Three major national parks -- Jirisan, Seoraksan and Odaesan mountains -- have been included on the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas, as the level of protection, conservation and management at these parks has been internationally acknowledged.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) decided to name Jirisan, Seoraksan and Odaesan mountains on its inaugural Green List of Protected Areas at the recent sixth IUCN Worlds Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, the Ministry of Environment announced on December 20. The list includes 23 reserves in eight nations, including Korea, Spain, Italy and Australia.





IUCN Green List of Protected Areas certification was adopted at the World Conservation Congress (WCC) in 2012 to give international recognition to protected areas around the world that successfully meet their conservation goals and in order to raise the standard of conservation in protected areas.

To be certified on the Green List, the protected areas need to receive high marks across some 80 indexes related to the overall conservation and management of protected areas including the protection of nature, social and economic contributions and safe exploration services.

To promote this certification, the IUCN chose Korea as its Asian partner in 2012 and has also been cooperating with Spain, Italy, Australia and France.





Jirisan, Seoraksan and Odaesan mountains were registered on the Green List of Protected Areas because they are part of the Baekdudaegan conservation areas, the backbone mountain range of the Korean Peninsula. They also support a level of biodiversity, nature protection and safe exploration that allows them to achieve a good balance between the conservation of nature and its utilization.

The IUCN acknowledged that there have been efforts to revive the Asiatic black bear population over the past 10 years on Jirisan Mountain, the first modern national park in Korea and the largest national park in the country.

The IUCN also recognized the fact that Seoraksan Mountain, one of the biggest forests in the middle of the Korean Peninsula, has been designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and that its scenic nature is well preserved. Odaesan Mountain, located in the middle of the Baekdudaegan range, is known for its scenic beauty along the Sogeumgang River.



"Korea's systematic efforts to protect national parks have been recognized internationally and Korea is going to become more trusted internationally in terms of environmental protection," said an official from the Korea National Park Service.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the Korea National Park Service
jun2@korea.kr