The Korea Forest Service has embarked on restoring forest around the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea once covered an area of 6.8 million hectares and was the fourth biggest lake in the world. However, only 10 percent of the lake remains and it is considered one of the world's worst environmental disasters. Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan and venue for Expo 2017, is a desolate plain, and urgently needs reforestation.




The administration said on July 10 that it intends to restore forest in the Aral Sea basin, to build a "forest of friendship" in Astana, to send forest conservation specialists and to invite Kazakh and related Central Asian government employees to Korea for short-term training. With worsening environmental problems of late, Central Asian nations have a growing interest in forest restoration, and the Korea Forest Service signed forest conservation cooperation agreements with five Central Asian nations in 2013.

"Forest conservation cooperation between Korea and Central Asia will be a cornerstone to realize the Eurasia Initiative proposed by President Park Geun-hye," said a Korea Forest Service official.

Separately, Korea Forest Service Minister Shin Won-sop met Portuguese Minister of Agriculture and Sea Assunção Cristas on July 4, and shared technology to prevent and exterminate pine wilt disease, which has caused a lot of damage to forest in both Korea and Portugal.




Since the disease first occurred in Portugal in 1999, the Portuguese government has tried to eliminate all pine trees in affected areas and replace them with other trees. The same disease first came to Busan in 1988 and has resulted in the loss of some 7.82 million pine trees so far.

Despite ongoing efforts to prevent the disease, it continues to threaten the existence of pine trees. This has led to an urgency to research and develop new prevention and extermination methods. The two sides also agreed to expand their cooperation in forestation technology research, including the prevention and extermination of pine wilt disease.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr