Environment of North Korea#Deforestation

More than 80 percent of North Korea is mountainous with cultivation largely confined to coastal strips in the east and west.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=53|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} According to a United Nations Environmental Programme report in 2003, forest covers over 70 percent of the country, mostly on steep slopes.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=12|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} However, other studies have suggested that, due to deforestation, forest cover was only about 50%.{{cite web|url=http://apjjf.org/-Peter-Hayes/3233/article.html|title=Unbearable Legacies: The Politics of Environmental Degradation in North Korea|first=Peter|last=Hayes|publisher=Asia Pacific Journal: Japan Focus|date=12 October 2009}} There are nine rivers and numerous smaller waterways.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=30|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} The environment is correspondingly diverse, consisting of alpine, forest, farmland, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|pages=13, 52|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}}

Due to its geological history, the country has a range of vegetation, from the subtropical, temperate and frigid zones, which are able to coexist due to the combined effects of oceanic and continental climates.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=12|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} The climate has pronounced seasonal variations, with warm summers and snowfall in winter.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=11|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}}

{{Further|List of mammals of North Korea|List of birds of North Korea}}

In 2003, animal and plant species in North Korea were reported to be "profuse". Four percent of the higher plant species were reported to be endangered, vulnerable, rare, or in decline. Eleven percent of vertebrate species were reported to be critically endangered, endangered, or rare.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=53|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}}

In 2013 a delegation of visiting scientists reported major environmental devastation. They described an absence of wildlife and said that the "landscape is basically dead". This situation was described as "so severe it could destabilize the whole country".

However, a group of birdwatchers from the Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists' Trust, New Zealand, visited the Yellow Sea shore of Mundŏk County in South P'yŏngan province in 2016 and reported that the mudflats there were a haven for bird life. The relative lack of development there compared to nearby China and South Korea had provided a refuge for several internationally important birds on their migration along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway - such as the critically endangered eastern curlew, the Eurasian curlew and the bar-tailed godwit.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36533469|title=Why North Korea is a safe haven for birds|date=2016-06-20|website=BBC News|access-date=2016-06-20}}

{{Main|Flora of North Korea}}

The flora of North Korea has much in common with that of other areas of the Northern Hemisphere. 2898 species have been recorded, of which 14% are endemic. Four are classified as threatened.{{cite book|last=Haggett|first= Peter |title=Encyclopedia of World Geography|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2001|pages=3088|isbn=0761472894|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=om_31QGM6psC&pg=PA3088 }}

The native plant communities in the lowlands have largely disappeared with cultivation and urbanisation. Native conifer forest communities are located in the highlands. The forest types are mainly subarctic (boreal) and cool-temperate forest.{{cite book|author1=Jirí Kolbek |author2=Ivan Jarolímek |author3=Milan Valachovic |title=Forest Vegetation of Northeast Asia|editor1=Jirí Kolbek |editor2=Miroslav Šrůtek |publisher=Springer|year=2003|pages=264, 294|chapter=8: Forest Vegetation of the Northern Korean Peninsula|isbn=1402013701|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmtPnUbH-uIC&pg=PA263 }}

File:Laika ac Pyongyang (11987547824).jpg

{{main|Pollution in North Korea}}

In 2003, air pollution in Pyongyang, largely due to combustion of coal, was reported to be unacceptable.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|pages=37–38|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} This is somewhat mitigated by the high use of public transport in urban areas.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=43|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}}

In 2003, the pollution of rivers and streams was reported to be "severe" due to a decrease in investment in environmental protection and the improper discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluent. The quality of the Taedong River, which flows through Pyongyang, was reported to be "deteoriating", exacerbated by the construction of the West Sea Barrage.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|page=29|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} A survey conducted in 2017 found that 93% of sanitation facilities were not connected to a sewage system. Rather, the human waste was used as fertilizer on fields, creating the potential health risk of spreading intestinal worms.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-unicef/tackling-north-koreas-chronically-poor-sewage-not-rocket-science-u-n-idUSKBN1JG2Q4|title=Tackling North Korea's chronically poor sewage 'not rocket science': U.N.|first=Tom|last=Miles|work=Reuters|date=21 June 2018}}

North Korea produces large quantities of DDT and other pesticides.

