Questions/Answers

The Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam is a lifestyle forest cultural movement based on suggestions from local residents and is also a successful model of sustainable use of forests in response to climate change. Much of the forest land in Jeollanamdo was destroyed during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War, with the standing tree accumulation per hectare of only 10 cubic meters in the late 1970s. Today, thanks to the central government’s aggressive implementation of forest creation policy, the size of forest land has increased to 112.6 cubic meters per hectare. Meanwhile, the enactment of local autonomy act contributed to a diversification of resident perspectives on forest creation. Residents proposed detailed plans for forest creation, including the tree types, the project implementation and the forest format. In this regard, there was a need for a long-term vision to maintain the forest’s vitality and sustainability while addressing issues related to climate change including greenhouse gases, improving disaster response and offering residents better amenities for relaxation. The Government of Jeollanamdo aims to convert its full land area of 12,335 square kilometers into a park-like environment and make the Jeollanamdo a land of ultimate natural beauty while converting the forests into a tourism resource.

Based on the introduction/operation of the systemic process and public-private partnership, this initiative is linked to the category on ensuring integrated approaches in the public-sector institutions. To ensure the stability and voluntary participation by citizens in the Project, the Jeollanamdo was the first local government in the Republic of Korea to enact the ‘Jeollanamdo Tree Planting Support Ordinance (2015).’ For sustainable partnership, a public-private governance mechanism was established, which is composed of the ‘Forest Jeonnam Steering Committee (2014)’ led by 300 resident representatives and the ‘Forest Jeonnam Association (2015)’ led by NGOs, academics, experts and professional entities with 2,000 members.

The Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam could effectively contribute to the implementation of Goal 13 (CLIMATE ACTION) and Goal 15 (LIFE ON LAND) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By achieving the goal of planting 100 million trees through collective efforts by 1.2 million citizens from 2015 to 2024, it could resolve many environmental issues. The forests created by the Project could not only reduce the level of fine dusts but also prevent natural disasters such as drought, landslide and flooding. On top of that, by planting strategic tree species, it also increases biodiversity for mitigating the impact of climate change.

With the forests counted as effective means to plan for the lively and attractive local communities, the forests with big diversities can be created which is well adapted to specific conditions of regions and social composition and ultimately cultivates a citizen-tailored welfare system. The impact of developing local forests on various social groups is significant, particularly the socially-vulnerable individuals. First, there are 171 ‘Hope and Dream Forests’ for teens, 37 ‘Sharing Forests’ for socially-underprivileged individuals, 30 ‘Village Forests’ aiming to preserve the culture and history of local villages and 171 ‘Forests with Trails’ for children and seniors to use as walking areas in their daily routines. Second, for promoting a culture of filial piety in Korea through the ‘Harmonious Life Movement’, the Project conducts a ‘Three Generation Family Garden’ activity each year for grandparents, parents and children to participate in together (currently 312 families involved). Third, to commemorate the Sewol Ferry incident (which occurred in 2014 and caused 304 death casualties), a “Memory Forest” was created near Jindo Island’s Paengmok Harbor, the nearest point on land to the tragedy.

Given the fact that forests are generally cultivated by the central government, the Project brings a revolutionary change to the existing system, which transforms it into a local-resident-run process customized to local needs. Meanwhile, it has catalyzed a revival of community spirit promoting cooperation among residents, which largely disappears after industrialization. Moreover, a positive donation culture has been nurtured through the Project. Since 2007, 274,000 trees have been donated, with 177,000 for the forest creation, reducing the provincial budget by KRW 626.6 billion. It received a Budget Efficiency Excellence Award by Korea Ministry of Interior and Safety in 2014.

It is indeed an original innovation. The existing implementation of tree planting by the central government disregards local uniqueness, with no chances for voluntary participation by residents. The Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam comprehensively analyzes the history, society and environment of Jeollanamdo. This ten-year initiative was established based on a strategy that reflects the resident feedback. The establishment of various Project-based forests, e.g. Income Forest, River Landscape Forest and Resident Participatory Forest, significantly improved the effectiveness of the Provincial-wide plans. Also, the participation of diverse social groups from the bottom was a major factor contributing to the transformation of the top-down private-led project.

