“We’re not antidevelopment. We’re not antigrowth. But this is just stupid.”
How many times has that been muttered over the past few years, in an attempt to bring a semblance of common sense to the world?
The answer is, obviously, far too many. But nevertheless it has once again been spoken by Margaret Williams of the World Wildlife Fund in Alaska in response to the leasing of millions of offshore acres for petroleum development in the Chukchi Sea, off Alaska.
What’s it like helping to clean up after the single worst ecological disaster in a nation’s history? Ecoworldly went to the Taean Peninsula–the site of South Korea’s recent oil spill–to lend a hand and find out.
There is, perhaps, the sense in the West that Asian countries are less concerned about the environment. Ten years ago, this may have been true. However, ask one of the tens of thousands of Korean volunteers who have come to help clean up the massive 10-million liter (2.6m gallon) oil spill off the West Coast of their country, and you’ll hear another story.
Jun Ho Kim, a university student and volunteer at the oil cleanup, says, “All of the Korean people think about the environment. People used to think that development was best; they only thought about development. Their consciousness has changed. Their concept about the world has changed.
Taean Peninsula, South Korea – On Friday, 10 million liters (2.7m gallons) of crude oil gushed from three holes in the side of the Hebei Spirit oil tanker, spilling into the Yellow Sea offshore Taeanhaean National Park. Already the worst spill in the country’s history, its timing and location add more reason for concern. Migrating birds make their winter home in and around the national park. Residents also fear that the fishing and tourist industries that sustain the region will collapse, devastating the local economy.
Mallipo beach, on the Taean peninsula, is considered one of South Korea’s most beautiful beaches. It’s 3 km of white sands call to beach-goers and eco-tourists alike. Today, however, Mallipo’s white sands are buried under a 10-cm thick blanket of black crude that stretches over 50 km of coastline.
The Taean Peninsula itself is listed as one of the top “22 Priority Sites for Conservation” in the Yellow Sea, according to the South Korean-Chinese Government Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Program. Taeanhaean National Park boasts 250 species of flora, and in the winter the area serves as an important stopover for many species of migrating birds. The area is home to a number of unique species such as the Finless Porpoise and the Bar-tailed Godwit, which makes the longest non-stop migration flight of any bird.
Some of the most delicate wetland ecosystems in Korea are also located on the same peninsula, south of the spill. To date, oil from the spill remains concentrated in the north, around Mallipo beach. However, Nial Moores of Birds Korea, a national birding and conservation organization, warns that it is likely that currents will carry the oil south to the Geum Estuary and the Cheonsu Bay wetlands. There is no current estimate of the consequences this would have for the area’s migrating birds.
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