Korean DMZ protects rare species, offers new hope for peace

Human absence from the heavily-mined Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea has turned the narrow strip of land into a wildlife sanctuary for many rare and endangered species of wildlife, suggesting the idea that the DMZ could be turned into a peace park that would protect the last remaining vestige of Korea’s natural ecosystems and symbolize peace rather than war.

In 1997, biodiversity scientist Ke Chung Kim alerted the scientific world to the fact that the narrow strip of land across which a million troops face each other had become a unique nature reserve, home to as many as seven of the world’s most endangered bird species and possibly as many as six endangered mammal species. Damaged forests and farmlands that are thousands of years old had returned to a natural state, protecting many plants and animals that are considered endangered or threatened elsewhere in Korea because of its rapid industrialization. 

The DMZ and the contiguous Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) in the Republic of Korea contain five rivers and forests, mountains, wetlands, prairies, bogs and estuaries that are home to more than 1,100 plant species; 50 mammal species including Asiatic Black Bear, leopard, lynx, sheep and possibly tiger; hundreds of bird species, many of them endangered, including Black-faced Spoonbill, Red-crowned and White-napped Cranes and Black Vulture; and over 80 fish species. These species represent 67% of Korea’s fauna. As well, hundreds of bird species migrate through the DMZ going to and from Mongolia, China, Russia, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines and Australia, and roughly one tenth of the world’s cranes winter on the DMZ’s Cheorwon Plain.

Kim’s idea, to create a Korean Peace Bioreserves System or a Peace Park that would protect the area’s rich biodiversity and build trust between leaders in the north and south, caught the imagination of many people. Some saw the area as an ecological laboratory that could help restore species that have disappeared in the rest of the world; some saw exciting ecotourism possibilities that offered an alternative to the industrial development that increasingly threatens the area; and some saw the possibilities of “environmental peacemaking”, which draws on the discovery that for many countries involved in border disputes, environmental protection provides the entry point to creating a new and more constructive relationship. Since the creation of Waterton Glacier International Peace Park between the US and Canada in 1932, 170 peace parks have been created throughout the world.

In 1997, Professor Kim helped found an international non-government organization, the DMZ Forum, that has promoted the idea over the past decade. Supporters say that by building a Peace Park together, the two Koreas can rebuild common traditions and consider a common future. Scientific exploration, sustainable development and eco-tourism could profitably replace costly and dangerous military confrontation. Transforming the border into “neutral ground” such as a nature park also would allow both sides to avoid awkward negotiations about the border’s status and allow a mutually face-saving agreement.

Through the South African-based Peace Parks Foundation, which has been working on similar strategies in Africa for more than a decade, statesman Nelson Mandela became involved in the discussions in 2003. South Africans have made presentations to delegations from both Koreas, and North Koreans have expressed interest in visiting southern African peace parks. The DMZ Forum held a conference in Seoul in June 2007. Two months later, resumption of the six-party talks and the announcement that the two Korean leaders would meet for the first time since an historic summit in 2000, suggested that the time might be opportune to promote the idea further.

 


Page Information

  • 5 months ago [history]
  • View page source
  • You're not logged in
  • Tags: Stories about Peace Korea South Africa

Wiki Information

Recent PBwiki Blog Posts