Songdo Tidal Flat in Incheon has been recently designated as Wetlands of International Importance. The headquarters of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands added the 6.11㎢-large Songdo Tidal Flat area to the Ramsar list, the Incheon Metropolitan Government said.
The tidal mudflat in Songdo is known as a habitat for some endangered birds that face extinction such as the black-face spoonbill (Platalea minor) and Saunders’s gull (Larus saundersi). Considering its importance in the ecosystem, people have raised voices to make a systematic preservation effort for the area. Currently, about 2,700 black-face spoonbills are known to exist in the world. Among them, nearly 300 live in Songdo Tidal Flat. Also, about 250 pairs of the existing 15,000 Saunders’s gulls nests are in Songdo.
The Incheon Metropolitan government designated Songdo Tidal Flat as a wetland protection zone in 2009 and pushed forward to earn the Ramsar Convention's wetlands designation.
Songdo became the 19th Ramsar Wetlands in Korea. In Korea, a total of 18 locations as large as 199,172 ㎢ in area were previously listed as Ramsar Wetlands. These areas include Bamseom Island on the Hangang River, Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat in Incheon, Seocheon Tidal Flat in Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province), Jeungdo Tidal Flat and Suncheon Bay in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province).
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr
The tidal mudflat in Songdo is known as a habitat for some endangered birds that face extinction such as the black-face spoonbill (Platalea minor) and Saunders’s gull (Larus saundersi). Considering its importance in the ecosystem, people have raised voices to make a systematic preservation effort for the area. Currently, about 2,700 black-face spoonbills are known to exist in the world. Among them, nearly 300 live in Songdo Tidal Flat. Also, about 250 pairs of the existing 15,000 Saunders’s gulls nests are in Songdo.
Black-face spoonbills in Songdo Tidal Flat. (photo courtesy of the Incheon Metropolitan Government)
Sonhgdo mud flat (photo courtesy of the Incheon Metropolitan Government)
The Incheon Metropolitan government designated Songdo Tidal Flat as a wetland protection zone in 2009 and pushed forward to earn the Ramsar Convention's wetlands designation.
Songdo became the 19th Ramsar Wetlands in Korea. In Korea, a total of 18 locations as large as 199,172 ㎢ in area were previously listed as Ramsar Wetlands. These areas include Bamseom Island on the Hangang River, Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat in Incheon, Seocheon Tidal Flat in Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province), Jeungdo Tidal Flat and Suncheon Bay in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province).
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok (right) receives the Ramsar Convention's Wetlands Certificate from Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Son Jaehak at a ceremony held in Songdo, Incheon, on July 10. (photo courtesy of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation)
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr
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