Halt the South Korean Four Major Rivers Restoration Project
Call on the South Korean government to halt a project that will potentially prevent fish from laying eggs in the river shallows, eliminate wetlands inhabited by endangered species and pollute drinking water sources used by majority of South Koreans.
FEM/Friends of the Earth Korea has been working hard to save rivers from the Korean government's destructive projects.
Unfortunately, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the controversial Four Major Rivers Restoration Project was just approved by the Ministry of Environment of South Korea, on Friday, November 6. Construction work on the project has already started. It's not too late to stop it though.
The government claims that the Four Major Rivers Project is part of its efforts to combat climate change. However, the project threatens conservation efforts of wetlands and will stop rivers from flowing freely. Friends of the Earth Korea believe that more than 100 river wetlands on the National Wetland Inventory will be affected by the project.
Wetlands play a crucial role in flood control, water supply and water purification. The construction of levies and dams on rivers to improve flood control has often had the reverse effect. Floodplain restoration and removal of nearby structures should be considered as an alternative solution.
The government has started on its plan to build more than 16 new dams on the main outlets of the four largest rivers and five new dams on their tributaries. They are also planning to raise 87 existing irrigation dams; reinforce 377 kilometres of riverbanks; and dredge 570 million cubic meters of sediment from 690-kilometre long sections of the rivers to keep the water just four to six meters deep.
Tell the South Korean government that the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project needs to be stopped immediately before considerable harm is done to the local environment.
take action
Take action now by signing Friends of the Earth Korea's online petition
further information
Find out more about the threats to South Korean wetlands here.
