Dr Nial Moores, Birds Korea, September 21, 2023.
All photographs copyright of Nial Moores / Birds Korea.
In September, the “Spoonbills Challenge” was launched within the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve. This ecological planning and design challenge is a collaboration under-contract from Yeoncheon County led collectively by Birds Korea and Birds Korea Yeoncheon, Yeoncheon County and the College of California Berkeley. The challenge will run till the top of 2024 (or past…). The goal is to provide a imaginative and prescient doc that may be produced from and used to help a democratic, participatory planning course of in Yeoncheon County and the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve. The preliminary focus is a 40 ha website on the Hantan River (the “spoonbills challenge” website); and growth of comparable approaches that can be utilized at a number of factors alongside the Imjin River.
This month, this challenge has already included a faculty go to from Seoul Overseas Faculty and time spent with native lecturers concerned within the bioblitz program; a go to by an artist from Canada; the internet hosting of two professors in panorama design from College of California Berkeley (Professor Emeritus Randy Hester and Professor Matt Kondolf) and a crew from Tokyo Institute of Expertise, comprised of Professor Dohi Masato and two grad college students who’re a part of Workforce Spoon; a site-meeting and coffee-shop assembly to debate the challenge with extra members; and two seminars within the Yeoncheon County workplace.
The “Spoonbills challenge” is a pure extension of our current work in Yeoncheon, which from 2021-2023 has included survey work (together with of cranes, Scaly-sided Merganser and Fairy Pitta), an academic bioblitz challenge, and deepening engagement with the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership.
The “Spoonbills challenge” goals to make use of all out there analysis to tell ecological design and plan proposals; and thru the method to lift consciousness of how during which the splendidly vital biodiversity of the County could be conserved, whereas concurrently bettering alternatives for conservation tourism and environmental schooling (and decreasing air pollution by permitting the river to be a river…). The “spoonbills challenge” can turn out to be a number one instance of sustainable growth, as outlined by the SDGs.
As a result of there are such a lot of transferring elements, the next submit goals to elucidate among the key elements because the contract was finalised earlier this month. These are supplied as a part of the documentation of this fascinating challenge, and likewise to ask on your help. Within the 12 months forward, work will embrace many, many extra conferences, together with we intend with many native residents; extra seminars; and a number of other months of coursework by UCB college students who will probably be tasked with serving to to create a imaginative and prescient assertion for consideration by Yeoncheon County and related authorities our bodies.
Along with searching for extra enter from ecologists and hydrologists and local people leaders and educators (please contact us!), the nice scope and complexity of this work clarify that we actually additionally want somebody with up-to-date administrative expertise.
If you understand of somebody who can be prepared to volunteer or work for Birds Korea on administrative points or on accounting, for a part-time wage or maybe for a proportion of contracts (?), please do tell us. Equally, when you’ve got concepts on fund-raising or on sources of donations in order that we will strengthen our work in Yeoncheon and elsewhere in Korea, please, please do tell us. Thanks a lot!
Some extra context…
Ecological Planning
When individuals have a look at any panorama, their private view will evoke private recollections. To some individuals, primarily based on their previous experiences, a lovely stretch of river for instance would possibly appear to be the proper place to fish and set nets; to others, it’s is perhaps the place to assemble a brand new café or lodge or to go swimming or to paddle in a kayak or to sit down peacefully studying a guide; to others nonetheless it’d merely be a spot to hike or cycle by way of shortly – a scenic backdrop to a journey between a begin and finish level.
For these of us working to preserve biodiversity and ecological performance, our view will probably be most affected by the species which can be discovered there (and by the species that aren’t) and by the “naturalness” of the processes we will see. If the river appears disturbed, and hard-banked and is species-poor, we too would possibly take into consideration transferring on shortly; but when the river stretch accommodates natural-looking sand or gravel bars and holds particular species, then our focus will quickly shift in the direction of these species, and a consideration of potential threats and conservation options.
