Editing IPCC:AR6/SRCCL/Chapter-4 (section)

==== 4.9.3.1 South Korea case study on reforestation success ====

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In the first half of the 20th century, forests in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) were severely degraded and deforested during foreign occupations and the Korean War. Unsustainable harvest for timber and fuelwood resulted in severely degraded landscapes, heavy soil erosion and large areas denuded of vegetation cover. Recognising that South Korea’s economic health would depend on a healthy environment, South Korea established a national forest service (1967) and embarked on the first phase of a 10-year reforestation programme in 1973 (Forest Development Program), which was followed by subsequent reforestation programmes that ended in 1987, after 2.4 Mha of forests were restored (Figure 4.9).

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'''Figure 4.9'''

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'''Example of severely degraded hills in South Korea and stages of forest restoration. The top two photos are taken in the early 1970s, before and after restoration, the third photo about five years after restoration, and the bottom photo was taken about 20 years after restoration. Many examples of such restoration success exist throughout South […]'''
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Example of severely degraded hills in South Korea and stages of forest restoration. The top two photos are taken in the early 1970s, before and after restoration, the third photo about five years after restoration, and the bottom photo was taken about 20 years after restoration. Many examples of such restoration success exist throughout South Korea. (Photos: Copyright © Korea Forest Service)

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As a consequence of reforestation, forest volume increased from 11.3 m <sup>3</sup> ha–1 in 1973 to 125.6 m <sup>3</sup> ha–1 in 2010 and 150.2 m <sup>3</sup> ha–1 in 2016 (Korea Forest Service 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r1313|1313]]</sup> ). Increases in forest volume had significant co-benefits such as increasing water yield by 43% and reducing soil losses by 87% from 1971 to 2010 (Kim et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r1314|1314]]</sup> ).

The forest carbon density in South Korea has increased from 5–7 MgC ha–1 in the period 1955–1973 to more than 30 MgC ha <sup>–1</sup> in the late 1990s (Choi et al. 2002 <sup>[[#fn:r1315|1315]]</sup> ). Estimates of carbon uptake rates in the late 1990s were 12 TgC yr <sup>–1</sup> (Choi et al. 2002 <sup>[[#fn:r1316|1316]]</sup> ). For the period 1954 to 2012, carbon uptake was 8.3 TgC yr <sup>–1</sup> (Lee et al. 2014 <sup>[[#fn:r1317|1317]]</sup> ), lower than other estimates because reforestation programmes did not start until 1973. Net ecosystem production in South Korea was 10.55 ± 1.09 TgC yr <sup>−1</sup> in the 1980s, 10.47 ± 7.28 Tg C yr <sup>−1</sup> in the 1990s, and 6.32 ± 5.02 Tg C yr <sup>−1</sup> in the 2000s, showing a gradual decline as average forest age increased (Cui et al. 2014 <sup>[[#fn:r1318|1318]]</sup> ). The estimated past and projected future increase in the carbon content of South Korea’s forest area during 1992–2034 was 11.8 TgC yr <sup>–1</sup> (Kim et al. 2016 <sup>[[#fn:r1319|1319]]</sup> ).

During the period of forest restoration, South Korea also promoted inter-agency cooperation and coordination, especially between the energy and forest sectors, to replace firewood with fossil fuels, and to reduce demand for firewood to help forest recovery (Bae et al. 2012 <sup>[[#fn:r1320|1320]]</sup> ). As experience with forest restoration programmes has increased, emphasis has shifted from fuelwood plantations, often with exotic species and hybrid varieties to planting more native species and encouraging natural regeneration (Kim and Zsuffa 1994 <sup>[[#fn:r1321|1321]]</sup> ; Lee et al. 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r1322|1322]]</sup> ). Avoiding monocultures in reforestation programmes can reduce susceptibility to pests (Kim and Zsuffa 1994 <sup>[[#fn:r1323|1323]]</sup> ). Other important factors in the success of the reforestation programme were that private landowners were heavily involved in initial efforts (both corporate entities and smallholders) and that the reforestation programme was made part of the national economic development programme (Lamb 2014 <sup>[[#fn:r1324|1324]]</sup> ).

The net present value and the cost-benefit ratio of the reforestation programme were 54.3 billion and 5.84 billion USD in 2010, respectively. The breakeven point of the reforestation investment appeared within two decades. Substantial benefits of the reforestation programme included disaster risk reduction and carbon sequestration (Lee et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r1325|1325]]</sup> ).

In summary, the reforestation programme was a comprehensive technical and social initiative that restored forest ecosystems, enhanced the economic performance of rural regions, contributed to disaster risk reduction, and enhanced carbon sequestration (Kim et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r1326|1326]]</sup> ; Lee et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r1327|1327]]</sup> ; UNDP 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r1328|1328]]</sup> ).

The success of the reforestation programme in South Korea and the associated significant carbon sink indicate a high mitigation potential that might be contributed by a potential future reforestation programme in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) (Lee et al. 2018b <sup>[[#fn:r1329|1329]]</sup> ).

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