The aggravation of environmental pollution issues have led to continuous warning messages around the world. The environment we live in and the ecosystem created by the environment are closely related to our lives. They provide us with not only water, air and sunlight, but also a wide range of services including raw materials, food materials and clean air quality. The benefits for human beings that come from the ecosystem are called ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are divided into provisioning services, regulating services, habitats and supporting services and cultural services.
• Provisioning Services –Food, water, raw materials, medicinal resources (plants)
• Regulating Services – Climate and air quality regulation, carbon sequestration (storage), disaster alleviation, sewage treatment
• Habitats and Supporting Services – Maintenance of habitats for species and genetic diversity
• Cultural Services – Recreational experiences, tourism, artistic inspiration, sense of belonging
Together with ESP (Ecosystem Services Partnership), an international environmental experts’ group, the Gyeonggi Province opened the ESP Asia Regional Office for DMZ preservation inside the DMZ Ecological Tourism Support Center. It will hold the “DMS Ecosystem Services International Forum,” the first international event to express the provincial government’s will for promoting policies based on the ecosystem services, to discuss environmental management in border areas of Asia including the DMZ.
• Subject: Connecting People and Nature for Peace
• Period: June 13 (Tue.) – June 15 (Thu.), 2017
• Venue: DMZ Ecological Tourism Support Center
A meeting of the related people will be held on June 13 (Tue.) followed by a plenary session on June 14 (Wed.). The participants will discuss the plans for promoting cooperative projects as well as the issues in two sections, comprising of ecosystem service policies and natural capital management, and ecological connection and cooperation in border areas. On the third day, June 15 (Thu.), the participants will go on an inspection field trip to the Civilian Control Line, Camp Greaves in Paju and a National Geoparks of Korea (Gomun-ri Canyon).
For more details, call the ESP Asia Regional Office (+82-70-8887-3000) or visit the website((dmz.gg.go.kr).