The 10th Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Conservation kicked off in Changwon capital of South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday.
The eight-day convention which is also known as the "Environment Olympics" has attracted over two-thousand government officials and environmental experts from 150 countries to make it the largest gathering in its history.
According to organizers under the theme of "Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People" a total of 52 meetings will be held covering 33 topics. Issues high on the agenda this year include climate change, bio-fuels, migratory birds and the promotion of biological diversity through wetland farming.
Leading environmentalists including Achim Steiner executive director of the UN Environment Programme and Julia Marton-Lefevre director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature were on hand for the event's opening ceremony. President Lee Myung-bak gave an opening speech saying he will work towards making a greener Korea by establishing an ecosystem network.
"If the two Koreas agree, we will be able to inspect the ecosystem on the entire Korean peninsula. Through these efforts, I hope we can link our divided ecosystem and the Korean peninsula can become healthy again."
The convention will also feature various sideline events offering visitors the chance to experience Korea's traditional culture as well as wetland tours in the area.
The Ramsar Convention is held every three years under a multilateral environmental treaty among 157 member nations whose focus is on conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.
Jang Jiyun, Arirang News.
OCT 28, 2008
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Arirang Town
Wednesday, FEB 10, 2010, (KST) 
