Suncheon Ecological Park
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Suncheon Bay Ecological Park is a protected natural area near
Suncheon Suncheon () (''Suncheon-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. It is a bay between
Yeosu Yeosu (; ''Yeosu-si''), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea and ...
and
Goheung Goheung County (''Goheung-gun'') is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Jeollanam-do Province, South Korea. Naro Space Center The Naro Space Center was completed during 2008 in southern Goheung and is operated by the state-run Ko ...
peninsulas, located from the center of Suncheon, with of
mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
s and of
reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...
s. From the junction of the Dong and Isa streams to the beginning of the mudflat in
Suncheon Bay Located in Suncheon, Jeonnam in South Korea, Suncheon Bay is a coastal wetland, composed of a long stream, a wide tideland and a wide field of reeds. Due to its natural coast, it is the habitat of migratory birds and plants and animals. It is th ...
, it has the widest reed bed in
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. In autumn, reed blossoms, red turkeys, and white migratory birds make the area a popular attraction.


Climate

Suncheon Bay, facing the South Sea, has a climate strongly influenced by the sea. The average temperature of the coldest month is about . A yearly average temperature is . The annual temperature range is smaller than other areas. Gardening and cultivation advances benefit from the warm temperatures in winter. The area is developing
fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...
for gray mullet,
gizzard shad ''Dorosoma'' is a genus that contains five species of shads, within the herring family Clupeidae. The five species are native to the North and/or Central America, and are known from both fresh water and the waters of estuaries and bays. The Ame ...
and
octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...
, and an
aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...
industry. The administrative area of Suncheon Bay is over . The total area of
sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body o ...
exposed at the
ebb tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...
is about and the total is .


Formation of Suncheon Bay

Suncheon Bay is about 8,000 years old. Studies performed by
geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
s have determined that, after the earth's last glacial epoch, the level of sea increased about . The western area of Korea, called West Sea, turned from land to sea. The Korean peninsula was as it is today. Suncheon Bay consists of
brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estua ...
, earth and sand, transported in by the river and accumulated over time by the tide of the sea, forming an extensive sandbar.


Inhabitants of Suncheon Bay

Suncheon Bay is a treasure house of many diverse species, making it an important area of study. Due to little pollution, the area has developed salty swampy land, abounding in fresh marine products, and numerous and varied
invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
animals and sea plants. The extensive reedbeds form the wintering site and habitat for rare birds including the
hooded crane The hooded crane (''Grus monacha'') is a crane native to East Asia and a frequent migratory bird in Japan. Description It has a grey body. The top of the neck and head is white, except for a patch of bare red skin above the eye. It is one of t ...
,
sea gull The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
,
white stork The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...
,
black-faced spoonbill The black-faced spoonbill (''Platalea minor'') is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the ...
and
eastern great egret The eastern great egret (''Ardea alba modesta''), a white heron in the genus '' Ardea'', is usually considered a subspecies of the great egret (''A. alba''). In New Zealand it is known as the white heron or by its Māori name ''kōtuku''. The sub ...
.


Natural environment of Suncheon Bay


Swampy land

The land frequently called a
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
is the transition region between land and sea. It is also called "the swirl of life" and "the lungs of earth," due to the many lifeforms that live in it. The swampy area of Suncheon Bay expands into the downstream area at which Dong-cheon and Isa-cheon meet, supplying the swampy land. The speed of the current rises by the increasing slope, and the land extends downstream. The swampy land, unique to Korea, is preserved in view of its natural
ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
. The reedbeds and ''Suaeda japonica'' of Suncheon Bay are the main habitat for migratory birds, which attracts tourists.


Sandbar

The sandbar is unceasingly provided with nutrients from the river and is home to a diverse variety of animals and plants. The productive ecosystem of a sandbar is a habitat on which 20% of creatures on earth live. Suncheon Bay is about 8 million
pyeong A ''pyeong'' (abbreviationpy) is a Korean unit of area and floorspace, equal to a square '' kan'' or 36square Korean feet. The ''ping'' and ''tsubo'' are its equivalent Taiwanese and Japanese units, similarly based on a square '' bu'' ( ja:步) ...
in size. The depth of the highly developed fine
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
layers is about . The sandbar is very productive and fills the role of natural purification and esthetics.


Vegetation

A total of 116 species, 92
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
, and 36 families of plants inhabit the salty area of Suncheon Bay. A community of ''
Phragmites ''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Taxonomy The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in London ...
communis'' forms the sides of the inner bank, which is also inhabited by zoysia sinica, ''
Kummerowia stipulacea ''Kummerowia stipulacea'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Korean clover. It is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Russia, and it is present in the eastern United States as an introduced species.
'', ''
Rhynchosia volubilis ''Rhynchosia volubilis'' is a plant species in the genus '' Rhynchosia''. Tergallic acid dilactone can be found in ''R. volubilis'' seeds. References External links volubilis Volubilis (; ar, وليلي, walīlī; ber, ⵡⵍⵉ ...
'', and other plant life. Within of the outer parts of the bank, plants such as ''Erigeron bonariensis'' and ''
Echinochloa crus-galli ''Echinochloa crus-galli'' is a type of wild grass originating from tropical Asia that was formerly classified as a type of panicum grass. It is commonly known as cockspur (or cockspur grass), barnyard millet, Japanese millet, water grass, common ...
'' endure the salty environment relatively well. The ''Phragmites communis'' community extends more and more as a dominant species of Suncheon Bay, developing and forming a ring shape in several areas of the reeds. ''Suaeda asparagoides'' grows well on the dry ground of the lower part of the bank, and groups of ''
Aster tripolium ''Tripolium pannonicum'', called sea aster or seashore aster and often known by the synonyms ''Aster tripolium'' or ''Aster pannonicus'', is a flowering plant, native to Eurasia and northern Africa, that is confined in its distribution to salt ma ...
'' and ''
Plantago maritima ''Plantago maritima'', the sea plantain, seaside plantain or goose tongue, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution in temperate and Arctic regions, native to most of Europe, n ...
'' grow well near watercourses or puddles. The ''Phragmites communis'' and ''Suaeda japonica'' communities grow as dominant species in farmlands and fields.


Phragmites communis community

The beginning of Suncheon Bay contains a densely spread community of ''Phragmites communis'' approximately 300,000 pyeong in size, which is more than 30 years old. This community has been growing more quickly within the past 10 years. Other ''Phragmites communis'' communities in Korea have been destroyed, but the community of Suncheon Bay is the widest and most well-preserved. The ''Phragmites communis'' community has an outstanding purifying function and provides a productive environment for ''Boleophthalmus pectinirostris'', which is very sensitive to pollution. It plays a role not only as a natural sanitation facility of Suncheon Bay, but also controls flooding. It blocks the cold wind, which attracts fish, as well as birds that eat these fish. The ''Phragmites communis'' community has become a habitat of various species of rare birds.


Birds

Approximately 158 species of birds inhabit Suncheon Bay, including 15 species of natural monument, six endangered species specified by the
Ministry of Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
, 13 species of preserved species, 12 species of
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
, 16 species of
CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
annex, and 15 species in
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
. Of the world's total population, more than 1% of '' Grus monacha'' and ''Larus saundersi'', 18% of ''
Tadorna tadorna The common shelduck (''Tadorna tadorna'') is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus, ''Tadorna''. It is widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; in ...
'', and 7% of '' Çalidris alpina'' inhabit the Suncheon Bay area. These are international preserved species. The dominant species are '' Anas acuta'', ''Tadorna tadorna'', ''Anas platyrhynchos'', '' Aythya marila'' mariloides, '' Aythya fuligula''and ''Anser alvifrons''.
Scolopacidae Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...
, plover such as ''Calidris alpina'', and ''
Charadrius alexandrinus The Kentish plover (''Charadrius alexandrinus'') is a small cosmopolitan shorebird (40-44 g) of the family Charadriidae that breeds on the shores of saline lakes, lagoons, and coasts, populating sand dunes, marshes, semi-arid desert, and tundra.Sz ...
'' use the Suncheon Bay for their hibernation area. Other visiting species to the area include ''Grus vipio'', ''
Platalea minor The black-faced spoonbill (''Platalea minor'') is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the ...
'', ''
Ciconia boyciana The Oriental stork (''Ciconia boyciana''; Japanese: コウノトリ ''Konotori'') is a large, white bird with black wing feathers in the stork family Ciconiidae. Taxonomy The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1873. It is closely ...
'', ''
Falco tinnunculus The common kestrel (''Falco tinnunculus'') is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In the United Kingdom, where no ...
'' interstinctus, ''Microsarcops cinereus'', and ''
Haematopus ostralegus The Eurasian oystercatcher (''Haematopus ostralegus'') also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or palaearctic oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widesp ...
'' osculans.


