The Geum Estuary in Seocheon County, South Korea is one of the most significant migratory shorebird stopover points in the Yellow Sea and the most significant in Korea. With the loss of the Saemangeum mudflats a small island (known as Yubu Island) has become a crucial refuge site and hosts close to 40,000 shorebirds and waterbird each year including the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
With funding from Woodside Australia, BirdLife International and BirdLife Australia are working together with Seocheon County Government, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Secretariat and other stakeholders including local communities and NGOs, national government and international agencies to support and enable the long-term, participatory conservation of Geum Estuary. The Geum Estuary contains two Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), a Ramsar site, and an EAAFP Flyway Network Site and the long-term conservation plan includes securing World Heritage Site status for the site (with Wadden Sea Secretariat staff advising), and supporting the development of nature based tourism.