Cultivation, logging, and natural disasters have all put pressure on North Korea's forests. During the economic crisis of the 1990s, deforestation accelerated, as people turned to the woodlands to provide firewood and food. This in turn has led to soil erosion, soil depletion, and increased risk of flooding.{{cite journal|title=International Health: North Korean Catastrophe |last=Tenenbaum |first=David J. |journal=Environ Health Perspect |pmc=1253723 |pmid=15643724 |volume=113 |issue=1 |year=2005 |pages=A26 |doi=10.1289/ehp.113-a26}}{{cite news |url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/04/environment-so-bad-north-korea-theyll-even-let-americans-help/50653/ |title=The Environment Is So Bad in North Korea, They'll Even Let Americans Help |newspaper=The Atlantic Wire |date=April 3, 2012 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606154055/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/04/environment-so-bad-north-korea-theyll-even-let-americans-help/50653/ |url-status=dead }}

Based on satellite imagery in 2013, it has been estimated that 40 percent of forest cover has been lost since 1985.{{cite journal|last=Raven|first=Peter|title=Engaging North Korea through Biodiversity Protection|journal=Science & Diplomacy|date=2013-09-09|volume=2|issue=3|url=http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/perspective/2013/engaging-north-korea-through-biodiversity-protection}} The United Nations Environmental Programme in 2003 reported a much smaller rate of depletion.{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|pages=25–27|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}}

A forest restoration policy has been in place since 2012, especially on hillsides around Pyongyang and in South Pyongan Province. However deforestation appears to continue in remote areas. New crop cultivation of slopes exceeding 15 degrees has been banned to help prevent erosion and landslides.{{cite news |url=https://www.38north.org/2020/12/bchung201231/ |title=North Korean Forestlands Have Rebounded in Recent Years |author=Bruce Songhak Chung |publisher=The Henry L. Stimson Center |work=38 North |date=31 December 2020 |access-date=6 January 2021}}

In 2018, North Korea had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.02/10, ranking it 28th globally out of 172 countries.{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507| pmc=7723057|doi-access=free}} Satellite analysis of North Korean land in 2019 indicated forests accounted for 45%, farmland for 27% and grasslands for 13%.

In recent years, forest cover has been growing at 0.2% every year up to 45% in 2019, with forests reemerging especially around Pyongyang, although in some rural areas, deforestation has still occurred, due to wood being an easy source of fuel in the countryside.

{{Excerpt|Climate change in North Korea}}

In response to the deforestation problem, North Korea has implemented a tree planting program.{{cite web|url=http://ifes.kyungnam.ac.kr/eng/FRM/FRM_0101V.aspx?code=FRM150313_0001|title=North Korean Cabinet Adopts Forest Restoration Resolution|publisher=The Institute of Far Eastern Studies|date=15 March 2015|access-date=18 April 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|title=DPR Korea: State of the Environment, 2003|author=United Nations Environmental Programme|pages=25–27|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040901021452/http://www.unep.org/PDF/DPRK_SOE_Report.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-01}} In 2016, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the Central Nursery under the Ministry of Land and Environment Protection had produced 90 million saplings over the past five years for distribution around the country.{{cite news|url=https://kcnawatch.co/newstream/1481904160-968510663/90-millions-of-saplings-produced-at-central-nursery/|title=90 Millions of Saplings Produced at Central Nursery|publisher=Korean Central News Agency|date=16 December 2016}} Official pronouncements have labeled illegal forest destruction as "treachery" and threatened perpetrators with the death penalty.{{cite news|url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/11/exclusive-n-korean-warning-threatens-deforesters-with-execution|title=Exclusive: N.Korean warning threatens deforesters with execution|author=Dagyum Ji|work=NK News|date=15 November 2016}} In 2017, Kim Il-sung University announced the opening of a new Forest Science Department.{{cite news|url=https://www.nknews.org/2017/03/pyongyangs-kim-il-sung-university-opens-new-forest-science-department|title=Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University opens new "forest science" department|author=JH Ahn|work=NK News|date=27 March 2017}} In 2018, North Korea made an agreement with the South on forestry co-operation.{{cite news|url=https://www.nknews.org/2018/07/two-koreas-agree-to-joint-action-on-forest-cooperation-pest-control|title=Two Koreas agree to joint action on forest cooperation, pest control|author=Dagyum Ji|work=NK News|date=4 July 2016}}

