 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Environment of South Korea" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Theenvironment of South Korea is thenatural environment ofSouth Korea, which occupies the southern half of theKorean peninsula. Current issues includeair pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; acid rain; drift net fishing.
Forests were cleared over many centuries for use as firewood and as building materials. However, they have rebounded since the 1970s as a result of intensivereforestation efforts. The country's few remaining old-growth forests are protected in nature reserves. South Korea also has twentynational parks. One of the world's most interesting wildlife sanctuaries has developed in theDMZ, having been virtually untouched since 1953. The uninhabited zone has become a haven for many kinds of wildlife, particularly migrating birds.
Large mammals such as tigers, bears, and lynx were once abundant throughout the Korean peninsula. However, they have virtually disappeared due to human settlement, loss of forest habitat, and over-hunting. TheSiberian tiger has not been sighted in South Korea since the 1920s. Bears and Wildcats can still be found in the more remote areas, such asJiri-san andSeorak-san. South Korea also has several indigenous species of deer, including theroe deer and theSiberian musk deer. Wild boars have been growing common in recent years, thanks to reduced hunting pressure.
The national flower of South Korea is theHibiscus syriacus, a species ofhibiscus that blooms continually from July through October. In South Korea, it is known asmugunghwa (무궁화), meaning "eternal flower". The unofficial national animal is the Tiger, for the peninsula seems like a tiger in a point of view. The unofficial national bird is theKorean magpie, which was chosen in 1964 through a poll organized by theHankook Ilbo.[1]
There are multiple places in South Korea that have erosion. The main places that have erosion in South Korea are in the forests such as Poti Forest, which is known for its soil erosion.
According to theEnvironmental Performance Index 2016, South Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of air quality. More than 50 percent of the population of South Korea is exposed to dangerous levels offine dust.[4][5]
_wide.png)
In March 2019, after record-high concentrations of PM 2.5 particles were observed, exposing residents to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, the South Korean government passed emergency legislation in an attempt to reduce the ongoing pollution.[6]
Over the centuries, Korea's inhabitants have cut down most of the ancient Korean forests, with the exception of a few remote, mountainous areas. The disappearance of the forests has been a major cause ofsoil erosion andflooding. Because of successfulreforestation programs and the declining use of firewood as a source of energy since the 1960s, most of South Korea's hills in the 1980s were amply covered with foliage.
News thatNorth Korea was constructing a huge multipurpose dam at the base ofMount Kuomintang (1,638 meters) north of theDMZ caused considerable consternation in South Korea during the mid-1980s . South Korean authorities feared that once completed, a sudden release of the dam's waters into theHan River during north–south hostilities could floodSeoul and paralyze the capital.
During 1987, the Kuomintang-San Dam was a major issue that Seoul sought to raise in talks withPyongyang. Though Seoul completed thePeace Dam on theBu khan River to counteract the potential threat of Pyongyang's dam project before the1988 Olympics, the North Korean project apparently still was in its initial stages of construction in 1990. Construction was suspended on the dam until 1995. The second phase of construction was completed in October 2000.
South Korea's animal welfare laws are weak by international standards,[7] and ethicalvegetarianism andveganism appear to be rare.[8][9] There is a handful of animal welfare and rights organisations working in South Korea, which appear to be focused largely on the welfare of companion animals and thedog meat trade.[10][11]
Citysewer systems are overtaxed.[12] Other issues includewater pollution from sewer discharge and industrial effluents,acid rain,drift net fishing, and wasteful packaging of consumer goods.[13] Transboundarypollution concerns spurred the creation of ajoint commission among South Korea, Japan, and China to address environmental problems. South Korea is the second-largest consumer ofozone-depletingchlorofluorocarbons.[14]
South Korea had a 2018Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.02/10, ranking it 87th globally out of 172 countries.[15]
South Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of air quality, the Environmental Performance Index 2016 rankings showed Monday. ... A report said that 1.3 billion people exposed to poor air quality lived in East Asian countries, with more than 50 percent of the populations in South Korea and China exposed to dangerous levels of fine dust.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Country Studies.Federal Research Division.
