EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Oct. 29)

Wetland conference

It is appropriate that some 2,000 experts and government representatives have set
the woes of global financial turmoil aside to discuss a more fundamental issue
concerning the future of mankind -- the preservation and utilization of wetlands.

Attendees from 158 countries kicked off the week-long conference yesterday to
debate the issue in a southeastern town in Korea. As many have pointed out, the
worldwide financial meltdown originating from the United States is the result of
human greed, which drove people to play a game of "fill your safe with the money
you lost." Man-made crises will come and go, while nature will be with us
forever, ready to provide bigger benefits if we try to discover its value, and
nations make sincere efforts to preserve it.
The Ramsar Convention, which is taking place in Changwon, South Gyeongsang
Province, is the 10th since its inaugural meeting at the Iranian town of Ramsar
in 1971. The subject is wetlands, which have immense potential for human
wellbeing due to their hydrological and environmental contributions.
For many years during the fast industrialization period, the nation's wetland
mostly became dirty gutters where the waste from ever-expanding manufacturing
activities flowed in and spoiled the environment. Reckless tideland development
continued to ruin coastal wetlands until enhanced public consciousness put the
trend on hold. The Saemangeum project on the West Coast was the last subject of
national controversy.
That Changwon, a key industrial site in Korea, became the host of the large-scale
international wetland convention testifies to how much effort the Korean
government, private sector and NGOs have made to clean up the residue of rapid
industrialization. Fish have returned to streams flowing through cities, rivers
are cleaner and wetlands have been restored as peaceful habitats of birds and
other creatures.
Upo near Changwon and Yongneup near Inje in Gangwon Province, which were
registered as Ramsar sites in 1998 and 1997, respectively, may have been better
looked after than other wetlands, but they earned their present status as a
result of strenuous, oft-militant campaigns by ecological advocates. For years,
Korea has witnessed fierce environmental battles that sometimes developed into
political conflicts.
There are a variety of agenda, all of which are concerned with protecting and
finding wise uses for wetlands. It is hoped that the Ramsar convention will help
awaken the world public to the contributions wetland can make in resolving food
and clean water problems in the future. Domestically, the long-prepared
international forum will serve to encourage environmental movements here, which
seem to be shrinking a little due to financial scandals involving a few activists
and a backlash against the political engagements of some groups and individuals.
There's one more thing: the delegates to the convention are asked to give serious
consideration to recommending the 55-year-old Demilitarized Zone, which runs
through the middle of the Korean Peninsula, for designation as a UNESCO Natural
Heritage site. Such entitlement will manifest how the legacy of war has created a
beautiful asset of mankind, thanks to the great healing power of nature.
(END)