Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Strengthen Korea-UK Cooperation for Marine Ecosystem Conservation

- Education on restoring seabird habitats and holding a joint seminar with the British Embassy in Korea

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) announced that it will hold education as well as a joint seminar to strengthen capacity for marine ecosystem conservation as part of an MOU signed with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) of the United Kingdom.

 In cooperation with RSPB and others, MOF will conduct education on Coastal Seabird Habitat Restoration in Korea in Mokpo for approximately 50 people, including tidal flat restoration experts, local government officials, research institutes, and private organizations in Korea.

 The education will be focused on building capacity to create seabird habitats as a new type of tidal flat restoration and will be conducted by experts in coastal wetlands and ecology from RSPB—Europe’s largest NGO for migratory bird and habitat protection—and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), which operates wetland centers across the UK. It will offer a field training course where students go out to actual tidal flats and directly establish restoration and management plans in addition to theoretical lectures to increase the effectiveness.

 Moreover, MOF will hold a joint seminar with the UK at the Aston Hall of the British Embassy in Korea on September 9 to discuss ways to respond to climate change through marine ecosystem conservation and tidal flat restoration. The joint seminar will be attended by approximately 50 people, including officials of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, British Embassy in Korea, Korea Maritime Environment Management Corporation, Blue Carbon Project Group, local government officials, research institutes, NGOs, EAAFP (East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership), and RRC-EA (Ramsar Regional Centre for East Asia).

 Through this seminar, the ministry plans to find ways for Korea and the UK to contribute to the international community by cooperating on topics such as climate change response, listing in tidal flat world heritage, and blue carbon.