○ Global industrialization and accelerating urban growth have led to the rapid shrinkage of natural spaces such as forests and wetlands, adversely affecting biodiversity including ecological and environmental assets. Furthermore, Korea’s increasing rate of urbanization (reported as 92% in 2020) has expanded residential, commercial, and industrial areas by two to three times over the past 30 years, while decreasing forest and agricultural areas. Jeonbuk State, in particular, is experiencing a drastic reduction in its ecological and environmental assets due to urban development and the creation of industrial complexes.
○ In response, and to combat ecological and environmental degradation from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, the international community has developed specific ecological environment restoration goals, while encouraging local communities to proactively join its initiatives. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) initiatives call for concerted efforts to restore ecosystems, and the Convention on Biological Diversity has presented its goal of restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. Additionally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is urging governments to halt and reverse degradation to achieve “Nature-Positive” and strengthen the Earth’s resilience. To keep pace with these global movements, Korea has embraced the concept of “green restoration” and is stepping up its efforts to promote ecological restoration projects in forests, oceans, wetlands, and settlements, and register ecological restoration priority areas as Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures.
○ Other, more advanced, countries are delivering tangible economic and social outcomes through green restoration activities, such as ecosystem recovery, ecotourism, job creation, and good reputation building. For example, in the U.S., New York City has transformed the Fresh Kills Landfill, covering 2,200 acres, into a place for ecological sciences and art projects. In the U.K., the Eden Project has converted an abandoned quarry into a botanical garden and park, attracting visitors and spreading garden culture. The Netherlands, meanwhile, designated land reclaimed in the 1960s as a citizen-proposed protection zone-the Oostvaardersplassen-to create grasslands for wildlife and an ecological trail, significantly contributing to ecotourism.
○ Returning to Korea, Jeonbuk State, as a special self-governing province, has declared its policy goal of preserving and restoring nature and prioritizing the sensible use of ecological resources. However, all the restoration projects have been pursued as secondary small-scale projects funded by the national budget (Ministry of Environment), with a focus only on restoring the ecological environment. Thus, these projects have failed to reflect Jeonbuk-specific ecological and environmental conditions, improve ecological connectivity, and create a ripple effect throughout the community.
○ Jeonbuk State’s restoration policies must go beyond narrowly defined ecological restoration to achieve broadly defined green restoration. To this end, Jeonbuk should pursue both ecological and environmental restoration, the creation of an ecological economy, and community recovery. Relevant action plans include dot-centered (small village-centered) restoration, line-centered restoration for inter-regional linkages, and plane-centered restoration for large-scale, wide-ranging, and convergent complex projects. Notably, priority must be given to areas such as Iksan Royal Palace where large-scale restoration of ecologically degraded areas could create considerable synergy between ecological continuity, the ecological economy, and community participation. The Jeonbuk government is, therefore, advised to increase green restoration support budgets and improve institutional systems to foster private sector participation.
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