[Editorial] Mapping Life in Saemangeum

An ecological map has been made of the top shells, hard clams, Manila clams, blue crabs, king crabs, crayfish, ell, and other living things in the Saemangeum wetlands. The map is the result of the warm feelings residents of Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan have for life there.

Construction on the breakwater will be completed by April of next year, and then the wetlands that have given life to those creatures and to human beings for tens of thousands of years will disappear. What locals wanted to do was record their existence for later generations, before Saemangeum is no more. It is a gift by residents who are about to lose their home to their friends in nature. It will also become a record of another slaughter of life by human greed.

The project was initially begun by activists at the Citizens' Institute for Environmental Studies, and adopted by fishermen in the cities of Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan, which surround Saemangeum. The fishermen say they recorded the distribution of life forms in the wetland and related geographical names. In the course of the project local residents came to again see Saemangeum as a common home for their communities, and they say they have come to share a sense of solidarity about the Saemangeum issue. The result of that solidarity is the decision to define an egg-laying area as the core part of the wetlands and defend it without fail.

These days there is a growing consensus about the dangers of environmental destruction and unconstructive nature of development, but the environmental movement is criticized for being centered around a few prominent individuals, for being "all or nothing" about everything and neglecting the need for diversity. It is said to ignore the importance of consent and agreement and be determined by elites. One hopes this ecological map produced by the caring minds of activists and local residents bears fruit in a big way.

The Hankyoreh, 6 January 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]