Benthos

Suncheon Bay is home to many marine resources. Inhabitants include various groups of organisms, from a
microbes A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...
to higher lifeforms, including a total of 43 species of
benthos Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone.mollusks Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
, such as ''Neanthes japonica'', '' Sinonovacula constricta'', ''Cyclina sinensis'', ''Megangulus venulosus'', and glaucinomyachinensis, are widely spread throughout the middle and lower beaches.


Suncheon Bay Eco-Museum

The Suncheon Bay Eco-Museum, created in Haeryong-myeon and Byeolang-myeon, Dosa-dong, Suncheon-si is composed of Ecology Hall in the central facility zone, Yongsan Observatory overlooking Suncheon Bay, and small parks with the hem of Unmyong and Waon. The Eco-Museum created in the central facility zone contains organized ''Phragmites communis'', beaches and birds. It preserves various ecological resources and encourages academic research of resources and the ecological study by students and the general population. Indoor facilities include a plan exhibition room, main exhibition room, movie room, ecology classroom and seminar room. Outdoor facilities include the beach experience course nearby that can be used as an ecology study course for students and the general population, in addition to overview and sunset over Suncheon Bay.


Biology of Suncheon Bay


Shelter for passage birds

The natural ecological value of Suncheon Bay is represented by the habitation of migratory or passage birds, a measure of the productivity value of the swamp. ''
Numenius madagascariensis The Far Eastern curlew (''Numenius madagascariensis'') is a large Wader, shorebird most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned ...
'', or Far Eastern curlew, loses half of its weight during its migratory flight non-stop from Australia. It recovers while staying at Suncheon Bay for two weeks before flying on to Siberia. It visits the Suncheon Bay area for its rich food supply. The area's wide ''Suaeda japonica'' community and ''Phragmites communis'' community becomes a shelf providing a supply of food. The birds also catch food in the nearby field.


Winter passage birds

Winter passage birds that make a stopover in Suncheon Bay include ''Grus monacha'', '' Anser albifrons'', ''Tadorna tadorna'', ''
Anas penelope The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (''Mareca penelope''), also known as the widgeon or the wigeon, is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus ''Mareca''. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range. Taxonomy Th ...
'' linnaeusm, ''
Anas crecca The Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca''), common teal, or Eurasian green-winged teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in temperate Eurosiberia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian teal is often called simply the teal due to being th ...
'', ''
Anas platyrhynchos The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argen ...
'', ''Anas acuta'', '' Mergus serrator'', ''Mergus mergansercircus'' cyaneus, '' Coturnix coturnix'', '' Grus vipio'', ''
Vanellus vanellus The northern lapwing (''Vanellus vanellus''), also known as the peewit or pewit, tuit or tew-it, green plover, or (in Ireland and Britain) pyewipe or just lapwing, is a bird in the lapwing subfamily. It is common through temperate Eurosiberia. ...
'', ''Calidris alpina'', ''
Numenius arquata The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred t ...
'', ''Larus saundersi'', ''Larus ridibundus'', ''
Larus argentatus The European herring gull (''Larus argentatus'') is a large gull, up to long. One of the best-known of all gulls along the shores of Western Europe, it was once abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Easter ...
'', ''Motacilla grandis'', ''Prunella nontanella'' badia, ''
Motacilla grandis The Japanese wagtail (''Motacilla grandis'') is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It is native to Japan and Korea. Description The Japanese wagtail is about 20 cm long. The sexes look similar; they have white u ...
'' and '' Turdus eunomus''.


