INCHEON, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Voices advocating conservation measures are growing as an endangered species has been discovered inhabiting an island in the western city of Incheon, which is scheduled for extensive development.
The Incheon branch of the environment activist group Green Korea United reported on Thursday the presence of milky fiddler crabs, a legally protected second-grade wildlife species that is endangered.
They were found in an area of 2,800 square meters in the southern coastal mudflats of Unyeom Island near the Yeongjong Bridge.
According to the organization, there are 10 to 20 milky fiddler crabs inhabiting each 1-meter by 1-meter area in the mudflat.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority has plans to develop a cultural and artistic space, as well as resort facilities, on a 197,707 square meter plot of land on the island.
This development is expected to be completed by 2027 through private investment. The estimated total cost of the project is 370 billion won (US$285 million).
Image Credit: Green Korea United / photonews@koreabizwire.com