Hello All
Just passing this on, hoping someone out there can send letters of
support to help save this superb place.
Cheers
Richard
>-----Original Message-----
>From: kimchy [SMTP:
>Sent: Monday, June 08, 1998 4:23 PM
>To:
>Subject: sunchonbay korea
>
>Sunchon Bay - please help us to help save this bay.
>
>Sunchon Bay (approximately 34 Deg 50'N,127 Deg 30'E) on the south coast
of
South Korea is an outstandingly beautiful and extensive tidal wetland,
containing marine areas, shallows and more than 5,000 hectares of tidal
-flat, along with xtensive beds of reed, saltmarsh and a fringe of rice
fields and hills.
>The Bay is internationally important for at least 5 species of
shorebird,
with maxima counts this spring of
>Dunlin Calidris alpina 9300 April 14/15 (7% of present estimated
subspecies total)
>Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 478 May 16-17 (1% of present
estimated flyway total)
>Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes 429 May 16-17 (1-2% of
present
estimated world total)
>Ruddy Turnstone Xenus cinereus 1,046 May 16-17 (3% of present
estimated flyway total)
>Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 528 May 16-17 (1% of present
estimated subspecies total)
>
>
>It also supports near 1,000 Saunders's Gulls Larus saundersi in winter
(some 10-20% of the World's total, and possibly the world's largest
wintering concentration of this endangered species), and Asia's largest
concentration of Eurasian Shelduck Tadorna tadorna (over 11,000), as
well as
South Korea's only remaining wintering flock of Hooded Crane Grus
monacha -
yet another species of special conservation concern, this one found at
less
than 10 sites worldwide in winter.
>Sunchon Bay clearly meets Ramsar criteria for identification and
protection
as a wetland of international importance.
>The species' diversity and abundance is indicative of the wetlands'
enormous productivity and the quality of the remaining habitat. It is
the
only major bay remaining in South Korea with a largely unaltered river
mouth
and extensive beds of coastal reed and large saltmarsh.
>However, as typical of many sites in South Korea (a nation that became
a
Ramsar signatory only last year) there are plans to reclaim. The new
mayor,
elected on June 4 this year, has declared his intention to
>1) remove the reedbeds;
>2) extract sand for construction from the river and perhaps the
estuary;
>3) alter the natural river course.
>
>The same Mayor has apparently also considered a plan calling for the
reclamation of much (all?) of the Bay.
>Korean environmentalists, as elsehere, are struggling aginst a host of
problems. They lack the financial support or legal system that would
allow
them to challenge such projects effectively. As with many other
countries,
international support is essential if local and national NGO's are to be
able to persuade the Mayor to change his plans before yet another
beautiful
Bay, with all its values, is lost to the world.
>Please spend a few minutes writing letters of concern about the Bay, to
show to media and to the Mayor, and also posting this letter to your
contacts. South Korea is very sensitive to international pressure, and
the
environmental movement has had few opportunities to benefit from the
involvement of the international community. Your letters will make a
difference here.
>Please send by e-mail to
>Nial Moores and Kim Choony shi (KFEM international co-ordinator) at
><< >>
>or Prof. Park Ky Young (Assoc. Prof of Biology, Sunchon University
><< >>
>or send by post ASAP to
>Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM)
>Wetlands Network
>251 Nooha Dong
>Chongno Ku
>Seoul
>Korea T110-042
>
>Thank you in advance for your help and time,
>Sincerely,
>
>Nial Moores(Korean NGO's for Ramsar)
>
>
>
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