Nakdonggang Regional Environmental Office Takes Action to Eradicate Ecological Disruptor Nutria

Operation of the Wide-Area Purchase System for Individual Captures

The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office announced on the 9th that it will operate a dedicated eradication team until mid-December to reduce the population of the invasive species nutria living mainly in the Nakdong River system.

The eradication target areas are 10 cities and counties in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions, where a nutria eradication team has been formed to carry out eradication activities by region.

Captured nutria. [Image provided by Nakdong River Authority]

Since 2014, a cooperative system has been established with related local governments, achieving the eradication of approximately 37,000 nutrias, showing an effect of reducing the nutria population.

The Nakdong River Office also operates a regional purchase system throughout the year, separate from the eradication team, paying 20,000 KRW per individual to private individuals who capture nutrias to increase eradication efficiency.

The reception days and locations by local government can be checked on the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office website.

Director Choi Jong-won said, “We will continue to make sustained efforts in cooperation with related organizations to fundamentally eradicate nutrias living in the Nakdong River basin.”