Ecological designs and plans for in situ biodiversity conservation are in essence well-informed responses to the ecological necessities of goal species and the ecosystems of which they’re a element half, mixed with a consideration of essentially the most acceptable lodging of different potential makes use of. Every evaluation, whether it is to be efficient, wants to think about bodily options of the positioning, present and previous makes use of, and likewise the political alternatives out there to decision-makers. Analysis and intensive collaboration are important. No-one particular person or organisation can give you the very best options by themselves. Along with the ecological necessities of species, hydrology, engineering points, authorized points and naturally the human dimension, all additionally have to be evaluated and deliberate for. Which stakeholders are most invested within the place? How do they use or wish to use the realm? And what are the political realities? Every single day, political leaders have to think about growth proposals related to their work portfolio. Why ought to they make investments their time, power and political capital into the conservation of this explicit website or its biodiversity?
As a small chicken and habitat conservation group, our strategy to each website or species all the time begins in the identical method: analysis and an evaluation of threats and conservation options. Sometimes, our work additionally contains the event of site-specific suggestions, designs or planning proposals introduced in methods that may enable different NGOs, authorities our bodies and nationwide analysis establishments to include them – in the event that they so select – into their very own plans for fulfilling current commitments to biodiversity and to the broader Sustainable Improvement Targets.
Yeoncheon County and the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve
In Might-July 2020, below contract from Yeoncheon County, we confirmed the significance of an space of threatened forest to species that included the globally Susceptible Fairy Pitta. This work then expanded in scope, with extra contracts to conduct analysis on birds (and different biodiversity) all through the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve. Throughout this analysis thus far, we’ve already discovered greater than 200 chicken species, together with an distinctive focus of the globally Endangered Scaly-sided Merganser. Based mostly on our analysis within the BR and nationally, we’ve been in a position to establish key river stretches utilized by the species and to evaluate main threats. We have now additionally been in a position to estimate the disturbance distance at which Scaly-sided Mergansers cease feeding and ultimately take flight from individuals. This enabled us to suggest a sequence of measures geared toward decreasing disturbance whereas additionally encouraging a rise in conservation tourism and public consciousness in Yeoncheon; and likewise to develop a paper on the conservation standing of the species on the Korean Peninsula which will probably be revealed in a peer-reviewed journal later this 12 months.
Sadly, nevertheless, the Republic of Korea presently ranks 78th when it comes to biodiversity conservation within the international Environmental Efficiency Index. There’s substantial growth stress on nearly all lowland areas, together with in Yeoncheon; and there’s nonetheless little perceived political alternative to be gained by way of imposing measures that is perhaps thought of restrictive not directly. Though well-received, our proposals have due to this fact thus far failed to realize a lot traction. The Scaly-sided Merganser has turn out to be fairly higher recognized within the County, however threats to the species have continued to extend.
This is the reason the “Spoonbills Challenge” is required.
The Spoonbills Challenge
The “Spoonbills Challenge” proposes making a secure house inside the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere (BR) for individuals to find out about biodiversity, the Biosphere Reserve and the Sustainable Improvement Targets.
The “Spoonbills Challenge” is comprised of 4 most important interconnected strands:
1. Enhancement of an current house, “Spoonbills” (40 ha space of the Hantan River and adjoining areas);
2. Restoration of riverine wetland, inside a part of the positioning;
3. Integration and replication of profitable approaches at “Spoonbills” to different elements of the BR
4. Sharing of ecological planning and design ideas with different BRs and riverine wetlands within the ROK and regionally, with the goal of replication.
Extra of the historical past and rationale follows:
- In 2019, the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve (BR) was formally designated by UNESCO. The BR accommodates many websites of geological curiosity; and overlaps in some ways with the Nationwide Hantangang Geopark and World Geopark (latter designated in 2020).
