A lot of people think of bridges and skyscrapers when they hear about the Han River in the heart of Seoul. It is also a resting place for Seoul citizens and a background for Psy's Gangnam Style. But did you know that there was a wetland on the Han River? There are about five of them, and I visited one last month.

 

    It is the Janghang Wetland located on the mouth of the Han River. It is in front of Ilsan right next to the Jayuro Highway. It just looks like a terrain from the Highway, but there are much more to see when you observe it more closely. It is home to more than more than 220 kinds of plants and 1000 kinds of animals including the black-faced spoonbill that is protected by the ICUN.

 

     Yet the most unique part of the Janghang Wetland is the symbiosis between the bean crab (Ilyoplax deschampsi) and the willow. The willows living in the wetland have a long root that extends to the bottom of the murky soil similar to that of mangroves. Since willows do not usually grow in waters, their roots do not have the ability to absorb oxygen. This is when the symbiosis comes to action. The bean crab eats the fallouts of the willow roots underwater. In this process, they exhale air, which provides oxygen for the willows. This lets the willows grow in such extraordinary conditions.   

  

           I went to the Janghang Wetland with Goyang Environmental Activists, a volunteer group that I that I work in. We got a chance to observe the unique symbiosis while picking up trash. I also took pictures of both the willows and the bean crabs. Yet the weather was too cold for the crabs, and I could only take a few pictures. Our group picked up trashes that were hanging on the willows and blocking the streams. It was a truly wonderful experience.

 

*P.S. The Janghang Wetland is trying to sign up for the RAMSAR CONVENTION. PLEASE SUPPORT US!