Saemangeum - a vital wetlandby Nial Moores and Charlie Moores, from OBC Bulletin 37, June 2003. The Yellow Sea, comprising the coastal wetlands and marine areas lying between South Korea, North Korea and China, is one of the world's most important yet threatened ecosystems. Despite extensive reclamation projects, increasing pollution and unsustainable resource use, the Yellow Sea still contains more than 1 million ha of tidal-flats, supports a massive fisheries industry, and is used by the entire world breeding population of the Black-faced Spoonbill Platelea minor and Saunders's Gull Larus saundersi. It also maintains internationally important concentrations of a significant percentage of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway's migratory shorebirds, three species of crane and several populations of threatened anatidae.(1,2) In many respects the Yellow Sea can be considered the East Asian counterpart of north Europe's Wadden Sea (the latter sea shared by the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark), and in terms of global biodiversity is equal in importance to it.
Within the South Korean part of the Yellow Sea alone, some 48 sites meet Ramsar criteria for identification as internationally important for waterbirds,(3) with the most valuable of all centred at approximately 35ƒ50'N, 126ƒ45'E: Saemangeum. Comprising the two free-flowing estuaries of the Mangyeung and Dongjin rivers, the Saemangeum wetland (pronounced 'Say-Man-Gum' in English) is considered in various government publications to be the most important known national site for shorebirds, and by Barter(2) to be the single most important shorebird site in thewhole Yellow Sea. Saemangeum comprises some 30,000 ha of tidal-flats (being up to 25 km wide in some stretches) and 10,000 ha of shallows, and supports possibly 30 species of waterbird in internationally important concentrations. No fewer than eight of these are believed to be globally threatened.(4) Recent significant counts include a day peak of 155,000 shorebirds, including over 80,000 Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris (Gosbell unpubl. data). In addition, counts of threatened waterbirds include over 700 of the Vulnerable Saunders's Gull, the world's highest recent count of the Endangered Nordmann's Greenshank Tringa guttifer, and up to 200 of the fast-declining and probably Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmeus.
Saemangeum should be one of the best-known wetlands in East Asia; it should be conserved and managed sustainably in accordance with the obligations of the Ramsar Convention, which South Korea acceded to in 1997. However, the entire area of 40,100 ha (401 km2 or two-thirds the size of the Wash in the UK) is being reclaimed in the world's largest known ongoing coastal wetland reclamation project. The first phase of the project, the construction of an outer seawall wide enough to take two lanes of traffic and over 5 m high, started in 1991, and despite increasing concerns is still ongoing in 2003 with over 60% of the 33 km long wall already completed. Its completion will mean the loss of almost 100% of the existing tidal-flat, and will lead to significant declines in many waterbird populations. As proposed the wall will eventually dam off both estuaries in order to create 28,300 ha of rice-field and industrial land, and 11,800 ha of barrage lake. As proposed, it will likely be completed by 2006, with the gradual conversion of the tidal-flats to rice-fields following a few years later. | Saemangeum:
2 |
|
