Forest Landscape Restoration - Working Group Workshop in Pyongyang

06/23/2017

On June 14, 2017, a workshop on forest landscape restoration took place in Pyongyang, co-organized by the Ministry of Land and Environment Planning (MoLEP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea. Transcending afforestation, forest landscape restoration is a more comprehensive way of looking at the rehabilitation of landscapes, including forests, water and non-forested areas. In North Korea, where after decades of deforestation currently a campaign for re-forestation is underways, this is very important. For example, many small waterways are completely lacking any tree cover, leading to evaporation of water as well as to uninhibited inflow of soil, i.e. erosion, and less clean water.

The representatives of the HSF Korea, the MoLEP, the EAAFP and the IUCN

Transcending afforestation, forest landscape restoration is a more comprehensive way of looking at the rehabilitation of landscapes, including forests, water and non-forested areas. In North Korea, where after decades of deforestation currently a campaign for re-forestation is underways, this is very important. For example, many small waterways are completely lacking any tree cover, leading to evaporation of water as well as to uninhibited inflow of soil, i.e. erosion, and less clean water.

Ho Myong-Hyok of MoLEP as well as Raphael Glemet of IUCN Asia office opened the workshop and outlined the scope of cooperation between MoLEP and IUCN in the field of forest conservation. Angela Joehl Cadena of the IUCN Asia office in the workshop introduced basic concepts of landscape restoration, the Bonn challenge (an international commitment on forest landscape restoration) and the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM). The presentations were followed by group discussions of case studies for North Korea, and a discussion of further steps of cooperation.

Hanns Seidel Foundation since 2007 works on sustainable forestry and afforestation with North Korea and since 2014 implements a project on improving the livelihood of people in rural areas through healthy forests. Forest landscape restoration is an important aspect of this work.

Back