Hanns Seidel Foundation’s Engagement in Nature Conservation on the Korean Peninsula and its Contribution to the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership

The German border area has been transformed since unification and what was referred to as the “Strip of Death” in the past, is known today as the “Green Belt.” Similarly, the demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula developed into somewhat of a safe haven for endangered animals and plants. This is of special importance for South Korea, whose rapid economic development left little room to the matter of nature conservation. German experiences were of great interest and were promoted in partnerships with border provinces and counties. This includes projects such as the participation in an environmental survey in the DMZ in 2005, or the implementation of a migratory birds surveys in border regions and the east coast of Korea since 2016.

Over the past decade, the engagement of Hanns Seidel Foundation in nature conservation on the Korean peninsula has expanded from South to North. Ever since the great famine in the early 1990s, North Korea has suffered from environmental problems, such as deforestation and the neglect of mechanisation of agriculture. Moreover, many relatively untouched areas, such as the coastal areas, are disturbed due to increasing exploitation by human hands. In cooperation with the North Korean Ministry for Land and Environment Protection, Hanns Seidel Foundation is working towards a stronger participation of North Korea in regional efforts for sustainable development in Northeast Asia, such as activities with the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands, as well as the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP). The latter is an ongoing effort since 2006 to protect migratory birds in their habitats and their routes, that lead from Australia and New Zealand in the South all the way to Siberia and Alaska in the North. To ensure effective nature conservation in North Korea, the first problem that must be approached is the estimation and registration of habitats, since there is still a lack of relevant data. Hanns Seidel Foundation is contributing to solve this particular problem by conducting environmental surveys in the Special Economic Zone in Rason (2014), in cooperation with the Northeast Asian Nature Conservation Program of UN-ESCAP.

In 2016, Hanns Seidel Foundation’s efforts have been commemorated by inviting the foundation to join the EAAFP as its 35th member. The membership was made official when the foundation was presented with the membership award at the biennale meeting of EAAFP that took place in Singapore 2017. As of 2006, the EAAFP, a “Type II Initiative” according to the World Summit for sustainable development, include 17 countries, among them the USA, Russia, South Korea and Japan, as well as international organisations, such as FAO and international NGOs, such as WWF and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and other partners (e.g. the city of Incheon, where the EAAFP administration office is located). At the 9th Meeting of Partners in Singapore, various working groups were formed to discuss topics, such as conservation of endangered species (many of these are birds that are characteristic for Korea, like the Manchurian crane or the black-faced spoonbill) and habitats (e.g. ecoregion Yellow Sea). The North Korean application for membership with the EAAFP is still pending, as of present. However, considering the urgency for development at the Chinese east coast and South Korea, further cooperation regarding nature conservation with North Korea remains an important challenge, since there are many resting grounds for migratory birds on the that need protection.