Hyundai Motor Company is taking the lead in creating a sustainable future society through the restoration of mangrove forests in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.
On the 24th (local time), Hyundai Motor held a signing ceremony for the 'Ioniq Forest Vietnam Mangrove Forest Creation Project' at Hyundai Motor Vietnam Sales Joint Venture (HTV) with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the international relief and development NGO Good Neighbors.
The signing ceremony was attended by Oh In-won, Head of Hyundai Motor Vietnam Business, Jake Brunner, IUCN Vietnam Representative, and Park Dong-cheol, Good Neighbors Vietnam Representative.
(Photo from left) Jake Brunner, Vietnam Representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Oh Inwon, Head of Hyundai Motor Vietnam Business, and Park Dongcheol, Vietnam Representative of Good Neighbors, are posing for a commemorative photo after the signing ceremony. [Photo by Hyundai Motor]
As part of Hyundai Motor's eco-friendly forest creation project, 'Ioniq Forest,' this agreement aims to plant new mangrove trees in the Ca Mau area, the commercial center of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, over the next three years to restore the damaged forest.
Mangroves are trees that grow in wetlands where freshwater and seawater meet. Mangrove forests act as natural breakwaters. They are characterized by excellent water purification capabilities and a carbon absorption capacity 3 to 5 times higher than tropical rainforests.
Residents in the Mekong River area of Vietnam have cut down trees to sustain their livelihoods and created shrimp farms, which damaged the forests and caused them to lose their functions.
The three organizations share the need to restore mangrove forests, which play a key role in the global environment, and will newly establish the Ioniq Forest. It is expected to restore the forest's original functions while contributing to biodiversity conservation and climate change response.
In the first year of the project, 120,000 mangrove trees will be planted first, followed by a review and evaluation process to establish a detailed plan for the remaining two years. Hyundai Motor has been responding to the climate crisis since 2016 by conducting the 'Ioniq Forest' project with various partners domestically and internationally.
Last year, 8,000 trees were planted in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, creating a new eco-friendly forest covering 16,000㎡. Additionally, a 300㎡ native garden was added to the National Sinsi-do Natural Recreation Forest in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, expanding the Ioniq Forest established in 2021.
Not only in Korea but also in North America, Brazil, Mexico, and Germany, approximately 210,000 trees were planted through the global 'Ioniq Forest' project by 2022. The goal is to plant one million trees worldwide by 2024.
A Hyundai Motor official said, "Hyundai Motor is conducting various eco-friendly activities for a sustainable future," adding, "We will continue to work hard with various partners to promote coexistence between humanity and nature."
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