Jinju City-Sancheong County, Efforts to Eradicate Invasive Flora and Fauna in the Upper JinYangho Ecosystem

Walking the Path of Coexistence Along the Waterways of Jinyangho and Gyeonghogang

Jinju City and Sancheong County in Gyeongnam jointly conducted activities along the Wonji riverside in Sancheong County to eradicate invasive flora and fauna in the upper Jinyangho area as part of their win-win development business agreement.

The activity held on the 13th was the second such event following the joint environmental cleanup for water quality improvement of Jinyangho, which took place on May 4 at the Bronze Age Culture Museum in Daepyeong-myeon, Jinju City, after four years.

The event was attended by Jinju Mayor Cho Gyu-il, Sancheong County Governor Lee Seung-hwa, Sancheong County Council Chairman Jeong Myeong-sun, Namgang Dam Branch Manager of Korea Water Resources Corporation Jeong Yeon-su, Jinju Council Chairman of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements Shim Myeong-hwan, Jinju Branch Chairman of the Wildlife Management Association Heo Seok-gu, Chairman of the Sancheong County Sustainable Development Council Seong Gyeong-mo, Chairman of the Sancheong County Nature Conservation Council Min Gyeong-sik, along with about 120 members of Jinju environmental organizations and about 150 members of Sancheong environmental organizations.

Group photo of Jinju City and Sancheong County joint eradication activities of invasive flora and fauna in the upper stream of Jinyangho Lake.

Held under the Jinju-Sancheong win-win development business agreement, this event expressed the commitment to further solidify the mutual development of Jinju City and Sancheong County. It proceeded with the invitation of forest ecology experts who introduced invasive species and educated participants on eradication methods.

During the subsequent eradication activities, environmental groups and volunteers from both cities and counties were divided into four teams to remove invasive plants such as kudzu vine to contribute to the preservation of the Jinyangho and upper region ecosystems. Additionally, a carbon neutrality campaign was conducted, promoting individual greenhouse gas reduction of 1 ton per person and enrollment in the Carbon Point System.

Mayor Cho said, “Sancheong and Jinju are like brothers sharing daily life in terms of history, economy, and culture,” adding, “I hope we frequently meet and jointly carry out various environmental cooperation projects to contribute to securing clean water resources and water quality preservation.”

Governor Lee stated, “Through this event, I hope to protect native flora and fauna and maintain a healthy ecosystem,” and added, “We will do our best so that Sancheong County and Jinju City can continue to coexist and develop together.”

Jinju City and Sancheong County are discovering various cooperative projects in areas such as environment, cultural tourism, sports, agriculture, education, and safety, promoting activities for coexistence with the local community. The next joint eradication activity for invasive flora and fauna is scheduled to be held in Jinju after September.