A conversation with Nial Moores, Director of Birds Korea – the accredited NGO based in the Republic of Korea that works for the conservation of birds and their habitats in Korea and the wider Yellow Sea Eco-region. We’re talking shortly before the Republic of Korea (the Rok) hosts yet another important conservation conference – this time the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress – or WCC – which will be held on the island of Jeju. The conference takes place against a backdrop of a number of ongoing environmentally-destructive projects in the RoK and the release of an IUCN report which clearly links tidal flat destruction with declines in migratory shorebirds along the East Asian/Australasian Flyway. What can be achieved at the WCC, what can Birds Korea (of which I’m a proud member of course) and other Korean NGOs do to help protect biodiversity in this part of the world, and why are so many major conferences held in the RoK anyway?
This podcast has been produced in partnership with Birds Korea to promote the conservation of birds and habitats in Korea and the wider Yellow Sea Eco-region.
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About the World Conservation Congress
The IUCN World Conservation Congress is the world’s largest and most important conservation event. Held every four years, it aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.
The 2012 World Conservation Congress will be held from 6 to 15 September 2012 in Jeju, Republic of Korea. Leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, UN agencies and social organizations will discuss, debate and decide solutions for the world’s most pressing environment and development issues.
In 2011, the IUCN Species Survival Commission and IUCN Asia Regional Office commissioned an independent report to assess the state and condition of intertidal habitats along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), in response to growing concerns expressed by IUCN members over observed declines in biodiversity, the loss of ecological services, and an increase in ecological disasters. The report is a situation analysis, and it seeks to gather in one place the relevant data and analyses, and to present as clear a picture of the status of the intertidal zone in the EAAF as the data allow. By intention, the resulting report makes no recommendations, but it should serve as a resource for those stakeholders empowered to make or influence decisions and policies in the region.
Click the image above to download the IUCN Report.
“Birds Korea is dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in Korea and the wider Yellow Sea Eco-region, working through research, education and public-awareness raising activities, consultation and collaboration, and well-focused advocacy.
Birds Korea recognizes that wild birds are beautiful and inspirational, and that many wild bird species are excellent bio-indicators of the ecological character of habitats, and of changes to these habitats and to the global environment. Successful conservation of wild birds entails conservation of a wide range of naturally productive habitats and sites, vital to the long-term survival of other biodiversity, including people.”
The Birds Korea websites:
- Main site in English: http://www.birdskorea.org/
- Main site in Korean: http://www.birdskorea.or.kr/
- The Birds Korea blog: http://www.birdskoreablog.org