The North Korean government has ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and has been co-operating with international efforts to combat climate change.{{cite news|title=North Korea: an unlikely champion in the fight against climate change|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/20/north-korea-unlikely-champion-fight-against-climate-change|first=Benjamin|last=Habib|newspaper=The Guardian|date=20 May 2014}} It has invested in the development of solar and other renewable energy technology.{{cite news|title=North Korea holds solar, renewable tech exhibition|url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/08/north-korea-holds-solar-renewable-tech-exhibition/|first=Leo|last=Byrne|work=NK News|date=11 August 2016}} In 2017, the Foreign Ministry condemned the US government for withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/07/asia/north-korea-trump-climate-change/index.html?sr=twCNN060717north-korea-trump-climate-change0242PMVODtopLink&linkId=38449525|title=North Korea accuses Trump of being 'selfish' over Paris climate pact|first=James|last=Griffiths|publisher=CNN|date=7 June 2017}}

North Korea has participated in international environmental projects, such as the conservation of the red-crowned crane.{{cite magazine|title=The DMZ's Thriving Resident: The Crane|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-dmzs-thriving-resident-the-crane-953694/?all|first=Eric|last=Wagner|magazine=The Smithsonian Magazine|date=April 2011}} In 2017, Pyongyang hosted a workshop on the conservation of wetlands and migratory waterbirds, attended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Hanns Seidel Foundation, and the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership.{{cite web|url=http://www.eaaflyway.net/national-workshop-held-in-pyongyang-north-korea/|title=National Workshop held in Pyongyang, North Korea|publisher=East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership|date=17 June 2017}}

While recycling of materials in North Korea has always been a practice, a new law in 2020 gave it a much higher profile and required organizations to recycle. A national recycling plan stipulated the minimum recycling quantity for certain materials, and placed requirements at the province, county and city levels. Economic reasons are a strong driver of this effort, reducing some imports.{{cite news |url=https://www.38north.org/2021/06/turning-waste-into-treasure-north-koreas-recycling-push/ |title=Turning Waste into Treasure: North Korea's Recycling Push |last=Williams |first=Martyn |publisher=The Henry L. Stimson Center |work=38 North |date=15 June 2021 |access-date=18 June 2021}}

File:DPRK rice.jpg|A North Korean agricultural landscape

File:1169 - Nordkorea 2015 - Myohyang Berge - Freundschaftsausstellung (22786096760).jpg|Myohyang Mountain

File:Countryside, North Korea (6647247605).jpg|North Korean countryside

File:Forested_slopes_around_Kaesong,_North_Korea.jpg|Forested slopes around Kaesong

File:Landscape with Mountains in North Korea.JPG|Mountains in North Korea

File:0031 - Nordkorea 2015 - Pjöngjang nach Wonsan (22574756869).jpg|North Korean river

File:Hwanghae-Province-Scenery.jpg|Hwanghae Province scenery

File:Yalu River Delta, North Korea.jpg|Yalu River Delta

File:North Korea(36).jpg|North Korean coastline

File:West Sea Barrage (5063141563).jpg|West Sea Barrage

• Geography of North Korea
• Environment of South Korea

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