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Birdingasia 10Cover 48 BirdingASIA 10 (2008): 48–53 CONSERVATION WATCH The Korean Grand Canal: another huge threat to the region’s wetlands and waterbirds NIAL MOORES Central to South Korea’s importance to bird decline in shorebird numbers in South Korea, and conservation are the country’s wetlands. Of the 22 an estimated c.20% decline in the global population globally threatened bird species that occur of the Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris since 2006 annually, 15 are waterbirds and 20 are typically (Rogers, Moores & Kim in prep. 2008). Several other found in wetlands or adjacent habitats. In recent internationally important intertidal wetlands are years, and most pertinently as South Korea prepares still threatened with reclamation in the near-future, to host the tenth Ramsar Convention conference including Song Do in Incheon and Aphae Do in in late 2008, there has been increasing public Shinan County. Moreover, the recently proposed awareness and government intent to conserve Korean Grand Canal project aims to canalise wetlands and wetland biodiversity. However there 3,134 km of the Korean peninsula’s rivers. Whilst remains, unsurprisingly, an obvious time-lag this massive infrastructure project has for now been between the old construction-driven development suspended (since early June 2008), it has yet to be policy and this more recent recognition of the cancelled. This article provides some background benefits of wetland conservation and sadly, the title information on South Korea’s rivers, and the huge of the article in OBC Bulletin 36, “Wetlands: Korea’s threats to avian biodiversity posed by this project most-threatened habitat” (Moores 2002) is as if it were resurrected and went ahead. appropriate now as then. Ongoing threats to South Korea is a highly developed, densely wetlands include the completion of the 33-km long populated, rather mountainous peninsula, a little Saemangeum seawall in 2006, impounding the under 100,000 km2 in area, lying between 38ºN– Yellow Sea’s most important known shorebird site 34ºN and 126ºE–130ºE. Mean temperatures range (Barter 2002). This has already led to a massive from -6º to +7ºC in January and +23º to +27ºC Plate 1. Stretch of Han River used by Scaly-sided Mergansers Mergus squamatus, January 2005. NIAL MOORES/BIRDS KOREA BirdingASIA 10 (2008) 49 Korean Grand Canal (Phase 1) Korean Grand Canal (later phases) IBAs affected by the Korean Grand Canal 1 Yu-do islet 2 Han-gang estuary 3 Han-gang river 4 Gumi Haepyeong 5 Upo swamp 6 Junam reservoir 7 Nakdong-gang estuary 8 Geum-gang river and estuary 9 Mangyeong estuary 10 Dongjin estuary 11 Yeongam-ho lake Figure 1. Map showing Phase 1 and later phases of the Korean Grand Canal, and the IBAs affected by the project. in August, with an average annual precipitation mergus also breeds locally (at least in the north- between 500 and 1,500 mm; two-thirds of this east), while Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis precipitation falls in the summer months (June– fuliginosa appears to be extending its range into September). Many rivers are shallow, frozen or South Korea. First recorded in Korea in 2006 even dry in winter. Human demands on existing (Moores et al. 2006), a pair nested in a river-bridge water resources are high throughout the year and in the south-east in 2007 (Birds Korea unpublished this has led to the construction of 18,000 reservoirs data). and dams (KOWACO 2004). Although the country is crisscrossed with small Widespread breeding species in rivers and streams and irrigation channels, there are only five adjacent habitats include Brown Dipper Cinclus major river systems: the Han in the north, flowing pallasii and Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea (on west through the capital Seoul, to the Yellow Sea; rocky higher stretches), Mandarin Duck Aix the Nakdong, flowing south and south-east through galericulata (on forest-fringed middle stretches), the major cities of Daegu and Busan, out into the and Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus and Korean Strait; the Geum and the Yeongsan in the Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis (on shingle-rich west and the Seomjin that flows south. All have lower stretches). Common Merganser Mergus large dams within their catchments, and three also 50 The Korean Grand Canal: another huge threat to the region’s wetlands and waterbirds Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus, out of an estimated world population of between only 1,000 and 2,500 (Wetlands International 2006). Sections of four out of five of these major rivers are therefore internationally important for waterbirds (as defined by the Ramsar Convention). They are also extremely important for other wildlife, including some 20 endemic fish species, several of which are confined to the catchment of the Han, and several others to the Nakdong (EHI 2008). Moreover, river water is widely and heavily used for human consumption, for industry and for agriculture (KOWACO 2004, EHI 2008). Clearly, NIAL MOORES/BIRDS KOREA Plate 2. Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus, Han River, South Korea’s rivers require management in January 2005. accordance with the obligations of national conservation laws and international conventions, have estuarine barrages. The Nakdong (506 km) is in line with national and international interest. the longest and has the most dams (308) within its Against this background of difficult topography, catchment, while the Han River is the largest in very seasonal water flows, biodiversity of terms of drainage area and annual runoff volume, international importance and present essential uses, accounting in both cases for approximately a the recent central government plan to construct a quarter of the national total (KOWACO 2004). nationwide system of shipping canals through the Sections of all five of these major rivers are or same river systems seems especially odd. The first were internationally important for birds, according stage alone, the Gyeongbu Canal, would require to count data published by the Ministry of the creation and maintenance of a 300 m wide, Environment (e.g. MOE 1999, 2004 and 2005) as 6 m deep, 553 km long canal along the course of well as by data gathered by NGOs. While recent the Han and Nakdong Rivers. While the lower reclamation in the estuary of the Seomjin River has stretches of the Han and the Nakdong are deeper greatly reduced its conservation importance, the and naturally wide, the mid- and upper-courses Han, Geum and Nakdong estuaries regularly are very shallow and narrow with little water flow support Swan Goose Anser cygnoides and Black- in winter, and linking the two would also require faced Spoonbill Platelea minor; stretches of the the construction of 75 km of waterway through Geum and Yeongsan upstream of their estuarine mountainous terrain. barrages regularly support much of the global Perhaps due to its grand vision, the Korean Baikal Teal Anas formosa population; a middle Grand Canal Project was initially a popular stretch of the Nakdong at Gumi supports several component of the national election campaign in thousand Hooded Crane Grus monacha during 2007. Proponents argued, and continue to argue, migration; and the Han and Nakdong (and major that the passage of 5,000 tonne ships “from sea to tributaries) annually support 30–50 over-wintering mountain to sea again” through the canal system Plate 3. Baikal Teal Anas formosa flock by day, Geum River, January 2007. BIRDS KOREA IMAGE LIBRARY BirdingASIA 10 (2008) 51 NIAL MOORES/BIRDS KOREA Plate 4. Baikal Teal Anas formosa by night, Geum River, December 2006. would be environmentally friendly, as it would peninsula. Although much of this project is reduce movement of freight by road and rail; while impossible without Unification, the second phase the construction of inland ports would boost local would greatly impact a further four or more IBAs economies. within South Korea alone, leading to the possible However, concerned at the obvious economic extinction of several fish and declines in several bird and environmental costs, a highly vocal and species of special conservation concern. A canal effective coalition of “Anti-Canal” groups, including would, for example, run through the Saemangeum religious leaders was formed in late 2007. Data reclamation area, preventing any possibility of highlighting numerous flaws in the economic maintenance of some tidal movement there, and arguments behind the project have been published, further increasing impacts on shorebird populations. whilst a basic assessment by Birds Korea in early The same canal would then run through the Geum 2008 indicates that at least seven of the listed River, dissecting reed-fringed areas that presently Important Bird Areas (IBAs), including an existing support huge concentrations of Baikal Teal each Ramsar site (Upo), would be impacted by the winter. Away from the main rivers, the majority of Gyeongbuk Canal project. The highly seasonal remaining habitat used by the rather shy and water flow and the nature of both rivers is such charismatic Scaly-sided Merganser would be lost. that deep dredging and creation of permanent The species typically winters on wider stretches of (concrete) channels would be necessary to allow undisturbed river, with small rapids and shallows year-round passage of commercial traffic. This for feeding, and rocks and logs for roosting would destroy the existing habitat used by species (Duckworth & Kim 2005). Human disturbance such as Long-billed Plover and Mandarin Duck. (adjacent construction work) has already more than Subsequent, even more ambitious phases of the halved the wintering populations in some remaining project envisage linking the Yeongsan and the Geum core areas (Park 2002). Rivers to a national canal network, eventually Thanks to the strong opposition, the support extending through the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) of the Korean public for the Grand Canal Project into the northern provinces of Korea. The completion has faded, and according to some sources, up to of this system (over 3,100 km in length) would allow 85% of the population are now opposed to it.
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