World Wetland Network's Letter on the 4 Rivers Project of Korea

11th December 2009


Dear President Lee Myung-Bak, Mr. Prime Minister Mr. Chung Un-chan, Chung Jong-hwan, Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, and Mr. Lee Maanee, Minister of the Environment,


Re: Four Rivers Project, Republic of Korea (ROK)


The World Wetland Network (WWN), established at the Ramsar COP10 in Changwon, is a rapidly growing network of over 200 wetland Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) from across the world. A central committee of representatives from each continent, plus technical advisors, meets on a regular basis to plan, feedback and exchange information.

As a global network of wetland specialists, the WWN would like to advise the ROK government to cancel the Four Rivers Project.

In Europe, the US and Japan, there were numerous river engineering projects in past decades which included straightening river channels, dredging river beds, putting in built water management structures and re-enforcing banks. The world has since learnt from these mistakes. Disconnecting rivers from their flood plains, straightening and deepening them has led to huge problems with floods, erosion, poor water quality, changing ecological systems and reduced biodiversity, not to mention disconnecting local communities from their rivers. This of course also has an economic and human cost.

While the Four Rivers project in the ROK has been described as a ‘restoration’ project by its proponents, it is clear to the WWN and to all wetland experts around the world that the construction of new dams and river dredging cannot be called restoration. Further, the construction of bicycle trails and resort areas proposed as part of the Four Rivers project will increase disturbance to sensitive species and systems. As proposed, the Four Rivers project will lead to a massive loss of biodiversity and cause enormous environmental costs, some of which will be immediate, and others which will emerge longer-term as the rivers and watersheds can no longer function in a natural way.

The Four Rivers project, with its emphasis on construction is clearly contrary to the wise use principle that Ramsar promotes, and ignores existing Ramsar guidance on wetland restoration and management, environmental impact, and community involvement (e.g. resolution X.19: Wetlands and River Basin Management; VIII.16: Principles and guidelines for wetland restoration; resolution X.17: Environmental Impact Assessments; and resolution VII.8: Guidelines for establishing and strengthening local communities’ and indigenous people’s participation in the management of wetlands). In addition, it is clearly “unsustainable development” that will prevent the ROK from fulfilling its obligations to numerous international agreements, including Ramsar, the Millennium Development Goals and the Convention on Biological Diversity .

In contrast to the ROK Four Rivers project, in Europe, the Water Framework Directive is reversing these types of hard-engineering works, at great expense, to revert to a more naturally functioning, catchment-based approach. All member nations of the European Union have implemented the Water Framework Directive into their national policies. In the US, water companies now manage catchments to improve water quality, regulate flow naturally, and reduce the risk of flood. The WWN is happy to provide this information to decision-makers in the ROK, in order to assist the nation in its moves towards wetland conservation and wise use.

We therefore strongly urge the ROK to reconsider the Four Rivers Project. It is not too late to stop the destructive works, and to value your river systems as the natural treasures and providers that they are. It is not only in the interest of the ROK to do so, but also in the interest of all the nations of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway, and of all contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention.

Respectfully,

Chris Rostron, Chair of WWN
Melissa Marin, Neotropics Representative, WWN
Esteban Biamonte, Secretary, WWN
Peter Lengyel, Europe Representative, WWN
Baboucarr Mbye, Africa Representative, WWN
Cassie Price, Oceania Representative, WWN
Tsuji Atsuo, Asia Representative, WWN
Becky Abel, North America Representative, WWN
Kashiwagi Minoru, Technical Advisor, WWN
Luc Hoogenstein, Technical Advisor, WWN

www.worldwetnet.org

Statement of Korean Wetland NGOs Marking the 1 Year After the Ramsar COP10

The Government of South Korea Should Recall the Spirit of the Ramsar Convention and Stop Destruction of Wetlands

One year has passed since the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar COP10) was held in Changwon, South Korea from 28 October to 4 November 2008. The meeting was held successfully with the most participants in the history of the Ramsar convention. Thirty two resolutions were adopted including the Resolution X.3 ‘the Changwon Declaration on human well-being and wetlands’. However, we feel it is very regrettable that many of the resolutions and promises made at the Ramsar COP10 have not yet been implemented and wetlands of South Korea are faced with greater threats.

Mr. Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea stated that "South Korea will keep increasing the number of Wetland Protection Areas and Ramsar Sites and it will be a model country of the convention" at his speech at the opening ceremony of the Ramsar COP10. Unfortunately, there have been no wetlands added to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance during the year since the Ramsar COP10, even though there are about 60 wetlands which have international conservation values in South Korea. Two wetlands were designated as Wetland Protection Areas on October 1st, but only one of them, the 1100 Highland Wetland in Jeju Island with an area of 0.126㎢ was actually added to protected wetlands in the country. The other had already been listed as a Ramsar Site before the Ramsar COP10.

The 'Changwon Declaration on human well-being and wetlands (Resolution X.3)', which was proposed by the government of South Korea and adopted at the Ramsar COP10 emphasized the conservation and wise use of wetlands, urged decision makers of the world to stop the loss and degradation of wetlands and to maintain their ecological character. But, right after the Ramsar COP10 is over, the government of South Korea proposed the so-called 4 Rivers Restoration Project which poses threats to the conservation of riverine wetlands and natural ecosystem along the rivers by building more than 20 dams on the rivers and dredging 570 million cubic meters of sediment from the rivers.

Resolution X.19 'Wetlands and river basin management: consolidated scientific and technical guidance' asked Contracting Parties to integrate wetland conservation and wise use into river basin management, and Resolution X.24 on 'Climate change and wetlands' asked Contracting Parties to make every effort to consider the maintenance of the ecological character of wetlands in national climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. However, the government of South Korea wants to drive the 4 Rivers Project to cope with the climate change, which threatens conservation of riverine wetlands by greatly affecting the maintenance of the ecological characters of the rivers. It is expected that around 130 riverine wetlands on the National Wetland Inventory compiled by the government of South Korea will be affected by the 4 Rivers Project if it is implemented.

Resolution X.22 'Promoting international cooperation for the conservation of waterbird flyways' noted that migratory shorebirds in the Yellow Sea area are under threat from the loss of tidal flats and pollution, and urged international cooperation and expansion of protected areas for the conservation of these habitats. However, the government of South Korea approved 11 coastal reclamation projects of 8.1㎢ including the reclamation of Songdo Tidal Flat (7.2㎢) in March this year, just 4 months after the Ramsar COP10. Also, the Saemangeum Reclamation Project, the largest tidal flat destroying project in the world, is going ahead while its initial purpose of creating of farmland, was abandoned.

Although the Tidal Flat of Jangbongdo is protected as a Wetland Protection Area and the Tidal Flat of Ganghwado and Breeding Ground of Black-faced Spoonbills is protected as a Natural Monument, both are under threat by the Incheon Bay Tidal Power Project and the Ganghwa Tidal Power Project, respectively. The tidal flat of Garorim Bay is the most well conserved tidal flats in South Korea and is one of the only two habitats of Spotted Seal Phoca largha in the country which is protected as Endangered Species Category Ⅱ designated by the Ministry of Environment of South Korea is also under threat by the proposed Garorim Bay Tidal Power Project.

The Nakdong River Estuary which is one of the most important sites for migratory waterbirds in Korea and is protected as a Natural Monument. It is under threat from a plan to halve its size of the Natural Monument area. It is also threatened by plans to build the Eomgung Bridge and the new international airport both of which will damage its ecological character as an important migratory bird habitat.

