What Happens to Nature in a De-Militarized Zone? — The Korean DMZ

<p>The DMZ is probably the most natural space that most Koreans can imagine. The DMZ, which has supposedly remained untouched by humans since 1953, has provided a habitat for endangered species to flourish (Korea Ministry of Environment, 2011). Throughout my years of South Korean public education, I grew up listening to narratives about the DMZ as an unexpected treasure left over from the war, and one which could exist only by way of the strict separation of humans from the natural environment (Korea Ministry of Culture, 2022).</p> <p>From the other side of the Civilian Control Line, however, it was apparent how flimsy this narrative was. Many of the natural parts of the DMZ unmistakably bore signs of human influence in the most unexpected places. Birds migrating from the North could fly over the DMZ and the soldiers standing guard at its checkpoints effortlessly. Farmers, granted permission from the government, cultivated dozens of rice paddies that influenced the lives of different amphibians and aquatic insects.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@greenideology/what-happens-to-nature-in-a-de-militarized-zone-the-korean-dmz-part-1-613ee6ea6bc6"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>