In partnership with the Ministry of Environment of South Korea, the GSTC offered an STTP training class (November 18-19, 2016) for representatives of ecotourism destinations from around the country. The training was held at Upo Wetland Ecovillage, Changnyeong County, Gyeongnama Province, Korea, and was open only to invited participants representing select destinations.
Trainer: Dr. Mihee Kang
Partner: Ministry of Environment, South Korea
Language: Korean
What: 2-Day Sustainable Tourism Training by the GSTC
When: November 18-19, 2016
Where: Upo Wetland Ecovillage, Changnyeong County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Korea
Who: Invited representatives from various ecotourism destinations in Korea
GSTC Trainer: Dr. Mihee Kang
Dr. Mihee Kang is a member of the GSTC Board of Directors and Country Representative for South Korea, in addition to serving on the GSTC Accreditation Panel as a sustainable tourism standard expert. Dr. Kang is a research professor at Seoul National University, researching topics related to protected areas management and sustainable tourism. She received her Ph.D. degree at Seoul National University in 1999 and actively participated in numerous ecotourism and protected area projects in Korea and abroad such as Australia, Paraguay, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc. She has published many articles and books including the first ecotourism book in Korea and the recent one about ecotourism in ASEAN Countries.
She serves a number of key positions in both domestic and international organizations such as Ecotourism Korea, Korean Ecotourism Consulting Committee, Korean Geoparks Committee, Korean UNESCO MAB Committee, and Asian Ecotourism Network. Recently she co-founded Playforest, a cooperative of sustainable travel businesses designed to benefit local communities and local activists dedicated to the conservation of their forests and to provide genuine community-based natural tourism experiences to the visitors.
About Upo Wetland
Upo Wetland located in Changnyeong-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, is the largest riverine wetland in the Republic of Korea with a well preserved natural environment. The area of Upo Wetland spans about 2.3km2 and many smaller wetlands are scattered around. In recognition of its values as a migratory bird habitat, the wetland has been inscribed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance in 1998, and during the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP10) held in 2008, many experts visited the wetland.
The aesthetic value of Upo Wetland, derived from its cultural, geographical and ecological features, is significantly high. Numerous aquatic plants and migratory birds are observed in the site every season, and due to the site’s particular position as an important migratory route connecting between Asia and Australia, the wetland and its surrounding areas are utilized as a natural resource for ecological education. In addition, the geological features formed by low hills surrounding the wetland are home not only to migratory birds but also to a variety of plants and animals, creating an outstanding landscape. The site is designated as an Ecological Conservation Area by the Korean government.
(Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre)
