Prof. John Tenhunen, director of the Terreco-Project, measuring weather data at 1100 m near the Ulchi-Observatory

Sustainable development and efficient long-term resource management along the Inner-Korean border, in particular in the divided Gangwon Province at the eastern end of the border area, is the aim of a focused cooperation of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation in Korea and Gangwon Province. Therefore, Hanns-Seidel-Foundation initiated and promoted a partnership between the government of Upper Franconia (in Bavaria in Germany, situated along the former inner-German border) and Gangwon Province.

In January 2010, Dr. Bernhard Seliger, resident representative of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea, joined with representatives of the University of Bayreuth to visit a selected intensive research area, where he could gain first-hand experience about the largest existing cooperation project between Upper Franconia and Gangwon Province, the TERRECO project. Within this science cooperation, which is funded by DFG and KOSEF for at least 5 years, research coordinated by the University of Bayreuth (Prof. John Tenhunen) and Kangwon National University (Prof. Sinkyu Kang) is undertaken on different aspects of agriculture, water and ecosystem management in the Soyang Lake watershed and in the community of Haean, directly at the Inner-Korean border. Dr. Seliger accompanied Prof. Tenhunen and his doctoral student Bumsuk Seo to the project site in Haean catchment and reviewed science planning for the coming summer season in 2010. Additional meetings with scientists of Gangwon National University and the Research Institute of Gangwon (partners of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation) were held. Within TERRECO, German and Korean scientists and doctoral students work together to analyze the economic costs and benefits of highland agriculture in the context of related costs with respect to water quality in the border region. Soyang Lake in the mountainous Gangwon Province is the largest reservoir of water in Korea, contributing to supplies for downstream urban areas. The TERRECO project provides a solid long-term base for expanding scientific exchange between Upper Franconia and Gangwon Province on themes related to resource management under the influences of land use and climate change. In this context, Korea is subjected to slowly occurring temperature increases that appear much stronger than the global average.

The field visit to Haean also provided for discussions of contrasting management in the border area, stimulated by a visit to the Uelgi Observatory directly at the DMZ, where TERRECO is measuring climate data with mobile weather stations. During this year, additional joint workshop activities on the development of the border area, in particular related to environmental mediation, are planned in cooperation with the project partners, the Research Institute of Gangwon and Kangwon National University.

More information on the Terreco project can be found at
http://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/terreco/

View of the Haean plain, project location of Terreco project, from Ulchi observatory at the inner-Korean border

Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation, at the DMZ in Haean (Gangwon province)