Wando County Achieves Success in Sea Garden Project... Zostera Survival Rate at 62%

Restoring the Marine Ecosystem:
Transplanting Seaweed and More

The "Sea Garden Project" being promoted by Wando-gun, Jeonnam is yielding concrete results.

On the 23rd, Wando-gun held a results briefing session for the "Sea Garden Project" at the county office's Happy Communication Room and shared the achievements of the marine ecosystem restoration project.

The briefing was attended by County Mayor Shin Woochul, Joo Woohyung, head of the Wando branch of the Jeonnam Institute of Marine and Fisheries Science, relevant department officials, and representatives from the Southern Branch of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency. Launched in 2019, the "Sea Garden Project" aims to restore the marine ecosystem and contribute to carbon neutrality by transplanting seaweed and eelgrass.

The appearance of eelgrass transplanted in the waters of Cheongsan-myeon by Wando County. Provided by Wando County

According to monitoring results from the Southern Branch of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, 40,000 eelgrass shoots were transplanted last year in the waters of Donggo-ri, Sinji-myeon, and of the 60,000 shoots transplanted in Gukhwa-ri, Cheongsan-myeon, 37,072 have survived.

What is particularly noteworthy is the survival rate of the eelgrass. While the typical post-transplantation survival rate is only 5-10%, eelgrass in the Wando region showed a high survival rate of 61.8%. As of 2024, the distribution area of eelgrass in Wando waters reaches 10.54 square kilometers.

This achievement by the county is regarded as an important first step toward marine ecosystem restoration and carbon neutrality, raising expectations for further improvements in the marine environment.

County Mayor Shin Woochul emphasized, "Focusing on the creation of eelgrass resources since last year has become a turning point, leading to tangible results. As carbon neutrality and blue carbon are gaining global attention, it is crucial to ensure the smooth progress of marine ecosystem restoration projects."