A wetland around Monmulkak, Dongbaek Village. (image: Yonhap)
JEJU, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The small town of Jocheon-eup on Jeju Island that holds the Dongbaek-dongsan wetlands has been accredited as a Wetland City under the Ramsar Convention.
The Ministry of Environment and Jeju City announced on Thursday that Jeju City’s Jocheon-eup, along with the South Korean towns of Suncheon, Changnyeong-gun, and Inje-gun, were accredited as Wetland Cities at the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The accreditation allows selectees to use the Ramsar logo for six years, after which cities can qualify for an extension following re-accreditation.
The internationally-acclaimed Ramsar brand can be used to promote local eco-friendly agricultural products and stimulate ecotourism.
It will also ensure state support to maintain accreditation by building facilities to maintain the wetlands as well as infrastructure for ecotourism.
“Following three UNESCO accreditations, Ramsar marks Jeju’s fourth title as the island of eco-treasures,” Jeju City said in a statement.
“It is a result of our citizens, environmental organizations, and the administration working together.”
The Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention is conducted every three years to select cities and towns making robust effort to protect their wetlands.
This system was first suggested jointly by South Korea and Tunisia in 2011, and was adopted in 2015 at the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands held in Uruguay.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
