Mudeungsan Provincial Park: Role of buffer zones and proposals for national park status Myongji University (Korea Planners Association) Jeju, Republic of Korea, September (7-9 pm), Sunday, 9 September Room Halla A Junghoon Ki Presented to: IUCN World Conservation Congress Session 790

Mudeungsan Provincial Park (1) Mudeungsan Provincial Park (IUCN Category IV) is within the boundaries of Gwangju, South Korea’s fifth largest city Width: 30-km 2 and height: 1,187 m The park has a network of well- signed trails that are heavily used by local residents There are several Buddhist temples, as well as a museum of cultural artifacts About 57 percent of the park is in private ownership but subject to strict development controls Credit: Gwangju metropolitan city

Mudeungsan Provincial Park (2) Mudeungsan Provincial Park (within red line) is located adjacent to the urbanized area (within white line) of Gwangju metropolitan city The proposed national park (within yellow line) is 2.7 times larger than the current provincial park A scenery zone between the park and the urbanized area (C-3 to C-6) regulates building density Credit: Gwangju metropolitan city

A vigorous response to urbanization (1) Mudeungsan was established in 1972 as a provincial park of Jeollanamdo Province When Gwangju city became a metropolitan city in 1986 with status equivalent to that of a province, the park became the responsibility of the city In 1972, Gwangju had a population of 620,000. This has grown to over 1.4 million. Urban pressures on the park have increased accordingly, both in terms of visitors and land-use changes There were over 7.2 million visitors in 2011, mainly from Gwangju. The park is easily accessible by city bus or car

A vigorous response to urbanization (2) When it was established, the park was on the outskirts of the city, but residential, commercial, and industrial development has advanced closer and closer The city government has responded vigorously with land-use planning and regulation centered on several buffer zones (Guideline 4.13) By coincidence, the city’s second ring road (map: C-1 to C-9) serves as a buffer between urbanized areas and the park Taken together, these measures not only protect the park, but work to contain urban sprawl (Guideline 7.6). Credit: Gwangju metropolitan city

A vigorous response to urbanization (3) Inappropriate development is also addressed within the park. A military camp, a transmission tower, and commercial shops have been removed in an effort to preserve and restore natural habitats Credit:

Proposed expansion and national park status (1) In 2010, the city proposed to the Korea Ministry of Environment that Mudeungsan be expanded from 30 km 2 to 80 km 2 and made a national park Motivations of the expansion include protection of environmentally sensitive lands, and creation of more opportunities for outdoor recreation However, pivotal reasons for the expansion is that current boundary of Mudeungsan provincial park isn't effective for connecting ecological continuity and for satisfying visitors' needs for various mountain-climbing and hiking activities The ministry asked the Korea Environment Institute, a research center under the Office of the Prime Minister, to undertake a feasibility study The institute made positive findings, as has the Korea National Park Service, and the proposal is moving forward

Proposed expansion and national park status (2) Local NGOs have provided political support, as well as help with securing the agreement of private landowners who would be affected by the expansion (Guideline 6.3) National park designation would result in increased funding It would also carry with it considerable prestige, since this would be only the twenty- first national park in the country Credit: Gwangju metropolitan city

Proposed expansion and national park status (3) Even with an expanded park and with national park status, the challenges of urbanization and accommodating large numbers of visitors will remain To cope with these challenges, park staff and their advisers believe it will be essential to bring park management and urban planning together in comprehensive “sustainable ecological design” Sustainable ecological design means urban planning and management techniques that minimizes urban impacts on national park area This design includes land use regulations, building density regulations, zoning, and other environmental guideline for areas between urbanized area and national park area

Q & A