Yeosu City Takes Action to Address White Leaf Syndrome Damage in Janggundo Island Forest

Controlling Main Culprit Freshwater Cormorant Population Using Drones

Eco-friendly Bird Repellent Spraying, Alarm Installation, etc.

Jeonnam Yeosu City (Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong) announced that it has taken measures to respond to damage caused by the whitening phenomenon of the forest on Janggun-do Island due to the excrement of winter migratory freshwater cormorants.

According to the city, a flock of freshwater cormorants that appeared in February last year at Yeosu National Industrial Complex and the coastal area, causing damage to fish farms and industrial complex areas, appeared again in December of the same year on Janggun-do Island in Jungang-dong, Yeosu City. The trees and surrounding stone walls were whitened by the birds' excrement, deteriorating the park's landscape.

Yeosu City has taken measures to respond to damage caused by the white discoloration of the forest on Janggun-do Island due to the droppings of winter migratory freshwater cormorants.
Photo by Yeosu City

Janggun-do is an island directly visible from Yi Sun-sin Square and Dolsan Park, Yeosu City's top tourist spots. The city immediately conducted an on-site investigation of the damage at Janggun Park and prepared countermeasures.

First, as the most drastic measure, the city plans to induce population control of the freshwater cormorants.

According to the city, although freshwater cormorants are a protected species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Ministry of Environment accepted recommendations from 28 local governments experiencing such damage and designated them as wild animals in December last year, allowing capture from March 15 onward.

Accordingly, the city plans to actively prevent damage by spraying eco-friendly bird repellents using drones and installing smart alarms at 30 locations by the end of this month to control the population.

In addition, to protect the landscape and prevent the withering of the island's trees, the city will complete cleaning of the excrement-affected areas as soon as possible.

A city official said, “Due to ecosystem destruction caused by global warming, natural predators such as hawks and owls have disappeared, leading to a rapid increase in the freshwater cormorant population. We will promptly implement countermeasures against cormorant damage, which causes not only excrement damage but also significant economic losses by preying on fish in fish farms.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr