A few days ago I received an e-mail about the disasterous mud flat reclaimation project at Saemangeum in South Korea. For those that don’t know, this estuary is (was?) one of the most important sites for migratory shorebirds in the east Asian flyway with internationally important numbers of Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank. Since the reclaimation project sealed off the mudflats the number of shorebirds using the site has seriously declined and threatens the aforementioned species with extinction.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper by Johan Svensson

On the Restore Saemangeum website bird lovers are urged to send an e-mail to the South Korean ambassador to your country appealing for his government to recognise its commitments to the Ramsar convention and to restore this site for shorebirds. With the next Ramsar meeting taking place in South Korea in 2008 there is a real opportunity to persuade the South Korean government to reverse the reclaimation project, particularly as it is opposed by many within South Korea itself, including by local government.

Please visit the Restore Saemangeum website and send a message to the South Korean government.