Topic: 2025-Regulating Invasive Species
Country: Republic of Korea
Delegate Name: Amirah Medlen-Ellis
Invasive species is a major threat to the global economies. The cost is about $423 billion a year and it has been quadrupling every decade since 1970. Regulating these alien species would help to improve biodiversity, agriculture, and the economy worldwide. Each year the invasive species of plants and animals populations increase and it causes a decrease in the native populations, affecting not only the wildlife but also the local citizens. Around 60% of all global extinctions are due to alien species causing harm to the biodiversity of these locations. As of 2023, 37,000 alien species have been spread around the globe and without regulating them this number is continuing to increase and cause for the native populations to go extinct.
Kora is facing this major problem of having an increase in the number of alien species. To combat this we are developing the “Fifth National Biodiversity Strategy” to protect biodiversity. With being a country with a very biodiverse population having majority of the land be mountainous lands and being surrounded by bodies of water, biodiversity protection of the country is found to be very important. In the country’s plans there is a goal for stricter regulations on importation and managing any way that they can be introduced into the ecosystems. Korea will work to restore destroyed native populations and continue to monitor these things. One way in which that Korea has already enacted this was the conservation of the Umyeonsan Mountain. A plant research team worked to take out the alien flora and plant more native ones. They brought in community engagement by having nearby citizens join in which allows for awareness in the general public.
Korea proposes that the rest of the UN follows suit with the “Fifth National Biodiversity Strategy”. It would be beneficial to have the general public be made aware of how invasive species negatively affect the global population. If all countries also monitored imports and exports the spread should be kept to a minimum. Growth of native species and alien species should be monitored to make sure everything is on track. By being strict on following this plan native species can be restored and invasive species would cause little to no harm.
