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Korea’s Green Ribbon of Hope: Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)


The Korean Demilitarized Zone, a strip of land peppered with landmines and wrapped in barbed wire, is ironically a safe haven for the flora and fauna native to this region and the only place where my research subject, the Impatiens nolitangere, can survive. The thought of witnessing pristine nature helped me endure a series of intimidating and rigorous interrogative interviews verifying my identity. However, when I was finally allowed into this restricted zone, my excitement quickly turned into puzzlement. In the midst of mesmerizing greenery, there were several ugly man-made structures for growing ginseng. A local farmer had illegally taken advantage of the good soil and intensive security of the DMZ for his own financial gain. Baffled, I walked over to the ginseng field to get a better look, and witnessed the endangered Suweon tree frogs dead next to the black vinyl covering the ginseng plants. My heart sank and emotions heightened. The field barricaded the tree frogs from freely moving within their habitat.

Despite the ginseng field perniciously thwarting biodiversity, nature was fighting vigorously to protect itself. The lace shrubs, the sweet brier, and the little white flower growing on the edges of ginseng field reignited my impetus to save the earth. Thus, I started to research the ecological value of Demilitarized zone. Surveys starting in the 1990s have documented eighty-two rare and endangered species in areas within and around the DMZ and the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) that forms an additional protective barrier along the DMZ's southern edge. This survey was out of a total of 2,900 plant and animal species, which represent the majority of the all species in the peninsula (Eleana).

The 160-mile-long by 2.5-mile-wide DMZ's roughly 400 square miles shelter black bears, musk deer, spotted seals, lynx and the rare goat-like Amur goral. Scientists estimate that over 1,600 types of vascular plants and more than 300 species of mushrooms, fungi and lichen thrive in the DMZ. The region is also home to nearly 100 species of fish, perhaps 45 types of amphibians and reptiles, and more than 1,000 different insect species. Furthermore, the DMZ and CCZ ecosystems provide wintering grounds for two of the world's most endangered birds, the white-naped crane and the red-crowned crane, and numerous other endangered birds that make their homes here. The CCZ mammal fauna consists of 51 species, which represent 67% of Korean fauna (Kim 1997). Al Jazeera reported that Siberian or Amur tigers may prowl the DMZ though they disappeared from Korea before World War II. Up to 67 percent of all plant and animal species found in Korea live in and around the DMZ. The DMZ owes its varied biodiversity to its geography, which crosses mountains, prairies, swamps, lakes and tidal marshes (Brady 2012).

Seung-ho Kim, director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute, said its condition was becoming urgent: "Unfortunately there are a lot of development projects around the demilitarized zone (DMZ). It is endangered. Because Korea’s Demilitarized zone is directly connected to both river and sea, it is transitional zone. Thus various kinds of wetland can be created, which is why we should designate the border area as ecology preservation special area for the proper development of Demilitarized zone biodiversity" ChiYong An, his colleague, added: "Policymakers are not aware of the speed of destruction of the DMZ.

Environmentalists hope that the DMZ will be conserved as a wildlife refuge, with a well-developed set of objective and management plans in place. Solutions include the creation of a series of dedicated conservation areas in and along the DMZ, the development of ecotourism and educational zones and attaining World Heritage Site designation through UNESCO.

Among the leading associations to protect the Demilitarized Zone, and one of the first organized for the purpose, is the DMZ Forum, a nonprofit, internationally recognized NGO. Founded in 1997 by Seung-ho Lee and K. C. Kim, now director emeritus of Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Biodiversity Research, the DMZ Forum’s mission is “to support conservation of the unique biological and cultural resources of Korea’s Demilitarized Zone, transforming it from a symbol of war and separation to a place of peace among humans and between humans and nature.” The DMZ Forum holds annual conferences to educate the public about the history and ecological importance of the DMZ and to promote its goal of permanent conservation of the area’s natural and cultural resources.

Currently, the DMZ Forum is partnering with a number of foundations and organizations to support reforestation efforts in North Korea led by Kim Ho-Jin, dean of the College of Forestry at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Kim has been engaged in reforestation efforts throughout North Korea, with particular attention to the nation’s mountainous areas, which are especially vulnerable to erosion. Though his recent plantings have been in the DPRK’s northeastern sector, Kim hopes to begin planting saplings in the Panmunjom area and elsewhere along the DMZ in order to further protect the ecosystems there from erosion and biodiversity loss.

From the dichotomy between my theory of biodiversity in DMZ and the reality I witnessed from the preservation of the DMZ, I realized that when finding solutions to environmental problems, the human factor must be considered. The presence of humans in a scientific inquiry means having to consider countless number of variables. Simply gathering facts and understanding scientific issues in Demilitarized Zone is not enough. Thus, I must understand what the values of our society and culture are, and define socially just solution based on these immeasurable qualities that make up this world. Science alone can provide many outputs, and these will lead to an outcome. However, science must be married with the study of society in order to have impact. The world is more than a nicely written equation derived under highly controlled environment, and thus, limitation of science must be recognized and supplemented.

Development which harms the biodiversity is still going on in the middle of Demilitarized Zone, but I now know to supplement my scientific knowledge with the understanding of the human society. Watch out ginseng fields, because I'm getting ready for becoming eco-warrior to protect DMZ!

 

Works Cited

Brady, Lisa. "How Wildlife Is Thriving in the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Azios, Tony. "Korean Demilitarized Zone Now a Wildlife Haven." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2008. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Harvey, Fiona. "Wildlife Haven in the Korean DMZ under Threat." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 06 Sept. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Kim, By Ke Chung, and Science10 Oct 1997 : 242-243. "Preserving Biodiversity in Korea's Demilitarized Zone." Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.


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