[The Hwankyung Ilbo] The Korea National Park Service under the Ministry of Environment announced that it will cooperate with the Korea Institute of Arboretum Management under the Korea Forest Service on conservation of forest genetic resources.

The two organizations have agreed to explore and collect forest resources that are vulnerable to climate change in the four Baekdu Grand National Park areas, including Mount Sokri and Deokyu.

The seeds of species that are prioritized for preservation, including tail azaleas, which are secured by the Korea National Park Service, will be stored in the Seed Vault, a permanent storage facility for plant species owned by the Korea Arboretum Management Institute.

Seed Vault is a permanent conservation facility that stores highland plant seeds in the Baekdudaegan region, which is under threat of climate change, including global warming.

The Korea National Park Service has established biological samples of 6,239 species and genetic information of key genetic resources of 116 species through natural resource surveys and marine ecological axis surveys, and is striving to strengthen the country's biological sovereignty by identifying 3,194 species subject to national protection and 837 species of indigenous species.

“The conservation and utilization of species and genetic resources at the national level is becoming an important issue in the international community, so both organizations will try to contribute to the stabilization of wildlife habitats in the Baekdudaegan region,” said the Chairman of the Korea National Park Service.

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