Empty wetland 'starving birds'
The wetland used to have over 150,000 waders seeking food there
Also In The News
|
Tony Blair has revealed that he will step down as prime minister on June 27th. |  |
Saturday, 12, May 2007 12:01
The lives of tens of thousands of migrating birds are being put at risk because of the destruction of one of their most important refuelling stations, wildlife campaigners have said.
Over a year ago the Saemangeum wetland in South Korea was drained as part of the world's largest land reclamation project.
As a result at least two bird species face the risk of extinction while other wildlife including fish and plants are being harmed, the RSPB said today.
The wetland is the region's most important refuelling station for about 400,000 migrating waders completing a 15,000-mile round trip between the southern hemisphere and south-east Asia, and breeding sites in Alaska and Russia.
At the height of migration Saemangeum wetland used to have over 150,000 waders from more than 25 species seeking food there.
Dark puddles are all that is left of the wetland and thick scum lines the estuary's few creeks and channels. Shellfish and plants lie dead on the mud that covers most of the site.
The Saemangeum project was originally designed to create paddy field but there is insufficient clean water for irrigation.
"Now they are talking about building a golf course, a huge casino or even a Formula 1 race track," said the RSPB's Sarah Dawkins, who is currently working as a volunteer to help monitor the impact on birds of the seawall. "It would be like putting a casino on The Wash.
"Estuaries should be fantastic places, full of the bustle of shorebirds feeding on shellfish and worms in the mud and sand. The wall has blocked the life-giving ebb and flow of the sea, boats are stranded waiting for a tide that will never come and the mudflats are strewn with mile upon mile of litter.
"Saemangeum really was the jewel in the crown yet all around me the place is dying."
The RSPB and Birds Korea are calling on the EU and other governments in the world to put pressure on South Korea's government to keep sluice gates built into the Saemanguem seawall open.
"Saemangeum could be a huge lure for eco-tourists from all over the world if it was restored," Park Meena, national coordinator of Birds Korea, said.
"The birds are still coming and parts of the site are still alive so there is a chance we can save it. If the sluice gates were opened the tides would return, restoring life to the mudflats and bringing food both to the birds and people with whom they co-exist."