Summer passage birds

Summer passage birds of the Suncheon Bay area include ''
Nycticorax nycticorax The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and N ...
'', ''
Bubulcus ibis The western cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the cattle ...
'', '' Egretta garzetta'', ''Egretta alba modesta'', ''
Ardea cinerea The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Palearctic, Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the m ...
'', '' Charadrius dubius'' curonicus, ''
Alcedo atthis The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...
'' bengalensis, ''
Motacilla cinerea The grey wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea'') is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to ...
'' robusta, ''
Motacilla alba The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in ...
'' and ''
Acrocephalus arundinaceus The great reed warbler (''Acrocephalus arundinaceus'') is a Eurasian passerine in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The genus name ''Acrocephalus'' is from Ancient Greek ''akros'', "highest", and ''kephale'', "head". It is possible that Naumann and N ...
''.


Spring and fall passage birds

Of the spring and fall passage birds to Suncheon Bay, approximately 15,000 crane plovers pass through annually. There are 10 species that comprise 1% or more of Ramsar Convention joining requirements: '' Pluvialis squatarola'' (1%), ''Calidris alpina(''7%), ''
Numenius phaeopus The Eurasian whimbrel or common whimbrel (''Numenius phaeopus'') is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland. This speci ...
'' (1%), '' Tringa nebularia'' (1%), '' Tringa guttifer'' (2%), '' Xenus cinereus'' (3%), '' Tringa brevipes'' (1%), ''
Limosa lapponica The bar-tailed godwit (''Limosa lapponica'') is a large and strongly migratory wader in the family (biology), family Scolopacidae, which feeds on Polychaete, bristle-worms and shellfish on coastal Mudflat, mudflats and Estuary, estuaries. It has ...
'' (1%), ''Numenius arquata'' (2%), and ''Charadrius alexandrinus'' (1%).


Beach

The north-to-south coast of Korea follows a rough line. Because of its geological feature forming a long gulf, the tide range is very large, which forms a long beach. This beach of Korea is one of the top five longest beaches, along with the eastern coast of Canada, eastern and northern coasts of North America, and the Amazon River area. The beach of Suncheon Bay is approximately 3,000 years old, with and approximately 8 million pyeong of preserved natural areas providing a habitat for various creatures. It is an internationally preserved habitat for rare passage birds. The beach, a neutral zone connecting land and sea, provides a habitat and
spawning grounds A spawning bed is an underwater solid surface on which fish spawn to reproduce themselves. In fishery management, a spawning bed is an artificial bed constructed by wildlife professionals in order to improve the ability of desired game fish to r ...
for various fish and
shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...
. More than 60% of the total fish catch for the area is produced from beach, and one third of creatures facing extermination are known to inhabit the beach. Various species, including 230 species of fish, 193 species of
crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
, 74 species of
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
and 58 species of shellfish live in the beach habitat. The variety of creatures inhabiting this area is due to the rich nutrient salt, which provides high productivity. According to ''Nature'', a science magazine published in England, the ecological value of the beach is US$9,990 per 1§μ(0.01§'). It shows a higher value than
farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...
, which has an ecological value of US$92. It is an ecologic value of centuple. The Ministry of Environment of Korea evaluates the ecological value of the Korean beach as US$24.315, because Korean beach is a habitat for creatures where marine goods are produced, which is a higher value compared to foreign nations. The beach of Suncheon Bay has been evaluated to have productivity converse to the economic value of approximately 24,500,000,000 won annually.


