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Suncheon Bay Ecological Park
The view of Suncheon Ecologial Park in Suncheon, South Korea.
Map of South Korea
Location	Suncheon Bay, South Korea
Nearest city	Suncheon
Area	27 km2 (10 sq mi)
Established	2003

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park is a protected natural area near Suncheon, South Korea. It is effectively a bay between Yeosu peninsula and Goheung peninsula. It is located 8 km (5.0 mi) from the center of Suncheon, and has 21.6 km² (8.3 sq mi) of mudflats and 5.4 km² (2.1 sq mi) of reed beds.

From the junction of the Dong stream and Isa stream to the front of the mudflat in Suncheon bay, it has the widest reed bed in Korea. In autumn, reed blossoms, red turkeis, and white migratory birds make the area a popular attraction.

Suncheon Bay, facing the South Sea, has a climate strongly influenced by the sea. Therefore the average temperature of the coldest month is about 0 °C (32 °F). A yearly average temperature is 13.9 °C (57.0 °F). The annual temperature range is smaller than other areas.

The gardening cultivation advances on benefit of warm temperature in winter. Fisheries for gray mullet, gizzard shad and octopus as well as an aquaculture industry are developing.

The administrative area of Suncheon Bay is over 75 km² (29 sq mi). The total area of sandbar exposed at the ebb tide is about 12 km² (4.6 sq mi) and the total is 21.6 km² (8.3 sq mi).

The history of Suncheon Bay is about 8000 years. The study of geologists says that after the last glacial epoch on the earth, the level of sea increased about 160 m (520 ft). The western area of Korea, called West Sea, turned from the land to the sea. The Korean peninsula was what it is now. It is estimated that in Suncheon Bay to have been of brackish water, earth and sand, coming along the river, has been accumulated long time by the tide of sea and the accumulation consisted in extensive sandbar.

Suncheon Bay is the treasure house of having the various many species.

It is very important to be studied. Because of little pollution sources, It has the developed salt swampy land. It abounds in fresh marine products, multifarious invertebrate animal and sea plant.

The extensive reedbeds is the wintering site and the habitat for the national rare birds which are a hooded crane, a sea gull, a white stoke, a blackfaced spoonbill and a white heron etc.

Suncheon bay is known to be the area which rare birds inhabit and especially the unique habitat of a hooded crane.

The swampy land frequently called 'a swamp' is the transition region between land and sea. It is also called 'the swirl of life' and 'the lungs of earth'. The reason is that many life things live in it. The swampy land of Suncheon bay expands into the downstream area which Dong-cheon and Isa-cheon meet. They supplies the components of swampy land. Now the speed of a current in them is rising by the increasing slope of them. The swampy land extends to the distant downstream. The swampy land is the unique salt land left in Korea and worthy to be preserved in view of natural ecology. Having the group of reedveds and Suaeda japonica, this area is also the main habitat for the migratory birds. The beautiful sight of the area charms the tourists into visiting the swampy land.

A sandbar is the habitat of being unceasingly provided with nutrients from the river and of many kind of animals and plants. It is the best productive ecosystem in which 20% of creatures on earth lives, so that Sandbar of Suncheon bay is worthy to be preserved.The size of Suncheon bay is about 8 millions pyeong. The depth of highly-developed fine clay layers is about 25 m (82 ft). The sandbar in which a sand crab, a selfish and etc. lives is much productive and has the role of natural purification and esthetics.

Total of 116 species, 92 genera, 36 families of plants inhabits in salt damp area of Suncheon Bay.In inner bank of Suncheon Bay, Phragmites communis community is formed and in sides of bank, zoysia sinica, kummerowia stipulacea, rhyuchosia volubilis and such are inhabiting. And within 2 m (6 ft 7 in) of outer parts of bank, plants such as erigeron bonarensis, echinochloa crus-galli and such that endure salt relatively well. Phragmites communis community is extending more and more as a dominant species of Suncheon bay. It's developing as it forms a group in a ring shape in several places of reeds. Suaeda asparagoides grows well on dry ground of lower part of bank, and groups of aster tripolium and palntago major for. yezomaritima grow well near watercourses or puddles. Phragmites communis community and suaeda japonica community are growing as dominant species in land where farms and fields take place.

At the beginning of Suncheon Bay, Phragmites communis community of approximately 300,000 pyeong is densely spread. It took more than 30 years to form this. In the past 10 years, it had been growing much faster. Other Phragmites communis community of Korea had been much destroyed, but the Phragmites communis community of Suncheon Bay is the widest and well preserved. Phragmites communis community has an outstanding purifying function and provides an environment for boleophthalmus pectinirostris, very sensitive to pollution, to inhabit. It plays a great role as a natural sanitation facility of Suncheon Bay and also controls flood. It blocks cold wind for fish and bring birds that eat these fish. Phragmites communis community is a reason that Suncheon Bay became an inhabitation of rare birds.

Approximately 158 species of bird were observed to be inhabiting in Suncheon Bay. It includes 15 species of natural monument, 6 species of endangered species specified by Ministry of Environment, 13 species of preserved species, 12 species of Red Data of IUCN, 16 species of CITES annex, and 15 species in Ramsar Convention. In Suncheon Bay, more than 1% of grus monacha and larus saundersi, 18% of tadorna tadorna, 7% of calidris alpina of world total inhabit. These are international preserved species. The dominant species are anas acuta acuta, tadorna tadorna, anas platyrhynchos, aythya marila mariloides, aythya fuligula, anser alvifrons and such. Scolopacidae, plover such as calidris alpina, charadrius alexandrinus and such hibernates here too. Also, grus vipio, platalea minor, ciconia boyciana, falco tinnunculus interstinctus, microsarcops cinereus, haematopus ostralegus osculans and such visits here regularly.

The area of Suncheon Bay is a treasure house of marine resources. Various groups of organisms from a microbe to higher life are inhabiting. There are total of 43 species of benthos. The density of inhabitation is about 300 individuals per 0.1m² Mollusks of Bivalvia such as neanthes japonica, sinnovacula constricta, cyclina sinensis, megangulus venulosus, glaucinomyachinensis and such are widely spread in middle and lower beach.

Suncheon Bay Eco-Museum created in Haeryong-myeon and Byeolang-myeon, Dosa-dong, Suncheon-si is composed of Ecology Hall, in central facility zone, Yongsan Observatory that overlooks beautiful Suncheon Bay, and small parks with hem of Unmyong and Waon. Suncheon Bay Eco-Museum created in central facility zone, is a facility with organized phragmites communis, beach and birds. It preserves various ecological resources and helps academic research of resources and ecological study of students and general people. Indoor facilities are plan exhibition room, main exhibition room, movie room, ecology classroom, seminar room and such. outdoor facilities is the beach experience course nearby that can be used as an ecology study course for students and general people. Also, overview and sunset of Suncheon Bay looked out in a ship is th ideal beauty.

Shelter for Passage Birds, Suncheon Bay Passage birds speak for natural ecological value of Suncheon Bay. Passage birds are the measures of productivity of swamp. For example, numerius madagascariensis loses half the weight during flying 4,000–5,000 km (2,500–3,100 mi) non-stop from Australia. It recovers while staying at Suncheon Bay for 2 weeks to fly to Siberia. In other words, it visits Suncheon Bay because food is rich. Wide suaeda japonica community and phragmites communis community around Suncheon Bay becomes a shelf, provides food. Field nearby is a place for birds to catch food.

grus monacha, anser albifrons, tadorna tadorna, anas penelope linnaeusm, anas crecca, anas platyrhyndhos, anas acuta acuta, mergus serrator, mergus mergansercircus cyaneus, coturnix coturnix, crus vipio, vanellus vanellus, calidris alpina, numenius arquata, larus saundersi, larus ridibundus, larus argentatus, motacilla grandis, prunella nontanella badia, matocilla grandis, prunella montanella badia, turdus naumanni eunomus and such

nycticorax nycticorax, bubulcus ibis, egretta garzetta, egretta alba modesta, ardea cinerea, charadrius dubius curonicus, alcedo atthis bengalensis, motacilla cinerea robusta, motacilla alba, acrocephalus arundinaceus and such

Birds-Crane plover - approximately 15,000 of them pass Suncheon Bay annually. The species over 1% that satisfies Ramsar Convention joining requirements are 10 species: pluvialis squatarola(1%), calidris alpina(7%), numenius phaeopus(1%), tringa nebularia(1%), tringa guttifer(2%), xenus cinereus(3%), tringa brevipes(1%), limosa lapponica(1%), numenius arquata(2%), charadrius alexandrinus(1%)

Southnorth coast of Korea has a rough line. Because of its geological feature of having a long gulf, tide range is very large. That is the reason for development of beach. Beach of Korea is one of the top 5 With eastern cost of Canada, eastern and northern cost of North America, and the Amazon River area. Beach of Suncheon Bay has history of 3 thousand years and non destroyed nature of approximately 8 million pyeong where various creatures gather to live.It's an internationally preserved stopping place for rare passage birds. Beach-Beach is a heaven for numerous creatures. Beach, a neutral zone connecting land and sea, provides habitat and spawning ground for various fish and shellfishes. More than 60% of total fish catch are produced in beach, and one third of creatures about to be exterminated are known to be inhabiting in beach.

Various creatures such as 230 species of fish, 193 species of crab, 74 species of shrimp and 58 species of shellfish live in beach. Various creatures inhabit here because there are rich nutrient salt, and it has high productivity. According to "Nature" the science magazine of England, ecological value of beach is US$ 9,990 per 1§µ(0.01§´). It show higher value than farmland which has ecological value of US$ 92. It's an ecologic value of centuple. Ministry of Environment of Korea evaluates the ecologic value of Korean beach as US$ 24.315. This is because Korean beach is a habitat for creatures where marine goods are produced. It has higher value compared to foreign nations. Especially beach of Suncheon Bay had been evaluated to have productivity conversed to economic value of approximately 24,500,000,000 won annually.

Total area of phragmites communis field in Sunceon Bay is approximately 300,000 pyeong. It takes place over Gyoryang-dong, Daedae-dong and Junghueng-ri, Haechang-ri, Seonhak-ri and such of Haeryong-myeon of Suncheon-si. Each side of 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long watercourse from joining of Dongcheon and Isacheon to the rivermouth is completely covered with phragmites communis field. It's the biggest phragmites communis community in Korea. When its balls of seeds become silver as the sun shines over, the scene is magnificent. phragmites communis field is a habitat for marine creatures and at the same time a key to maintenance of swamp ecosystem.

The reason Suncheon Bay can keep its clean ecosystem if the large group of phragmites communis of 300,000 pyeong. The root of phragmites communis has the function of accelerates growth of bacteria, filter and absorbents of solids. Stem and leaves of phragmites communis obstruct growth of seaweeds and slows down the wind on the water surface. It transmits gas in the atmosphere into water to transmit oxygen to inundated parts of plants. It heightens quantity of dissolved oxygen necessary for dissolving organic matters in water to purify water quality. Oxygen discharged from the root of phragmites communis oxidizes soil in resolving state, and promotes activation of dissolution of microorganisms nearby. Also, wide phragmites communis field provides environment for microorganism group to inhabit so that it dissolves and converses various types of polluting substances.

Convention-Swamp is the most productive life supporting ecosystem. The protection of it is very important in biological, hydraulical, and economic reasons. Even so, in many parts of the earth, swamps are damaged due to irrigation, reclamation, pollution and such. To stop the damage to swamps, international conference and technological conference were held in sequence sponsored by International Waterfowl Research Bureau in 1960. As the result of conferences, a conference was joined in Ramsar, Iran on February 2, 1971. The established form of Ramsar Convention is Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Korea joined this convention on July 28, 1997 as the 101st. Young Swamp of Daeam Mountain in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do and Upo Swamp in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam are registered as Ramsar Swamps.

Suncheon Bay started to gain attention as the fact that waterfowls enlisted in Ramsar Convention became known. Especially it satisfies 'various kinds of birds requiring different types of habitat inhabiting' part of Ramsar Conventions. It makes Suncheon Bay a very proper candidate to become a Ramsar Swamp. Suncheon bay was designated as a swamp preserving area of Korea in December, 2003, and it joined 'international network for protection of crane in northeastern Asia' in 2004. Northeastern Crane Network was organized as a protection strategy of Asian and Pacific passage birds at the 6th Ramsar Convention conference in 1996. Also, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Korea will request registering of Suncheon Bay as Ramsar Swamp in August or September this year. If it becomes a Ramsar Swamp, the natural environment of Suncheon Bay, the treasure house of ecosystem, will be better preserved.

Suncheon is one of the 5th largest tidal flats in the world, making it an international wetland that attracts approximately 2.8 million visitors in 2008. The methodology for this design began with the concept of leading visitors through the wetlands to the Suncheon Bay. The imprint of the receding tide water becomes the concept for this design. The visitor’s center is placed at the Northeast corner of the site, identified with meandering pathways which encourage and direct visitors to experience the wetlands and outdoor exhibitions. The choreography of these pathways allows visitors to experience the topographical change of the site from forest to wetland. The placement of the building maximizes both the picturesque views to the mountains beyond and to the river, creating a visual continuation of both the water’s path and visitor’s circulation. The buildings and pathways are designed to minimally affect the natural order of the protected wetland. Recesses in the pathways around the building allow for the wetland to continue under the structures. Building functions are separated into distinctly different envelops to allow for greater climatic control and lessen the overall energy usage. The green roof continues the language of the mountains beyond, allowing the gallery interior unobstructed views to nature. The wooden façade is intended to minimize summer sun exposure, maximize potential winter day lighting and blend with the surrounding woodland to the north. Framed views from the gallery through these wooden slats capture light and help set the mood for this visitor’s center. Providing connectivity to the 2013 garden expo, and the greater city of Suncheon, this design intends to reconnect visitors to nature and a network of facilities designed to teach about wetland preservation.

• Official website