Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Holds “Kick-off Meeting for Comprehensive Marine Ecology Survey Research Service”

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that on the afternoon of September 8 at 3 p.m., it held a kick-off meeting for the smooth implementation of the “Comprehensive Marine Ecology Survey Research Service” in the 18th-floor conference room of City Hall and has officially begun the research.

This kick-off meeting was organized to gather expert opinions in the field of marine ecology on the project’s direction before its full-scale launch. Following the presentation of the contractor’s project implementation plan and schedule, experts provided advice on systematic management measures for Busan’s coastal marine ecosystem, followed by a Q&A session.

The meeting was attended by more than ten experts, including the Director General of the City’s Marine, Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau, members of the City Council, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, the Korea Maritime Institute, the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, and Pukyong National University.

This survey marks the first comprehensive study based on the “Ordinance on the Conservation and Management of Marine Ecosystems of Busan Metropolitan City,” enacted in May this year. It is being undertaken to establish fundamental data for the conservation and sustainable use of Busan’s coastal marine ecosystem.

The main tasks include:
▲ Survey of Busan’s coastal marine environment and physical marine conditions in coastal waters
▲ Comprehensive survey of the marine ecosystem
▲ Survey of the status of coastal development and marine utilization plans
▲ Evaluation of Busan’s coastal marine ecosystem and policy recommendations.

The research service will be conducted for 13 months until September 2026, covering the entire coastal area of Busan through comprehensive field and literature surveys of tidal flats, coastal, and rocky shore ecosystems. In particular, the project will diagnose ecosystem health by analyzing marine biological community structures, including plankton, fish, seaweed, and macrobenthos (large benthic invertebrates identifiable by the naked eye that inhabit tidal flats or seabeds, such as crabs, shrimp, starfish, polychaete worms, and clams).

Busan’s coastal area is an ecological treasure trove with high marine biodiversity and numerous marine protected species. It is the only region in Korea where three major marine ecological axes intersect: the South Sea Island Ecological Conservation Axis, the East Coast Ecological Conservation Axis, and the Climate Change Observation Axis. The area is also home to three marine protected areas (Oryukdo and surrounding waters, Namhyeongje Island, and Namu Island) as well as the Nakdong Estuary Wetland Protected Area, highlighting its exceptional ecological value.

The results of the survey will be utilized as a policy foundation for:
▲ Building a database (DB) of information on Busan’s coastal marine ecosystem
▲ Establishing conservation and management measures for the marine ecosystem
▲ Supporting the expansion of marine protected areas and the designation of a National Marine Ecological Park.

Park Geun-rok, Director General of the Marine, Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau, stated, “This comprehensive survey is an important starting point to scientifically assess Busan’s coastal marine ecosystem and to establish balanced policies for both conservation and utilization. Based on the survey results, we will secure biodiversity in Busan’s coastal marine ecosystem and build a sustainable marine ecological city together with our citizens.”