| South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ks.html | ||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | 2450
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Korean
MAB Committee for UNESCO
c/o Korean National Commission for UNESCO P.O.Box Central 64 Seoul Republic of Korea |
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| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | Rural Development Measures and Agricultural
Policy Reform Plan ,
Presidential Commission on Rural Reconstruction (PCRR) |
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| Major Natural Resources | coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | "air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing." | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 98,190 sq km | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ks.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 7626,000 ha, 77.2% of land area | http://www.unep.ch/islands/CGR.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | (Sq. km) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ks.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: | 46,416,796 (July 1998 est.) | Density:
463 persons/sq. km |
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ks.html | ||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: | 3,934,900 | Fraction of land area protected (%): around seven per cent of the total land area. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | ||||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | List of Major Protected Areas | Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | The Republic of Korea has adopted several species protection measures such as creating "Natural Monument", "Special Wild Fauna and Flora", and "Protected Wild Birds and Mammals" classifications to protect endangered or declining wild species. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | National Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | March 3,1973 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | The Republic of Korea is preparing to join the Ramsar Convention. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed in 1992 and ratified in 1994. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was signed in 1993 and the latest report submitted in 1995. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | 2 December 1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | South Korea is a party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Desertification | ||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | A public demand for high quality protein sources. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | The most important natural resource in the country are forests which make up 65% of the total land mass. The Japanese colonization, the Korean war, and other social turbulence has caused more than half of the forest resources to be devastated.The domestic timber supply was 0.73 million m which accounted for just 11% of the total demand in 1995. About 0.08% of forest land is harvested through small scale clear cutting or selective cutting of less than 5 ha a year, and it is replanted immediately thereafter. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | South Korea has been the potential source for Liquified Natrual Gas for some countries. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | "Major threats to the atmosphere in The Republic of Korea derive from increasing intensity of urban air pollution and a high level of energy consumption. The rapid increase of automobiles, traffic congestion, ozone concentration, and high industrialization and economic development, all pose serious problems to the environment." | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | "The Government is strengthening standards for the permitted level of emission of industrial water effluents and the discharge of effluents by public waste disposal facilities. The Government has induced reduction of pollutant emissions by public waste disposal facilities and is introducing the effluent charge system which assess a discharge fee according to the quantity of actual discharge. The primary sources of land-based pollution of the marine environment are sewage, Industrial effluents, dumping, etc. The primary sources of sea-based pollution of the marine environment are oil spills, aquaculture, and dredging." | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Rapid economic development has caused biodiversity in the Republic of Korea to diminish. Over 180 species, including tigers and leopards, have disappeared or are endangered. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | Water Environment Plan.
The Long Term Comprehensive Water Resources Plan Forest Resources Enhancement Plan |
http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | "Various kinds of protected areas such as natural ecosystem protection areas, national parks, bird and mammal protection areas, and natural forest protection areas function as in situ biodiversity conservation areas. They cover around seven per cent of the total land area. | http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/repkorea/natur.htm | |||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Angela Cardenas as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA