An egret nests in a wild tree that has been cut down near Hyoja Market in Nam-gu, Pohang-si, North Gyeongsang Province. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jun. 4 (Korea Bizwire) –A Greenpeace investigation has revealed that parts of the Baekdudaegan protected areas, a crucial ecological corridor on the Korean Peninsula, are being deforested for commercial forestry plantations.
In a report titled “Unprotected Protected Areas,” released ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, Greenpeace found that 74,947 hectares of South Korea’s protected areas overlap with designated commercial forestry zones. This area is equivalent to 1.2 times the total size of Seoul.
Commercial forestry zones are established to supply timber, with the Korea Forest Service designating these areas for tree planting and subsequent harvesting for wood production.
Protected areas, on the other hand, are designated to minimize ecosystem destruction caused by human development activities, encompassing renowned sites such as Seoraksan and Jirisan mountains.
Greenpeace has criticized the encroachment of commercial forestry into protected areas, leading to the clearing of forests within these designated conservation zones.
During a visit to Minjujisan, one of the Baekdudaegan protected areas, in April, Greenpeace found that 11 sites, ranging from buffer zones to core areas, had been designated as commercial forests and subsequently deforested.
Greenpeace pointed out that the current legal framework lacks clear definitions for “commercial forests” and “protected areas,” allowing commercial forestry development to occur within protected zones.
While protected areas are managed under ten different laws, including the Natural Environment Conservation Act and the Natural Parks Act, which prohibit deforestation in certain cases, numerous exceptions make it challenging to prevent such activities effectively.
Pukyong National University law professor Park Jong-won, who contributed to the report, stated, “The Baekdudaegan Protection Act only lists prohibited activities within protected areas but does not include tree felling.”
Choi Tae-young, a biodiversity campaigner at Greenpeace, said, “Development activities in protected areas lead to the destruction of wildlife habitats and carbon sinks, undermining the sustainability of forests.”
He urged the Korea Forest Service to revoke commercial forestry zones within protected areas and called on the Ministry of Environment to manage protected areas according to international guidelines set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