Reeds

The total area of the ''Phragmites communis'' field in Suncheon Bay is approximately 300,000 pyeong. It covers over Gyoryang-dong, Daedae-dong and Junghueng-ri, Haechang-ri, Seonhak-ri and Haeryong-myeon of Suncheon-si. Each side of the long watercourse joining Dongcheon and Isacheon to the rivermouth is completely covered with a field of ''Phragmites communis'', the biggest ''Phragmites communis'' community in Korea. Its balls of seeds turn silver in the sunlight. The ''Phragmites communis'' field is both a habitat for marine creatures and a key to the maintenance of the swamp
ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
. Suncheon Bay maintains its clean ecosystem with the help of the large community of ''Phragmites communis'' of 300,000 pyeong. The root of ''Phragmites communis'' accelerates the growth of
bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
, which filters and absorbs solids. The stem and leaves of ''Phragmites communis'' obstruct the growth of
seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
and slows down the wind on the water's surface. It transmits oxygen from the atmosphere into water to the submerged parts of the plants, heightening the quantity of oxygen necessary to dissolve organic matters in the water to purify and improve the water quality. Oxygen discharged from the roots of ''Phragmites communis'' oxidizes soil in a resolving state, and promotes the activation and dissolution of nearby
microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...
s. The wide ''Phragmites communis'' field provides an environment for the microorganism group to inhabit so that it dissolves and disperses various types of polluting substances.


Ramsar Convention

The swampy area of Suncheon Bay Ecological Park is the most productive life supporting ecosystem in the area. The protection of it is very important for biological, hydrological, and economic reasons. In many areas around the world, swamps are damaged due to factors including
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
,
reclamation Reclaim, reclaimed, reclaimer, reclaiming or reclamation means "to get something back". It may refer to: * Land reclamation, creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds * Dedesertification, reversing of the land degradation in arid ...
and
pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
. To stop the damage to swamps, international and technological conferences sponsored by the International Waterfowl & Wetlands Research Bureau (IWRB) were conducted in 1960. As the result of conferences, a convention was joined in
Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in a ...
,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
on February 2, 1971. The establishment of the
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
helped establish a convention on wetlands of international importance especially as waterfowl habitats. Korea joined this convention on July 28, 1997, as the 101st member. Young Swamp of Daeam Mountain in
Inje-gun Inje County (''Inje-gun'') is a county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. T ...
, Gangwon-do and Upo Swamp in Changnyeong-gun,
Gyeongnam South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...
are registered as Ramsar Swamps. Suncheon Bay began to gain attention for its waterfowl population and enlisted into the Ramsar Convention. It satisfies the "various kinds of birds requiring different types of habitat inhabiting" part of the Ramsar Conventions, making Suncheon Bay strong candidate to become a Ramsar Swamp. Suncheon Bay was designated as a swamp preserving area of Korea in December 2003, and it joined the international network for protection of the crane in northeastern Asia in 2004. The Northeastern Crane Network was organized as a protection strategy of Asian and Pacific passage birds at the 6th Ramsar Convention conference in 1996. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Korea will request registration of Suncheon Bay as a Ramsar swamp in August or September 2013. If it becomes a Ramsar swamp, the natural environment of Suncheon Bay and its ecosystem will be better preserved.


Suncheon International Wetlands Center

Suncheon Bay is one of the fifth-largest
tidal flats Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
in the world, an international wetland that attracted approximately 2.8 million visitors in 2008. The methodology for the design of the Suncheon International Wetlands Center began with the concept of leading visitors through the wetlands to the Suncheon Bay. The imprint of the receding tide water becomes the concept for this design. The visitor's center is placed at the northeast corner of the site, identified with meandering pathways which encourage and direct visitors to experience the wetlands and outdoor exhibits. The design of these pathways allows visitors to experience the topographical change of the site from forest to wetland. The placement of the building maximizes both the picturesque views to the mountains beyond and to the river, creating a visual continuation of both the water's path and visitor's circulation. The buildings and pathways are designed to minimally affect the natural order of the protected wetland. Recesses in the pathways around the building allow for the wetland to continue under the structures. Building functions are separated into distinctly different envelops to allow for greater climatic control and lessen the overall energy usage. The green roof continues the language of the mountains beyond, allowing the gallery interior unobstructed views of nature. The wooden façade is intended to minimize summer sun exposure, maximize potential winter daylight and blend in with the surrounding woodland to the north. Framed views from the gallery through these wooden slats capture light and help set the mood for the visitor's center. Providing connectivity to the 2013 Garden Expo, and the greater city of Suncheon, this design intends to reconnect visitors to nature and a network of facilities designed to teach them about wetland preservation.


References


External links

* {{authority control Parks in South Jeolla Province Museums in South Jeolla Province Suncheon Wetlands of South Korea Nature centers Natural history museums in South Korea