Gyeonggi Province to Systematically Manage Biological Resources... Launches "Biodiversity Center"

Gyeonggi Province will establish and operate the "Gyeonggi Biodiversity Center" to systematically manage local biological resources and enhance the effectiveness of ecosystem conservation policies.

On March 11, Gyeonggi Province announced that it had signed a consignment agreement with the Gyeonggi Environmental Energy Promotion Agency on March 9 for the establishment and operation of the Gyeonggi Biodiversity Center.

From this year until 2028, the Gyeonggi Environmental Energy Promotion Agency will operate the Gyeonggi Biodiversity Center within its organization for three years and carry out a range of initiatives.

The center will be staffed by dedicated personnel from the Ecological Life Team of the Gyeonggi Environmental Energy Promotion Agency, who will be responsible for conducting biodiversity surveys in the province and developing ecosystem conservation policies.

This year, the center will promote 11 detailed projects across five main areas: 1) Gyeonggi Biodiversity Exploration, 2) Establishment of Ecosystem Restoration Infrastructure, 3) Support for Biodiversity Activation through Public-Private Partnerships, 4) Biodiversity Promotion and Network Building, and 5) Committee Operations.

The core project, Gyeonggi Biodiversity Exploration, will utilize the LUCA app, which is operated by Gyeonggi Province for residents’ participation. LUCA enables any resident to photograph, record, and share biological species (plants, insects, animals, etc.) discovered anywhere, anytime in the province.

After taking photos of organisms in the field, residents can upload up to three images to LUCA, reporting and recording them along with location and time information. The accumulated data on various species is used as reference material for ecological and environmental management. LUCA is also linked to Gyeonggi Province's climate action initiative, and users can earn up to 200 points per day by uploading biological photos.

The ecosystem restoration infrastructure project involves a technical support team providing expert consultation at every stage of provincial natural environment restoration efforts to revive damaged ecosystems.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Through public-private partnership projects, Gyeonggi Province supports biodiversity exploration and monitoring activities with the participation of local organizations and companies. The collected data is thoroughly analyzed and verified to improve the accuracy of species information. The province also partners with companies to pilot ecosystem conservation activities linked to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management, and operates educational programs in collaboration with local universities to foster ecological sensitivity in future generations.

Promotional and communication initiatives are also underway to encourage resident participation. The province will hold exhibitions to promote designated protected and flagship species (key flora and fauna representing local ecosystems) and offer experiential programs in connection with major environmental events such as the International Day for Biological Diversity and Environment Day.

In addition, the "Gyeonggi Biodiversity Forum" will be held, bringing together experts and related organizations.

The center plans to enhance the professionalism and effectiveness of its projects by operating a separate management committee that provides expert advice for each field.

Byun Sanggi, Director of Climate and Environmental Policy at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The Gyeonggi Biodiversity Center serves as a key hub for ecosystem conservation in the province, carrying out both biodiversity surveys and policy implementation in one place. We will continue to expand biodiversity conservation policies based on citizen participation in biodiversity exploration and public-private cooperation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.