Overview of the environment of South Korea
The
environment of South Korea
is the
natural environment
of
South Korea
, which occupies the southern half of the
Korean peninsula
. Environment - current issues: air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; acid rain; drift net fishing.
Forests were cleared over many centuries for use as firewood and as building materials. However, they have rebounded since the 1970s as a result of intensive
reforestation
efforts. The country's few remaining old-growth forests are protected in nature reserves. South Korea also has twenty
national parks
. One of the world's most interesting wildlife sanctuaries has developed in the
DMZ
, having been virtually untouched since 1953. The uninhabited zone has become a haven for many kinds of wildlife, particularly migrating birds.
Natural environment
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Large mammals such as tigers, bears, and lynx were once abundant throughout the Korean peninsula. However, they have virtually disappeared due to human settlement, loss of forest habitat, and over-hunting. The
Siberian tiger
has not been sighted in South Korea since the 1920s. Bears and Wildcats can still be found in the more remote areas, such as
Jiri-san
and
Seorak-san
. South Korea also has several indigenous species of deer, including the
roe deer
and the
Siberian musk deer
. Wild boars have been growing common in recent years, thanks to reduced hunting pressure.
The national flower of South Korea is the
Hibiscus syriacus
, a species of
hibiscus
that blooms continually from July through October. In South Korea, it is known as
mugunghwa
(無窮花), meaning "eternal flower". The unofficial national animal is the Tiger, for the peninsula seems like a tiger in a point of view. The unofficial national bird is the
Korean magpie
, which was chosen in 1964 through a poll organized by the
Hankook Ilbo
.
[1]
Environmental issues
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There are multiple places in South Korea that have erosion. The main places that have erosion in South Korea are in the forests such as Poti Forest, which is known for its soil erosion.
Global climate change
[
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]
Climate change
has led to
extreme weather
events in
South Korea
that affects: social, economy, industry, culture, and many other sectors.
[2]
South Korea is experiencing changes in climate parameters. Such parameters include annual temperature, rainfall amounts, and precipitation.
[3]
Air pollution
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]
According to the
Environmental Performance Index
2016, South Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of air quality. More than 50 percent of the population of South Korea is exposed to dangerous levels of
fine dust
.
[4]
[5]
In March 2019, after record-high concentrations of PM 2.5 particles were observed, exposing residents to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, the South Korean government passed emergency legislation in an attempt to reduce the ongoing pollution.
[6]
Forests and erosion
[
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]
Over the centuries, Korea's inhabitants have cut down most of the ancient Korean forests, with the exception of a few remote, mountainous areas. The disappearance of the forests has been a major cause of
soil erosion
and
flooding
. Because of successful
reforestation
programs and the declining use of firewood as a source of energy since the 1960s, most of South Korea's hills in the 1980s were amply covered with foliage.
North Korean dam
[
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]
News that
North Korea
was constructing a huge multipurpose dam at the base of
Mount Kuomintang
(1,638 meters) north of the
DMZ
caused considerable consternation in South Korea during the mid-1980s . South Korean authorities feared that once completed, a sudden release of the dam's waters into the
Han River
during north?south hostilities could flood
Seoul
and paralyze the capital.
During 1987, the Kuomintang-San Dam was a major issue that Seoul sought to raise in talks with
Pyongyang
. Though Seoul completed the
Peace Dam
on the
Bu khan River
to counteract the potential threat of Pyongyang's dam project before the
1988 Olympics
, the North Korean project apparently still was in its initial stages of construction in 1990. Construction was suspended on the dam until 1995. The second phase of construction was completed in October 2000.
Animal welfare and rights
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South Korea's animal welfare laws are weak by international standards,
[7]
and ethical
vegetarianism
and
veganism
appear to be rare.
[8]
[9]
There is a handful of animal welfare and rights organisations working in South Korea, which appear to be focused largely on the welfare of companion animals and the
dog meat
trade.
[10]
[11]
Other issues
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]
City
sewer
systems are overtaxed.
[12]
Other issues include
water pollution
from sewer discharge and industrial effluents,
acid rain
,
drift net
fishing, and wasteful packaging of consumer goods.
[13]
Transboundary
pollution
concerns spurred the creation of a
joint commission
among South Korea, Japan, and China to address environmental problems. South Korea is the second-largest consumer of
ozone
-depleting
chlorofluorocarbons
.
