An aerial view of South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo in the East Sea. (image: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage)
SEOUL, April 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Dokdo, South Korea’s easternmost islets, is like a treasure trove of endangered animals, such as hawks and seals, the government agency said Tuesday.
The National Institute of Biological Resources, which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, conducted a five-year project to build a database for 2046 endangered animals living on Dokdo, located 220 kilometers east of the Korean Peninsula.
The institute, in order to make recent publication on Dokdo’s fauna and flora, reviewed literature materials and made a site investigation. It also built a list on species living on Dokdo.
On the list were species found first on Dokdo, and recognized as new species in academic circles.
Newly recognized species include, Goniopsyllus dokdonensis, Prochaetosoma dokdoense and Smenospongia dokdoensis.
Living organisms on Dokdo include 123 species of plants, 387 types of marine algae, 40 types of microalgae and 193 species of insects.
Familiar animals such as sea lions and five other mammals as well as 193 species of birds such as kestrels also stand out.
The newly established list includes an additional 624 species, along with 1422 species from the 2015 “Dokdo Species List,” published by the institute. Of them, 360 were revealed through on-site inspections.
The list contains information about the wildlife on Dokdo to preserve and manage biological resources, and is expected to be used as basic data when crafting policy.
Endangered wildlife on Dokdo includes hawks, seals, owls among a total of 19 different species.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
