World Wetlands Day is held on February 2nd to annually celebrate the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. This day also aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet.
On November 26th, Hwaseong City hosted the 2021 International Symposium for Hwaseong Wetlands. This event was made possible by the joint effort of the Hwaseong Eco Foundation, EAAFP, Birds Korea, the Hwaseong Environmental Movement Association, the Korean Ministry of Environment, the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration, and the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea. Representatives of numerous environmental organizations and NGOs, national and international experts, site managers, government officials, and members of the local communities presented their insights in person and online in the four main sessions of the symposium. Its main theme of “connection” was omnipresent throughout the various presentations and discussions.
On August 31st 2021 the commemorative webinar for the recognition of Suncheonman Bay as a World Heritage Site was held in the Suncheon International Wetland Center. Through this event, experts from different fields could discuss the future preservation of the Suncheonman Tidal flats.
The DPRK Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection (MoLEP) has published the photobook about ‘Wetlands of Rason.’ This book contains photos of migratory birds, biodiversity, and the wetland ecosystem of Rason. Dr. Bernhard Seliger, representative of HSF Korea contributed to the publication.
On 27th May, the EAAFP Secretariat, IUCN, and Ramsar Regional Center- East Asia have co-hosted a webinar on the “Development of a Joint Inventory of the Status of Migratory Birds in the West/Yellow Sea.” Dr. Bernhard Seliger, the representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea shared a presentation about the conservation status for migratory birds and an introduction on monitoring approaches in North Korea.