[14]
South Korea had a 2018
Forest Landscape Integrity Index
mean score of 6.02/10, ranking it 87th globally out of 172 countries.
[15]
See also
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References
[
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]
- ^
박건영 (2006-12-01).
"골칫거리된 까치"
.
Kyeongin Ilbo
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-08-03
. Retrieved
2006-01-20
.
- ^
Kim, B-J; Kripalani, R H; Oh, J-H; Moon, S-E (2002). "Summer monsoon rainfall patterns over South Korea and associated circulation features".
Theor. Appl. Climatol
.
72
(1?2): 65?74.
Bibcode
:
2002ThApC..72...65K
.
doi
:
10.1007/s007040200013
.
S2CID
123293181
.
- ^
Chung, Yong-Seung; Yoon, Ma-Byung; Kim, Hak-Sung (2004). "On Climate Variations and Changes Observed in South Korea".
Climatic Change
.
66
(1?2): 151?161.
doi
:
10.1023/B:CLIM.0000043141.54763.f8
.
S2CID
155047946
.
- ^
"South Korea near bottom of world survey of air quality"
.
The Korea Herald
. May 16, 2016.
South Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of air quality, the Environmental Performance Index 2016 rankings showed Monday. ... A report said that 1.3 billion people exposed to poor air quality lived in East Asian countries, with more than 50 percent of the populations in South Korea and China exposed to dangerous levels of fine dust.
- ^
"South Korea | Environmental Performance Index - Development"
.
epi.yale.edu
. Archived from
the original
on 2017-05-07
. Retrieved
2017-05-04
.
- ^
McCurry, Justin (13 March 2019).
"
'Social disaster': South Korea brings in emergency laws to tackle dust pollution"
.
Theguardian.com
. Retrieved
13 March
2019
.
- ^
World Animal Protection (November 2, 2014).
"Korea"
. Retrieved
May 8,
2016
.
- ^
Jon Dunbar (October 11, 2012).
"Going vegetarian in Korea"
. Retrieved
May 9,
2016
.
- ^
Hannah Bae (June 30, 2011).
"Best 7 restaurants for the Seoul herbivore"
. Retrieved
May 9,
2016
.
- ^
"The South Korean Animal Welfare Movement Takes Root"
. November 10, 2008
. Retrieved
May 8,
2016
.
- ^
Elizabeth Shim (September 8, 2015).
"New attitudes toward dogs and meat drive animal activism in South Korea"
. Retrieved
May 10,
2016
.
- ^
"公共下水道施設 使用 않는 住民에게도 下水道 料金 賦課하는 잘못된 慣行 改善된다"
.
大韓民國 政策브리핑
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2022-09-25
.
- ^
"原因 < 環境汚染 < 環境觀 < 민물고기硏究센터 < 海洋水産 메인"
.
www.gb.go.kr
. Retrieved
2022-09-25
.
- ^
"About this Collection - Country Studies"
(PDF)
.
Lcweb2.loc.gov
. Retrieved
16 March
2018
.
- ^
Grantham, H. S.; Duncan, A.; Evans, T. D.; Jones, K. R.; Beyer, H. L.; Schuster, R.; Walston, J.; Ray, J. C.; Robinson, J. G.; Callow, M.; Clements, T.; Costa, H. M.; DeGemmis, A.; Elsen, P. R.; Ervin, J.; Franco, P.; Goldman, E.; Goetz, S.; Hansen, A.; Hofsvang, E.; Jantz, P.; Jupiter, S.; Kang, A.; Langhammer, P.; Laurance, W. F.; Lieberman, S.; Linkie, M.; Malhi, Y.; Maxwell, S.; Mendez, M.; Mittermeier, R.; Murray, N. J.; Possingham, H.; Radachowsky, J.; Saatchi, S.; Samper, C.; Silverman, J.; Shapiro, A.; Strassburg, B.; Stevens, T.; Stokes, E.; Taylor, R.; Tear, T.; Tizard, R.; Venter, O.; Visconti, P.; Wang, S.; Watson, J. E. M. (2020).
"Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material"
.
Nature Communications
.
11
(1): 5978.
doi
:
10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3
.
ISSN
2041-1723
.
PMC
7723057
.
PMID
33293507
.
External links
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