Jeju Dongbaekdongsan Wetland Designated as a National Ecotourism Area for the Fifth Consecutive Time, to Remain in Place Until 2028

[Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jung Yong-bok] Dongbaekdongsan Wetland in Jeju's Seonheul Gotjawal will retain its status as a national ecotourism area for a fifth straight term.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 24th, Dongbaekdongsan Wetland in Seonheul 1-ri, Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, passed the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment's performance review on ecotourism area management and operations, securing its national ecotourism area status from 2026 through 2028.
A national ecotourism area is a system under which the state designates and supports regions with high conservation value and strong potential for hands-on learning and education about ecosystems. Even after designation, operations are evaluated every three years.
Since the system was introduced, Dongbaekdongsan Wetland has passed all five evaluations after first being designated in 2013.
Dongbaekdongsan Wetland is a 0.59-square-kilometer inland wetland located in Seonheul Gotjawal in Jocheon-eup. It was included in a UNESCO Global Geopark and a forest genetic resource reserve in 2010, and was registered as a Ramsar wetland under the Ramsar Convention in 2011. In 2018, the surrounding area was certified as a Ramsar Wetland City.
The key to the latest re-designation is not only the site's natural value, but also its resident-participation management system. Residents of Seonheul 1-ri, centered on the social cooperative Seonheul Got, run ecological interpretation, environmental education and experience programs. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province also supports the Ramsar wetland Dongbaekdongsan Ecocultural Festival and nature conservation activities.
Rather than focusing on attracting large numbers of tourists, the model allows residents to directly set standards for conserving and using ecological resources and to take part in operations, linking them to the local economy.
With the re-designation, Dongbaekdongsan Wetland will continue to receive national funding through 2028 for ecotourism program development and operations, as well as projects to strengthen residents' capabilities.
In Jeju, five national ecotourism areas are currently in operation, including Dongbaekdongsan Wetland, Jeoji Gotjawal, Jeoji Oreum, Doto Oreum in Pyeongdae-ri, the waterway of haenyeo divers at Bijarim Forest, Hyo-don Stream, Harye-ri and Chiyu Hogeun Village. As of August this year, there are 40 ecotourism areas nationwide.
Im Hong-cheol, director of the Climate and Environment Bureau of Jeju, said, "Dongbaekdongsan Wetland is a region that has preserved its wetland while promoting ecotourism based on the voluntary participation of residents," adding, "We will continue to support efforts so that ecotourism can help revitalize the local community while protecting its ecological value."


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