Development of wetland and its lesson

Abstract

Tidal flats, which is about 255,000 ha (based in 1999) and concentrated in western coastal area of Korea (over 90%), has reduced by 37 % (150,700 ha) for 40 years (1960~2000). And she has been going to be decreased 3,800 ha by development plan during 2001~2011 (see Table 1). There are two main reasons about their reduction: shortage of land for economic development and underestimate of tidal flats value. The need for conservation of tidal flats is born out of realization that they are valuable parts of our environment, and moreover, it has become an international trend emphasizing important functions playing a role in balancing our eco-system. Making up replacement tidal flats, which is a sort of conservation measures, can be considered in two perspectives: 1) restoring or enhancing already damaged environment carried out by national or local government, and 2) creating tidal flats as a mitigation purpose for unavoidable destruction of existing wetlands. The two perspectives can be achieved through combining coastal maintenance projects, environment impact study, and permit system. Since the tidal flats are typical quasi-public goods (or non-market goods), their loss caused by reclamation brings negative externalities to people. The externality problem can be solved as internalizing environmental costs to avoid market failure into private costs of developer.