National Report of the Republic of Korea

Transcription

1 The 30th Session of the International Coordinating Council (ICC) of the MAB July 2018 National Report of the Republic of Korea Introduction 1. New nomination and extension of biosphere reserves 2. BR brand certification & marketing and local community-based ecotourism for the sustainable local economy 3. Good practice sharing and capacity building among BR stakeholders 4. Research activities Introduction The MAB National Committee of the Republic of Korea (ROK-MAB) is hosted by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of ROK. The ROK-MAB consists of officials of the ministr ies/agencies responsible for protected area management as well as natural and social experts, reflecting an inter-disciplinary membership princ iple as recommended by the Lima Action Plan (E2.1.). The Korea National Park Service (KNPS) under the MOE has acted as its secretariat since The ROK-MAB plans and operates activities overall in accordance with the ROK MAB Strategy and Action Plan ( ) and the National Guidelines for BR Criteria and Application, which reflect and contribute to implementing the Lima Action Plan (LAP). Five biosphere reserves (BRs) that are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are located in ROK: Mount Sorak (1982), Jeju Island (2002), Shinan Dadohae (2009), Gwangneung Forest (2010) and Gochang (2013). ROK delegation hopes that Suncheon will become the sixth biosphere reserve of ROK with the approval of this 30 th MAB-ICC.

2 Since the last MAB-ICC, ROK has made particular efforts to prepare the new nomination and extension of biosphere reserves, promotion of sustainable local economy in BRs, strengthening national legal and institutional system for biosphere reserves, in addition to ongoing activities of education including ESD (Education for Sustainable Development), BR public ity, support and cooperation for regional and thematic BR networks (East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network, World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves), etc. The progress of the major activities is introduced briefly in the following: 1. New nomination and extension of biosphere reserves A2.2 Ensure processes for selecting, designing, planning, and nominating BRs are open and participatory, involving all concerned stakeholders, taking into account local and indigenous practices, traditions and cultures, and based on sound science. While two new BR nominations are under preparation, the Jeju Island BR plans to apply for the extension to the whole Island. The nomination for extension reflects the interest of residents outside of the BR who want to be included in the BR, as well as the recommendation of the MAB-ICC made in 2002 when the Jeju Island was designated as BR. ROK-MAB has formed a working group and supported preparation of the nominations and extension in c lose cooperation w ith the concerned local governments and national agencies. The national process for preparation has been operated follow ing the National Guidelines for BR Criteria and Application developed in During the process of nominations and extension, it was found out that some nomination criteria and information needed to be revised or more specified, for instance, detailed information on zonation criteria, governance systems incorporating multiple management bodies, and capac ity building for draw ing up BR nomination form. In addition, ROK-MAB noted that the present BR nomination form is to be improved, such as providing guideline on the length of descriptions on each questions, and revision or integration of some questions for more clarity. ROK delegation hopes that such mentioned matters for improvement in terms of BR nomination w ill be included and discussed in the process of developing the Technical Guidelines for BRs. 2. BR brand certification & marketing and local community-based ecotourism for the sustainable local economy 2

3 A1.5. Promote green/sustainable/socia l economy initiatives inside BRs C7.2. Use the brand in products and services in line with national guidelines The sustainable local economy is one of priority objectives of ROK BRs. Toward the objective, projects of BR brand certification & marketing and local community-based ecotourism have been implemented on the mid- and long-term basis. Jeju Island BR and Gochang BR have been promoting actively their BR brands in accordance with the concerned local ordinance and guidelines. The number of participating companies and product items have been increasing, resulting in 46 items of 19 companies in Jeju Island BR and 101 items of 42 companies in Gochang BR as of the end of National and local governments have been supporting ecotour projects in BRs in order to promote local development and also raise residents ownership of valuable ecological and cultural resources in BRs. Several different types of ecotour projects are being implemented by local communities in BRs, such as villages around the Ungok Wetland in Gochang BR, which have been supported as one of national ecotour model sites by Ministry of Environment, an ecotour business in Shinan Dadohae BR set-up by local residents in a form of social cooperative, and the BR s Ecotour Villages in Jeju Island BR. The project of BR s Ecotour Villages in Jeju Island BR has been implemented for funded by the Jeju Provincial Government. In the two villages of Hareri and Jeojiri, model projects have been successfully developed by local communities with help of fulltime consultants, promoting not only economic benefits but also quality life and local culture of village people. Trekking programme along the valleys of an ephemeral stream in the BR Ecotour Village Hareri Jeju Mandarin picking programme in farms in the BR Ecotour Viallge Jeojiri 3

4 3. Good practice sharing and capacity building among BR stakeholders A4.4. Identify, and disseminate good practices for sustainable development, and identify and eliminate unsustainable practices in BRs B1.2. Organize regional education, capacity building and training programmes ROK session of the 7th training course of the East-Asia Biosphere Reserve Network (EABRN) ROK-MAB hosted a ROK session of the 7 th training course of the East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network (EABRN) on September 2017 in Gwangneung Forest BR and Mt. Sorak BR in cooperation with the UNESCO Beijing Office. Eleven participants from five countries joined presentations and field demonstration by professional staff of the National Arboretum and the National Park Service, field trips and discussions for mutual learning. The ROK session focused on the f ield-centered and hands-on activities regarding monitoring of plants and insects, control and management of diseases, and population restoration of endangered species such as long-tailed gorals, which were very positively appreciated by the participants. Annual national workshops for BR managers and stakeholders The annual national workshops for BR managers and stakeholders have been organized by ROK MAB as a useful mean for mutual exchange of information and experiences among BRs, discussion on common BR-related issues, and sharing of international and national MAB issues. During the workshop held in November 2017, the results of 29 th MAB ICC and MAB Youth Forum as well as reporting of the LAP implementation were particularly presented and discussed. Noting the high usefulness of the workshops in terms of sharing information and experiences and fac ilitating communication among the concerned of BRs and MAB, ROK MAB w ill organize the workshops twice a year from The first workshop of the year 2018 was held in April under the main theme of sustainable development of BR through partnership. 4

5 4. Research activities A1.1. Promote BRs as sites that actively contribute to achieving the SDGs A3.1 Recognise BRs in legislation, policies and/or programmes at national and/or subnational levels A3.2 Support effective governance and management structures in each BR A research on implementing strategies of the national protected areas for the UN SDGs was carried out in 2017 with the focus on national parks and biosphere reserves by the Korea National Park Service. Identifying the goals and targets of the SDGs related to protected areas directly or indir ectly, the research proposed the needed actions related to protected areas that can contribute to achieving SDGs. ROK MAB conducted in 2017 a small-scale policy study to reinforce the legal and institutional system on MAB and biosphere reserves in ROK. The study reviewed and compared the national legal and operational status of the five International Designated Areas (IDAs) that are in operation in ROK: BRs, Ramsar Sites, World Heritage, UNESCO Global Geoparks, and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage. Revealing that the legal, financial and governance systems of the BR need to be much more strengthened, the study proposed improvement measures to realize fully BR s great potential as model sites for local development based on conservation as well as a national and regional network for sharing good practices. Thank you! 5