DMZ Coalition
Newsletter #2-June 1, 2007
Editor: Bill Shore

Vision: A peaceful Korean peninsula with its Demilitarized Zone's biological and cultural resources preserved for future generations, enriching the environments of both nations.

Objectives: To preserve the cultural and biodiversity assets of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and surrounding areas in North and South Korea through creation of a transboundary peace and nature park, with protected areas. This goal is a focal point to: (1) overcome hostilities on the Korean Peninsula , (2) protect ecological integrity, and (3) develop sustainable eco-tourism and related ecosystem services.

The purpose of the DMZ Coalition monthly newsletter is to inform individuals and organizations about activities occurring in Korea and around the world that have potential impact on preservation of the rich and unique biological and cultural resources of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The Coalition welcomes input to this newsletter.

Current Activities:

On June 4, the DMZ Forum is co-sponsoring with the Korean Environmental Institute (KEI), a government research organization, a scientific conference on the DMZ, as part of the annual conference of the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA) . It was principally organized by DMZ Forum Chair Dr. Ke Chung Kim with KEI.

During the visit to Seoul, Coalition members Michael Finley, President of the Turner Foundation, and DMZ Forum officers Hall Healy and Seung-ho Lee will meet with South Korea's Unification Minister , Lee, Jae Joung , and, with Ke Chung Kim, will meet with representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM, South Korea's largest conservation NGO), and other NGOs and government representatives.

The Korea Society Annual Dinner on May 15 featured United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He outlined his agenda for the UN. He said he was "optimistic" about the potential for a successful outcome to the 6 party talks. He said to DMZ Forum representatives Bill Shore , Seung-ho Lee and Hall Healy that he felt the effort to preserve the DMZ's biological and cultural resources was "noble work". They also met U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, chief U.S. negotiator for the 6 party talks.

Current Events:

A Plan for the DMZ is Being Prepared. Gyeonggi Province , in South Korea just south of the DMZ on the west, has initiated work on a plan to establish a DMZ Peace Park . Dr. Eun-Jin Park , a Ph.D. with the Gyeonggi Research Institute, wrote to Ke Chung Kim:

"We just started the project for a masterplan of  DMZ Park , which will go on until July next year. Gyeonggi-Do wants to take real action to establish DMZ Peace Park for DMZ ecosystem conservation and sustainable development including eco-tourism in its buffer areas...I believe that...[the DMZ Forum June 4 meeting] will be a really good opportunity for me to make connections with international scientists and others who are interested in the DMZ."

Among the June 4 speakers who might contribute to a DMZ Plan will be:

Ms Anna Grichting, director of a Peace Parks project, "Korea DMZ workshop,"at the Harvard School of Design. She has several graduate students eager to work on a DMZ Plan. Another prospective contributor to the Plan is John Mickelson, a landscape ecologist and biogeographer of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University , and NASA SocioEconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) . He will speak on June 4 about Ecological Assessment and Habitat Classification of the Korean Demilitarized Zone Corridor: A Geospatial Approach.

Birds on the Korean Peninsula .   On April 13, the Korean Times wrote that South Korea and China had recently signed an agreement to protect birds migrating between the two countries -- the third such agreement for Korea , following others with Russia (1994) and Australia (2006).  The agreement lists 337 species; bans hunting, capturing, killing or selling them; and calls for protection of their "habitats and environs necessary for the birds' survival." 

On the other hand, BBC.com, reported on 12 May 2007 that t ens of thousands of migratory birds are facing starvation in South Korea , as indicated by the UK-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It says that the Saemangeum wetlands reclamation project has destroyed key wetlands used by the birds on their way from Asia to their breeding grounds in the Arctic . Without the food at these east coast wetlands, many of the birds will not survive the journey. Two endangered species of wading birds, Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshanks, of which there are believed to be fewer than 1,000 left in the wild, may face extinction due to destruction of the wetlands, which has been an important feeding ground for about 400,000 birds migrating between Asia , Alaska and Russia . (Submitted by Ken Kaliher, from Tom Coyner)

Rare Birds Fly in Migrant Reserve . Pyongyang , January 4 (KCNA) -- More and more rare birds inhabit the Mundok Migrant Reserve on the western coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea . There is a vast tidal flat on the lower Chongchon River
flowing into the West Sea of Korea. According to available data, more than 180 species of birds, of which over 150 species are migrants, live in the vicinity. The number of birds is approximately 50,000 and increases annually. World-wide efforts have been made to protect the ecosystem. Ten years ago, the DPRK government established the area as a migratory reserve. Several plans for protection and management of the reserve have
been developed, and a biodiversity survey system was created. The reserve is inhabited by the threatened Black-faced Spoonbill, Manchurian Crane, White-fronted Goose, White Stork and Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The Mundok Migratory Reserve group is managed in association with the Oriental Bird Club. For more information, please visit www.orientalbirdclub.org (Submitted by Michael Rank)

Avian Flu . Pyongyang has released a new postage stamp in recognition that avian influenza is an urgent international problem. The stamp's top right-hand corner reads "Preventing Avian Influenza". It depicts a public health worker spraying what appears to be a disinfectant. The DPRK and Red Cross flags pictured on the stamp indicate that Pyongyang is part of an international solution to this global problem ( Choso'n Sinbo , May 1). (Submitted by Peter Hayes, Nautilus Institute)

Wetlands protection . Korea Times , April 11, carried a photo and five-line caption reporting that HSBC Korea and the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) have agreed to cooperate on projects to protect South Korea 's wetlands, including education programs for ordinary citizens to become "wetland professionals". (Submitted by Michael Rank)

Rail Links . .In April, trains crossed the DMZ and border between North and South Korea at both ends of the Peninsula for the first time in 56 years. No train had crossed the border since the last ones carried refugees and wounded soldiers into South Korea in 1951. While billed as 'test runs,' according to an article in the Chicago Tribune , Unification Minister Lee, Jae Joung said, "These are not just test runs. They mean reconnecting the severed bloodline of the Korean nation...the trains carry our dream of peace."

DPRK Missile Firings . The DPRK conducted a test of several short-range missiles on May 25. As reported in a Wall Street Journal article on May 26, the action "drew a muted reaction from the countries trying to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons..." U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was quoted: North Korea "continues to signal to us privately and publicly" that it will shut down its atomic-power plant..."

Wildlife Conservation Society . The Wall Street Journal carried an article on May 31 describing WCS's activities, philosophy and "Gateway to Conservation, which someday might assist Coalition work in the DMZ. WCS CEO Steve Sanderson, a member of the DMZ Coalition, was reported as saying: "Human history is largely written in the successful interaction between humans and wildlife...a great part of our job is to impart to them (citizens) feelings about the wild the people have felt throughout history. The challenge is to get people to care... It's a desperate situation out there in the wild, but ours is not a message of despair."

Coalition Members: Attachment #1 contains a list of current DMZ Coalition members. Please feel free to suggest additional members that you believe can help us achieve the Coalition's vision and objectives.

Contacts:

•  Hall Healy-The DMZ Forum, Inc.
-847-373-7770; hallhealy@aol.com

•  Fred Carriere-The Korea Society
-212-612-7281; fred.ny@koreasociety.org

•  Mike Finley-Turner Foundation
-404-522-4798; mikef@turnerfoundation.org

Collaboration is Key to Our Success! Thank You!

Comments: Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please confirm that information about you is accurate and address comments to:
Bill Shore-914-922-1542; bshore@kohudres.kendal.org