This is the National Ecology Institute in Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.
This is the National Ecological Institute in Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea.
The Value of Forests
In 2008, the Korea Forest Service announced that the value of forests exceeded 73 trillion won, and the 2014 reevaluation amount, which improved forest healing, forest landscape, and biodiversity functions, was 126 trillion won, which is equivalent to receiving 2.49 million won in benefits per person.
The Value of Soil
According to the Rural Development Administration in 2018, the value of agricultural land amounts to 281 trillion won, and it announced that it would strengthen research to respond to climate change by improving the ecosystem service functions of soil such as carbon storage.
The Mediterranean Pavilion is a space that reproduces the ecological environment of the Mediterranean climate, including Europe, South Africa, the California coast, the Canary Islands, and Australia.
The Mediterranean region accounts for only about 1.7% of the land area, but it is a treasure trove of biodiversity, accounting for about 25% of the world's plant species. In particular, the European Mediterranean, which accounts for 64% of the entire Mediterranean vegetation area, is home to about 25,000 plant species.
The Desert Hall is a space that exhibits plants and animals living in harsh desert environments, and is comprised of the Madagascar and Namib Deserts in Africa, the Sonoran Desert in North America, the Mojave Desert in the western United States, and the Atacama Desert in South America. With the desert as the background, you can see various desert animals such as desert foxes, rattlesnakes, and geckos, as well as about 300 types of cacti and succulents.
Tropical Hall
The Tropical Hall is a space that recreates the tropical rainforests of the world, which are gradually disappearing due to environmental destruction, in a greenhouse of about 3,000 ml in size, and consists of 13 animal enclosures and 19 aquariums. Centered around the Asian tropical rainforest, the large forests of Central and South America and Africa are created by continent, allowing you to observe the vertical multi-layered structure and various creatures. You can also meet various flora and fauna living in the tropical rainforest, including 130 species of fish, including the world's largest freshwater fish, pirarucu, 12 species of amphibians and reptiles, and about 700 species of tropical plants.
Supplementing regulations for animal protection
In collaboration with the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, we created quarantine guidelines exclusively for smuggled animals. We also operate a consultative body with related organizations such as the Ministry of Environment, the Korea Customs Service, and the Quarantine Agency.
Improving the protection system for smuggled animals
Among the Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act and the Wild Animal Protection Act, we give priority to the Wild Animal Protection Act to prevent incineration and protect animals through quarantine.
Operating animal welfare programs
We strive to improve the happiness of animals through behavioral enrichment programs that promote opportunities for appropriate behavior in animals and positive reinforcement training that reduces stress factors that occur during breeding.
Establishment of CITES animal protection facilities
In 2021, we established a facility to protect internationally endangered animals that have nowhere to go after being caught for smuggling.
Habitat Destruction and Destruction
The habitats of wild animals and plants are being destroyed due to various human development activities. The paths that animals move and their food sources are destroyed together, making it more difficult for wild animals and plants to survive.
Causes of Extinction
Medical Research
Capturing wild animals for medical research is accelerating the extinction of wild animals. Billions of animals are sacrificed for medical research every year.
Hunting
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 350 million animals and plants are traded on the international market each year, and it is estimated that 191 out of every 4 are illegally traded.
Environmental Pollution
Many species are becoming extinct due to various reasons such as water pollution (domestic sewage, factory wastewater, waste oil), groundwater and soil pollution (domestic and industrial waste), and ecosystem pollution (excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers).
Capturing for Pets
Many wild animals die during the process of capturing and distributing, putting them at risk of extinction.
Introduction of Alien Species
When an alien species is introduced to an area and there are no natural enemies, its population will grow uncontrollably and cause other species to go extinct.
In 2020, the entire world is facing a huge threat from the outbreak of COVID-19 in various aspects, from daily life to health and the economy.
It is said that 75% of new infectious diseases that have occurred in humans over the past 30 years are infectious diseases that originated from animals.
Experts warn that if humans continue to disregard life and destroy the ecosystem, zoonotic infectious diseases like COVID-19 will continue to appear in the future. There are far more death sentences by medical treatment than by the death penalty by law.
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