Yes, it has been transferred and adapted to in other contexts. The Moon Jae-in administration has set ‘improvement of citizens’ quality of life’ as a key government initiative, which aspires to a people-centered economy pursuing the creation of decent jobs. Forests are recognized as an optimum area for realizing a virtuous cycle of socioeconomic values and improving the lives of residents. The Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam was used as the basis for the “Forest Korea” project (2018) to initiate a new forest policy paradigm. As a result, the Project is being expanded nationwide through the vision of “Forest Korea, Changing Lives”.

The primary resources are local residents and trees. With an aim to plant 100 million trees through the participation of 1.2 million residents from 2015 to 2024, over 40 million trees have already been planted by residents since 2015. The secondary financial resources are the creation of an Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam Fund, which has been privately funded since 2015. The tertiary resources, in terms of the regulatory arrangement, are attributed to the Jeollanamdo Tree Planting Support Ordinance, which stipulates that the governor must take an active role in tree planting.

Forests are the only carbon absorbent recognized by the Climate Change Convention. They are an effective solution to various environmental issues. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which will be entered into force on national levels from January 2021, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development defines the forest creation as a mandatory function of the state. The good natural environment, which could address various environmental issues including the reduction in local fine dust levels, alleviation of the effect of heat islands, improvement of livelihood conditions, creation of an eco-friendly residential environment and developing local economy, is now taking shape as a key project that must be implemented regardless of the changes of the administration. Therefore, the Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam is a project that must be carried out without interruption for the good of the economy, society and environment with accompanying benefits including an increase in forest resources and income through production of forest-based products, the creation of an attractive livelihood environment, job creation, and absorption of fine dust. Under this philosophy, the Project has continued despite the recent change in administration.

Yes

Each year, an internal assessment is conducted by the Forest Jeonnam Steering Committee to analyze the Project’s outcomes. The Committee evaluates, designates and gives awards to outstanding organizations, cities and counties in order to encourage good-spirited competition and to share information on the creation and management of forests. In addition, the Project was externally assessed by the central government and the media through public contests.

The internal assessment is comprised of 15 items in three categories, which include i) Landscape forest category: diversity, area, tree planting outcomes; ii) Income forest category: industrialization of comparative advantage resources, implementation of forest projects, scale/unit, creation of local specialized forests; iii) Jeollanamdo resident category: participatory forests for resident associations, operation of forest protector system, tree donation. Assessment categories of external assessment by the central government and the media are validity of project goal, appropriateness of operation of outcome monitoring, public-private cooperation system, continuity of project, creativity, effectiveness, probability of expansion of outstanding examples.

The Forest Jeonnam Contest, entitled the creation of forests as beautiful as parks, was organized to encourage residents to actively participate in goodwill competition between cities and counties as the result of annual internal assessment. So far, awards have been presented to five cities and counties. This Project has also received many awards by the external assessment, including designations as an excellent example e.g. Outstanding Example of Regional Development in August 2015, PR Grand Prize for Metropolitan Governments in September 2015, Green Environment Award in November 2016 and Outstanding Case of Forest Job Creation in November 2017.

The participation of residents in the Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam started since its inception. First, to ensure full incorporation of residents’ feedback and opinions into the Project, a survey was conducted, from October to December, 2015, with collected responses from 1,256 residents aged 20 and above. For the forest designing, 300 members from the Forest Jeonnam Steering Committee provided advice on tree cultivation strategies that took into account the natural landscape. Ideas were also collected from residents who were most well-informed of each region’s characteristics. Second, residents, organizations and corporations actively participated in the designing, implementing and evaluating of the Project. They created 322 Resident Participatory Forests and acted as 17,000 forest protectors. In addition, 20 experts from the Forest Jeonnam Association participated in the landscaping, forest creation, design and environment-related programmes as talent donations. Also, partnerships were built up with private corporations. To inspire corporate values with the importance of the environment in mind, 17 ‘Social Contribution Forests’ were created in partnership with private businesses. Third, for project assessments, 300 members from the Forest Jeonnam Steering Committee participated in selecting good cases at the first stage; five special members of the Committee conducted on-site assessment at the second stage.

The Project introduces a revolutionary user-based system, emphasizing the significant policy implications of participatory governance. Forestation is generally conducted through the central government. The Eco-Green Forest Jeonnam changed the policy paradigm to the voluntary citizen-led participatory process. Local forests are now being created by residents commensurate with their capacities. One area for improvement is the creation of more diverse programmes to further enhance the interests and participation by local residents. There is also a need to develop outstanding examples from the private sector and designate professionals responsible for the health and creation of forests.