2021) lacked correct literature overview and claimed all through that there could be few impacts. Chook analysis, nevertheless, was carried out in solely ten months (October 2020-July 2021); and gave the impression to be carried out largely by 5 counters, who apparently tried to survey 52 areas (at furthest >13km from the airport), over solely 30 days in whole (p. 405). Three nocturnal surveys had been additionally carried out. Though useful in establishing baseline knowledge on abundance, distribution and species richness, the analysis effort is insufficient to evaluate the hen strike threat.
As a substitute of fastened level counts over or close to the proposed runway space, wildlife digital camera traps had been deployed (which can not seize flocks of birds in flight) and tracks from GPS telemetry or an analogous methodology of distant monitoring had been included (Part 11.1.1.1 – 54). Solely 27 birds had been tagged. None had been captured inside 3km of the proposed airport. As a substitute, primarily based on coordinates, they had been tagged 4.66km-12.5km from the proposed runway space, so if tagged in most popular habitat may moderately be anticipated to stay largely in that space, and away from the proposed airport space.
Luckily, ten Nice Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo had been tagged. 5 of those flew instantly throughout the proposed Saemangeum New Worldwide Airport space, presumably between feeding and breeding websites. Nice Cormorant has a mass of at the very least 2.3 kg (Hatch et al. 2020), as much as 2.6–3.7 kg (Birds of the World 2025) and infrequently kinds flocks of 1000’s within the Saemangeum space. The desk on web page 501 lists counts of 13,330 Nice Cormorant in November and 16, 353 in July inside 3km of the proposed airport, and Oh Dong Pil studies that he has counted 38,000 there (unpublished knowledge). Chook strike involving a flock of Nice Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and a army plane has additionally already been documented, on October 5th 2021 at 35.92976111, 126.60893611 (inside roughly 700 m of the proposed runway). Nice Cormorant subsequently poses an apparent very excessive security threat to plane. Remarkably, nevertheless, generalized descriptions of security threat posed by completely different species teams given on pages 830 onwards in MLIT (2021) exclude cormorants.
As at Muan, the chance of hen strikes with geese at Saemangeum appear to be anticipated, particularly at daybreak and nightfall (p. 830).
In Busan, the Strategic Environmental Impression Evaluation for the proposed Gaeokdo Worldwide airport equally accommodates numerous info on birds inside a 13km radius of the proposed airport. Nonetheless, knowledge are usually not interpreted in ways in which facilitate an evaluation both of the probably impacts on biodiversity on the nationwide or regional degree, or of the actual hen strike threat. Aside from 15 dates in Might of survey of six species of raptors >1km from the proposed runway, there is no such thing as a analysis which can be utilized to evaluate both the dimensions of hen migration by means of the proposed airport space or present an evidence-based evaluation of hen strike threat.
In my view, the horrible inadequacy of those Environmental Impression Assessments will not be, usually, as a result of poor degree of the researchers. A few of the analysis is great. As a substitute, it’s rather more a results of the extraordinarily tight deadlines imposed on analysis; and the results of what seems to be a normal lack of curiosity in or concern in regards to the hen strike threat.
Lastly, we don’t but know what the investigation into the Muan air crash will discover. Two issues do appear sure, nevertheless. The primary is the extended struggling of all these impacted by the Muan air crash – our sincerest condolences to them. The second is that if security actually is the precedence, then a overview of airport security wants to think about not solely plane upkeep and everlasting hazards. It additionally wants to incorporate a complete and clear reassessment of the hen strike threat.
As at all times, please tell us for those who see any errors within the above. Thanks.
Additional Studying
Gadeokdo:
“Eleven dates of Mounted Factors Counts overlooking the runway space of the proposed Gadeok Do airport, Busan: an impartial evidence-based evaluation of hen migration and hen strike threat.”
Saemangeum New Airport: Preliminary Opinion Assertion, March 2024, submitted to the court docket in Might-June 2024
Acknowledgements
Honest because of Dr Kim Nahee for sharing paperwork on the Muan Worldwide airport; and to these on Jeju, in Busan and at Saemangeum for offering info for earlier posts.
Background to this publish: Birds Korea is an impartial NGO. I’ve a PhD within the conservation of avian biodiversity; discipline expertise in any respect 9 websites proven in Determine 1, starting from 2-3 dates at websites like Muan and in affected components of Ulleungdo, to greater than 200 days of fieldwork at each Saemangeum and Baengnyeong; I’ve led peer-reviewed papers on two of the websites; and for Birds Korea and native teams, I’ve independently reviewed 4 Environmental Impression Assessments for airports (proposed Jeju Second, proposed Saemangeum New Worldwide, proposed Gadeokdo and Muan Worldwide). In 2024, I gave professional testimony in an ongoing authorized problem to the Saemangeum New Worldwide airport, to specific grave issues in regards to the hen strike threat and impacts on biodiversity and to focus on flaws within the EIS.
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