There is international concern about the loss and degradation of wetlands in South Korea. Resolution X.13 'The status of sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance' recommends that the government of South Korea advise the Ramsar Secretariat of any significant change in the ecological character of those Wetland Protection Areas and Ecosystem Landscape Conservation Areas that are wetlands. The plans to remove the Sin-gok Underwater Weir in the lower part of the Han River and to build a new one 14 kilometres downstream along with the Gyeongin Canal (Gyeongin Waterway) Project, the Han River Renaissance of Seoul City and the 6 Projects to link the Han River of Gyeonggi Province are threatening the conservation of the Han River Estuary Wetland Protection Area.

The marine area with soft corals off coast the Gangjeong Village in Jeju Island which is protected as a Natural Monument is very close to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is under threat by a project to build a new naval base.

Though the governments of South Korea and Japan jointly proposed Resolution X.31 'Enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies as wetland systems' which encouraged the contracting parties to promote research on flora, fauna and ecological functions in rice paddies and on the cultures that have evolved within rice-farming communities that have maintained the ecological value of rice paddies as wetland systems, there has been no specific effort made by the government of South Korea to implement the resolution.

Though the Ramsar COP10 was held one year ago in South Korea, many important wetlands of South Korea are still not well protected, but rather face destruction and degradation due to various development projects of the government. Though the South Korean government adopted the so-called Low Carbon Green Growth Plan as the country's basic development strategy, it is destroying wetlands with various development projects in the name of Green Growth.

The government of S. Korea should recall the Spirit of the Ramsar Convention, "Conservation and Wise Use of Wetland", stop large-scale wetland destruction projects and implement President Lee's promise to be a model country of the convention.

27th October 2009

Preparation Committee for the Korea Wetland NGO Network

for more information please contact Mr. Park Chung-rok, Co-Representative of Wetlands and Birds Korea (WBK) at greennd@hanmail.net or Mr. Ma Yong-un, Director of Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) at ma@kfem.or.kr

* The statement was drafted by KFEM/FoE Korea

S.Korea Canal and River Management Project_Save Rivers News

This message is delivered to the friends of wetlands worldwide whomever I know via e-mail.
And I put this message again with slight revision to SAVE RIVERS and their LIVES.

Friends of the Earth Korea (FOE KFEM) and lots of NGOs in Korea are campainging on the web and on the streets to figure out whether S. Korea goes “GREEN” or “GREY”. Or it will probably turn out "DARK".
Because we just hear lies disguised behind the curtain of discriminating principals.

I am doing campaigns for the conservation of intertidal mudflats and SAVE RIVERS in Korea.
These wetlands are very important habitats for the migratory birds and other species as well as local communities.
Unfortunately lots of them aren’t designated as wetland protected area and/or Ramsar sites.
Unlike the promise pronounced at the Ramsar COP10, Korean government doesn’t consider to designate Ramsar sites as their promise spoken. We only have 20 Ramsar sites!

Even worse, newly launched government is going to develop 4 big rivers with banks, dams, cycle roads, theme parks, waterway construction, etc.
“Reviving 4 River Management” and canal projects are in the rush by Lee M.B.(president) and his people. It's a shame that Ramsar COP10 venue is going to be a symbol of wetland destroyer.
They have revised and will revise Environment Impact Assessment(EIA), lowering its guidelines, so that they can excavate and pave roads even in natural reserve/protected areas, and construction will be proceed much faster, easier, unchecked. All the remaining environmental impact would be left to the wretched and helpless beings as usual.
Lots of Koreans concern that this government should lead Korean society to the past with only construction works and green-painted visions.
Even Ministry of Environment say that current river management project may clean water and prevent flood.

To accomplish this, they even named their projects as “GREEN”; Green New Deal, Green Growth.
But they just gather development projects from local governments regardless of their greenness.
They disguise themselves and pretend to be friends of the nature.
The realities will be sacrifice the of rice-paddies, farmlands, fisheries, national parks, mudflats and mountains on behalf of leisure parks, residential areas, asphalt paved creatures.
(Details will be shown on the SAVE RIVERS campaign blog(En) ASAP.)