- Biosphere Reserves are designated due to a mixture of excessive biodiversity values and the presence of human communities. They’re required to turn out to be take a look at websites for sustainable growth,
- The Yeoncheon Imjin River BR has a Complete Space of 58,412 ha (successfully all of Yeoncheon County excluding the DMZ); a Core Space of 6,369 ha; a Buffer Zone of 20,810 ha; and Transitional Areas of 31,233 ha. The present human inhabitants is roughly 42,000.
- The BR’s present human inhabitants is declining however would possibly enhance quickly within the near-future following the opening of a subway line extension (prone to be in December 2023), and the development of a brand new housing and industrial space. There’s additionally a a lot bigger variety of individuals (~500,000 per 12 months?) who go to Yeoncheon as vacationers.
- The aim of and prompt makes use of of Core Areas, Buffer Zones and Transitional Areas of Biosphere Reserves is described in UNESCO technical tips (2021). Among the most related paragraphs within the Technical Pointers to this challenge are: “76. (Core Areas are) legally protected websites for conserving organic variety, monitoring minimally disturbed ecosystems, and enterprise non-destructive analysis and different low-impact makes use of (e.g. schooling)… Core areas are typically pure or close to pure areas, or areas with a excessive stage of biodiversity. They supply an instance of what a selected ecosystem would look within the absence of – or with solely minimal – human interference… 80. The main target of administration within the core space is biodiversity conservation together with by way of management of human actions….84. The buffer zone ought to encompass or adjoin the core space(s) as a protecting belt… The buffer zones ought to have clear boundaries and be giant sufficient to mitigate human affect on the core space(s). 89. Administration should be certain that all human actions within the buffer zone are appropriate with biodiversity conservation …
- Core Areas of the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve are concentrated within the CCZ and alongside the Imjin and Hantan rivers (largely inside the river bunds solely).
- The 40 ha “Spoonbills Challenge” website is inside the Core Space of the BR. It’s located in very shut proximity to the most important centre of human inhabitants within the BR, Jeonkok city. The positioning is comprised of river and instantly adjoining habitats (shingle beds, managed parkland, some naturally regenerating wetland vegetation). It’s neglected by a commercially lively space, with motels and occasional retailers. The positioning itself even now helps nationally vital species (together with nesting nationally Susceptible Lengthy-billed Plover); however is presently extremely disturbed, together with by frequent building actions. Among the shingle banks and islands are artificially constructed and are hard-banked, and water from the Shincheon stream is essentially managed by way of a protracted “canal”. Furthermore, the realm seems to be valued poorly by native residents or by guests to Yeoncheon.
- Birds Korea’s analysis has recognized the worldwide significance of a number of stretches of the Imjin River inside the BR to the globally Endangered Scaly-sided Merganser (a really shy duck species, that normally flies away from individuals in the event that they strategy inside 200m), and for different waterbirds and species of conservation concern.
- Throughout our work, we instantly recognized a scarcity of acceptable services for environmental schooling and threats to the numerous of a very powerful areas within the Biosphere Reserve, together with unintentional disturbance. In a sequence of reviews and displays in Yeoncheon County we due to this fact proposed measures that may very well be taken at 4 websites alongside the Imjin and at this website on the Hantan river to scale back this sort of disturbance whereas rising the worth of the identical areas for environmental schooling and conservation / eco-tourism. These measures included placement of screens, birdwatching hides, and in some areas, redirecting of mountaineering trails and re-profiling, to create acceptable areas for schooling and tourism. The important thing website on the Hantan for that is “spoonbills” – so named as a result of throughout our first survey there we noticed Eurasian Spoonbills (on the time, the primary report of this species in Yeoncheon). We due to this fact proposed again in 2021 and once more in 2022 that this “Spoonbills challenge” website may very well be developed into an environmental schooling hub – by way of building of a small schooling centre; trails; screens; dipping ponds and so forth. Enhancement and restoration may maybe then allow the positioning for use by Scaly-sided Merganser; and to extend the breeding inhabitants of Nationally Susceptible Lengthy-billed Plover.
