Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/SEOL: One of the most heavily armed borders in the world, the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, and virtually devoid of human activity and blocked by fences and landmines, has unintentionally become a haven for wildlife. Last week, Google provided street-view photographs of the 160-mile-long DMZ for the first time, providing a unique look at the plants and animals roaming in the area dubbed as “no man’s land.”
The photos are part of an initiative to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that stopped hostilities in Korea in 1953 and established the DMZ. Still, the conflict technically never ended because no peace treaty was ever signed between the two countries. The project highlights cultural artefacts and heritage places close to the DMZ, including war-torn buildings and defence bunkers, by allowing users to conduct a “virtual tour” using Google’s street view feature.
The more than 6,100 species prospering in the DMZ, including plants, birds, and reptiles, are depicted in the most breathtaking photographs. According to Google, 38% of Korea’s 267 endangered species live in the DMZ.
Wildlife refuge
The DMZ experienced little human meddling after the Korean War for nearly 70 years, and the damaged environment recovered on its own, according to the organisation’s website. As a result, it created a new ecology that was not present in the area around the cities, and it is now a wildlife refuge.
The DMZ’s inhabitants include musk deer with long fangs who live in old-growth forests; endangered mountain goats who live in the rocky mountains; endangered golden eagles, who spend their winters in civilian border areas where residents feed the hungry hunters, and otters who swim along the river running through the two Koreas.
The National Institute of Ecology of South Korea placed unmanned cameras that took many pictures. For the first time in 20 years, these cameras captured a baby Asiatic black bear in 2019, much to the delight of researchers long concerned about the declining numbers of this endangered species due to poaching and habitat loss.
According to Seung-ho Lee, head of the DMZ Forum, a non-profit that works to preserve the region’s natural and cultural heritage, the DMZ has become a haven for migratory birds due to the deteriorating conditions on both sides of the border.
He claimed that urbanization and pollution had divided South Korean habitats, logging and flooding had harmed North Korean land. Then he added, “We refer to the area as an accidental paradise.
Pristine, biodiverse landscapes can be seen in Google photos as well. Visitors can use street view to explore the Hantan River Gorge, which has blue water meandering between high granite walls, or the Yongneup high moor, which has substantial grassy meadows brimming with wetland vegetation.
Many voices in both Korea and international environmental organizations have been calling for conserving the DMZ for decades. But the process is challenging, requiring cooperation from both Seoul and Pyongyang.
Recent developments include the pledge to transform the demilitarized zone (DMZ) into a “peace zone” made in 2018 by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former South Korean president Moon Jae-in. The following year, South Korea made the first of three “peace trails” along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) accessible to a select group of tourists. The paths take hikers past observatories and barbed-wire walls.
But, since then, the situation had gotten worse, with tensions reaching a record high in 2022 when North Korea fired a record number of missiles as a new president of South Korea took office.
