We are a part of Biodiversity... Watch out for Human Extictionby Jeewon Shin | 01-06-2018 01:24 |
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 (photo = https://www.cbd.int/idb/2018/logo/)  Nowadays, various types of animals and plants are disappearing because of global warming. Their daily life cycle has dramatically changed because of climate change. The cycle of nature is made so that we could be in stable equitability. This cycle made every creature on Earth survive and harmonize with others. If one of them becomes in trouble, it results with all the other species in trouble, too. As climate change was caused by us, the humans, the nature would soon leave an impact on our lives, too.  After the UN declared the 22nd of May as the International Day for Biological Diversity, countries over the world celebrate this day with a specific theme of each year. Each topic is about helping all the other species in the cycle and at the same time for the Earth and us.  (photo = https://www.cbd.int/idb/) Korea has taken an action for this day like other countries. One of the most well-known is the one in 2015. The 2015 theme was ?Biodiversity for Sustainable Development? and Korea had connected this with wetlands in the country. February 9th is the World Wetlands Day and they celebrated two days on the International Day for Biological Diversity at a wetland in Dongbaekdongsan wetland, which is one of 19 Ramsar Sites in Korea. Wetlands have large variety of animals and plants, which means huge biological diversity. 24 programs of activities and exhibitions were held and general public could also enjoy these events. Local people and the government worked together to increase awareness about the wetlands to the visitors and did their best to present them the best memory inside nature.  In Korea, there are 30,000 species known to exist. However, it is expected to be more than 100,000 species that live in South Korea. Korea?s one of the best preservation areas of nature is the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). DMZ is 125 km wide from coast to coast and is 2 km wide each from each country (in total 4 km). No one is allowed to enter, which makes the nature there untouched by the human hands. Some scientists were even worried that if the two countries declare peace and get reunited, the DMZ?s nature might be damaged. About 2,716 species live in the DMZ and they are mostly endangered animals. Some scientists say there might be Siberian tigers living in the DMZ. (There were a lot of tigers in Korea long ago. In children?s storybooks, tigers were almost always included.)  (photo = Christopher John SSF/flickr) In the Korean wildlife, there are 8,271 species of plants, 18,117 species of animals and 3,528 of others. Among these, there are 246 endangered species of animals. The most well-known 10 are; - the Red-crowned Crane - the Golden Eagle - the Lynx - the Siberian Muck Deer - the Hogdson?s Bat - the Asian Black Bear - the Japanese Sea Lion - Tibetan wolf (wild Korean Wolf) - the Amur Leopard - the Siberian Tiger Unfortunately there are 28 species of plants on the verge of extinction. Even though Korea has biodiversity, the ecosystems are not stable because of land development. About 0.1% of all the forests in Korea are disappearing every year. Animals and plants. They are all one of us. We are all the same in the cycle of Mother Nature. Biodiversity keeps the way we have lived until now. Affecting the cycle is the same as impacting the human beings. It is time to take care of our fellow family members in the cycle. Happy International Biological Diversity Day everyone!!  |
