Project Statement

The Yeonsu-gu area is a bird breeding site located in Incheon and there is a problem that urbanization is leading to poor habitats.

However, Yeonsu-gu has potential as an urban habitat in that it is designated as a Ramsar wetland.

Therefore, we plan sequential steps to address the problem.

1. Guide - Laying the foundation for migratory birds to visit the Yeonsu-gu area by activating the coastal ecosystem

2. Awareness – Drawing citizens into recreated habitats in this city and fostering awareness about birds.

3. Connection - presenting programs and directions for migratory birds to coexist in a living space for human.

Through these steps, Yeonsu-gu will become a city where ecology, culture, and education coexist.

Project Narrative

1. Background

The coexistence of bird habitats and cultural facilities in the urban area has showed a unique aspect of interaction between nature and humans. However, urbanization has led to the reclamation of tidal flats, resulting in the following issues.

2. Problems

(1) Salt marsh is disappearing.

(2) In case of Namdong Reservoir, sediment continues to be accumulated as water quality worsens, and issues arise such as the mortality of fishes and shellfishes due to the proliferation of Botulism bacteria and damage from terrestrial animals.

(3) There is polarization between old and new urban areas, as a result, cultural facilities such as Aamdo have declined. Also, waste management system consisting of a single pipeline causes complex issues, and these problems are becoming serious as the population increases.

3. The potential

As Yeonsu-gu area has marine value as a Ramsar wetland and high potential for infrastructure development, it is suitable for revitalizing urban migratory bird habitats.

4. Key strategies

The following steps presented will restore urban networks and migratory bird networks, which have collided due to human activities, to a form of coexistence.

STEP 1) Guide - Laying the foundation for migratory birds to visit Yeonsu-gu.

Planting nitrate-removing plants to expand salt marshes increases benthic invertebrates and leads to abundant foraging by migratory birds. Adjacent coastal park is divided into two sectors. One sector is for the program at low tide and the other is for all time program. We will present a migratory bird nesting program and a guide for Okguido, where the potential as breeding site has emerged lately, and manage it regularly to be used for a breeding. These interconnected activities and the creation of parks and habitats maintain a stable tidal flat ecosystem and guide birds into waters of the site, which is connected to STEP 2 and the surrounding ecological cultural facilities.

STEP 2) Awareness - Drawing citizens into nature and fostering awareness about birds.

We plan to turn Aam tidal flat and Namdong reservoir into an ecological park to expand urban habitats. The bridge over Aam tidal flat connects old city section with new town and also serves as an eco-tourism spot by creating bird observation decks. In addition, we will revitalize declined tourist facilities by reproducing coastal sand dunes and vegetation food sources at the border of Aamdo. The sediment-inducing weir and sediment collector in Namdong Reservoir will alleviate worsening water quality, and water flow monitoring system will draw the attention of citizens and make them aware of the seriousness.

STEP 3) Connection - presenting programs and directions for migratory birds to coexist in a living space for human.

Ecological programs and green road plans blur the line between birds and humans. We distribute and share The use of visiting birds which will increase as the previous plan (STEP 1&2) progresses by introducing vegetated mattresses, floating islands, rain gardens, and artificial birdhouses in urban waters with high human usage rates.

Artificial birdhouses alleviate interspecific competition resulting from urbanization's impact on Secondary passive microalgae's habitats. Planting strategies according to function of Urban Space not only has a landscape effect, but they also can be used as a food source for birds, and the economic strategy of using a food waste is of benefit to both nature and humans.