Chungnam Proposes Collaboration for Coastal and Estuarine Ecological Restoration in Freshwater Lake Reclamation Areas

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province is promoting regional solidarity for the ecological restoration of the western and southern sea coasts and estuaries. The purpose is for related local governments to join forces to resolve the side effects of freshwater lakes created by reclamation projects.

The province recently held the "2020 International Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Ecological Restoration," and on the 13th announced that Chungnam, Gyeonggi Province, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk proposed a plan to restore the coastal and estuarine ecosystems of the western and southern seas through solidarity.

Held under the theme "Exploring Sustainable Value Creation through Reclamation Reversal," this conference was organized to discuss the necessity and promotion plans of reclamation reversal projects for ecological restoration in areas such as Chungnam's Bunan Lake, Gyeonggi's Hwaseong Lake, Jeonbuk's Saemangeum Lake, and Jeonnam's Yeongam Lake and Geumho Lake.

In Korea, during the 1980s, tidal flats were frequently reclaimed to create freshwater lakes (artificial lakes) to solve food shortages (increase production). However, the freshwater lakes created through reclamation projects have caused numerous side effects after more than 20 years, highlighting the need for reclamation reversal projects.

For example, Bunan Lake is a 1,021-hectare freshwater lake formed by the reclamation project of the Seosan A and B districts in 1980 and completed in 1982. However, due to the blockage of seawater circulation, the water quality of Bunan Lake has recently deteriorated to grade 6, making it difficult to use even for agricultural water. Additionally, during the rainy season, the discharge from the freshwater lake causes pollution in Cheonsuman Bay and damage to fishing grounds, and the foul odor caused by water quality deterioration has discouraged companies from settling in the Taean Enterprise City and Seosan Well-being Special Zone.

The side effects, which were not anticipated at the time of creation, have recently come to the forefront, and the province believes these problems are not limited to Bunan Lake alone. Therefore, the province proposed that related local governments unite to include reclamation reversal projects for freshwater lakes in the government's Green New Deal projects to resolve the side effects and restore ecosystems.

The conference was held with this purpose in mind. First, Jeon Seung-soo, emeritus professor at Chonnam National University and keynote speaker at the conference, emphasized the need for a promotion strategy for domestic coastal and estuarine restoration. In the first session that followed, under the broad theme of "Current Status and Case Presentations of Domestic Coastal and Estuarine Restoration Policies," topics such as the status of tidal flat protection and restoration policies, progress on the reclamation reversal plan for Cheonsuman Bunan Lake, seawater circulation cases in Siwha Lake, the opening of the Nakdong River sluice gates and seawater circulation promotion, problems and restoration needs of Hwaseong Lake in Gyeonggi Province, and problems and restoration needs of Yeongam Lake and Geumho Lake in Haenam were discussed.

In the second session, thematic presentations focused on overseas cases, including estuarine restoration and community coexistence measures in countries along the East Asia-Australasia migratory bird flyway, estuarine restoration cases in the Netherlands, and estuarine restoration cases in Germany.

In the third session, university professors, researchers, and environmental organizations participated in a comprehensive discussion. Panelists shared opinions on the necessity of seawater circulation to solve Bunan Lake's water pollution, the roles of central and local governments in institutionalizing reclamation reversal, and the need for local residents' participation and social consensus.

Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, emphasized the significance of the conference by stating, "I hope this conference will serve as a practical foundation for implementing coastal and estuarine restoration policies in the western and southern sea areas, including Bunan Lake, and become a starting point for building domestic and international cooperation networks."

He added, "The province will break away from the old regional development logic of Bunan Lake and establish a new milestone for reclamation reversal projects in Korea. I propose that regions sharing concerns like Chungnam (Bunan Lake) come together, brainstorm, and derive a paradigm through solidarity to establish a new milestone for coastal and estuarine ecological restoration."

Meanwhile, the province plans to use the conference as an opportunity to build social consensus on reclamation reversal projects for reclaimed freshwater lakes and to promote legal and institutional improvements to nationalize these projects.