S. Korean Government is publicize their projects on the web and on the streets; they exaggerate no living animals could be seen in the Korean rivers.
Last week, they officially campaigned on the web with video clips, even they insert one of the famous photos by American photographer Natalie Fobes to tell people that Korean rives are dead in a exaggerated way(?). After news report about its falsehood, Korean government shut down its blog for a time being.
Feel free to forward this message to Mr. Fobes whoever is acquainted with. He should know what happened with his photo.

And this video clip said:

• Korean Rivers are under quality for human use; lower than 10ppm(BOD)
• Rivers are dead with no living fish
• No natural wetlands exist in- and at- the rivers
• No birds visit Korean wetlands
• And they promise that all these creatures return alive if “Reviving 4 Rivers Management” is done; excavating 4 meters deep in the riverbed and make waterways in a straight way, and banks and dams across the river
  

But the true reports as follows:

• Even the worst river(Yeoungsan river) shows 5ppm(BOD) and the others show much cleaner evidence. Koreans have poured millions and billions dollars into the river.
• The photo was copied from Natalie Fobes and 2,500 salmon was killed by toxics. Though we have toxic pollutions from time to time, we still have lots of fish in the river. Just ask people on the streets whether they fish or not at the river. We have 212 different species in the different river areas. 50 species aren’t be seen in any of the world.
• Rivers themselves are natural wetlands stretching 72,533km long. It’s beyond explanation. Anyone who has visited rivers can see.
• And lots of them are on the migratory routes for cranes, shorebirds, and other birds.
• Lots of migratory birds visit and live in the Korean wetlands; estuaries, rivers, shores, sandy & rocky areas, and wherever they feel safe to breed and feed. Nakdong river itself becomes habitats for 2~4,000 migratory cranes. And estuaries are perfect places for migratory shorebirds on the coastlines.
• To make living creatures flourish in the river, just let it be. And find out the place once river has run through and rehabilitate it.
  
  

Lee M.B administration make their plans known on

webpage and portal sites(http://blog.naver.com/mltm2008, http://blog.daum.net/mltm2008).
If you visit government(Ministry of Land, Transportation, and Maritime Affairs) homepage right now, you can see photos celebrating the launch of “Reviving 4 Rivers Project Team”.

Don’t be relieved that these pages are the only propagation sites for FOUR RIVER MANAGEMENT project. All the other ministries have their own websites and portal pages and blogs, too.

And even ex-politicians, who have joined Lee M.B. presidential election campaign but failed to join the National Assembly member, are actively moving to propel Canal Projects by establishing environmental NGO or institutes through the country. Though the secretary of the Bluehouse denies that they are not involved with those organizations, people knows that they prepare canal projects and propagate to help Mr. President.

So I’d like to get HELP from you and your friends about river, water, wetland management guidelines/information from overseas.

What you can help for SAVE RIVERS in S. Korea:

• If you have a good example of them, I would like to inform Korean people the better way or alternative to these BAD PROJECTS. If you have a bad and catastrophic example, let me know it to prevent Korean disaster.
• I’d like to share the real stories of Korean wetland management under this government, so that you can distribute and put the stories on your web and let it be published in/on any media. Just let me know where you have put these truth. (I have made a blog for English readers just now and it will be filled with true status of S. Korea and linked to informative websites.)
• If you have questions and more information on the blog, let us know to upload.
  And if you have a few seconds, click the followers on the blog page(right) for SAVE RIVERS campaign.
• If you have your own webpage and/or blog that you can receive and copy my news, let me know it on the blog or email.
• And please, distribute this news to the press or release to the readers who shall worry Endangered Wetlands/Rivers in Korea. Or forward us contacts that I and our team could release true stories of Korean wetlands.
• And if you find false stories or exaggerated news about canals and river management projects outside Korea, let me know ASAP.
  
  

Not long ago, you shall see a thorning cartoon by a famous cartoonist which shows the darkening future of Korean rivers. As soon as I translate scripts, I will put it this on the blog.


With best wishes,
Tzan