- Upo wetland
Infobox Korean name
hangul=우포늪
hanja=牛浦늪
rr=Uponeup
mr=UponǔpUpo wetland is a complex of natural
wetland s located inChangnyeong County ,South Korea , near theNakdong River . It is located in portions of Yueo-myeon, Ibang-myeon and Daehap-myeon. It derives its name from the largest of the wetlands, Upo. Other wetlands in the complex include Mokpo, Sajipo and Jjokjibeol wetlands. The complex as a whole covers 2.13 km², and is the largest inland wetland in South Korea today. It is one of eight Ramsar wetlands in the country and one of the official visitng sites for [http://www.ramsar2008.go.kr/intro.jsp the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties] that will be held in Changwon, Korea in October, 2008.Upo is home to numerous endangered, threatened and rare
species . Based on a 1997 survey, the wetland is believed to be home to a total of 342 endangered or threatened species: 168 species ofplant s, 62 species ofbird s, 55 species ofarthropod s, 28 species offish , 12 species ofmammal s, 7 species ofreptile s, 5 species of amphibians, and 5 species ofmollusc s.The most famous rare plant found here is the
prickly lotus , "Asin euryale". A particularly noted bird species is theBlack-faced Spoonbill . Upo provides habitat to large numbers of migrant birds, including other rare species such as theWhite-naped Crane and Taiga Bean Goose. A notable reptile species is theReeves turtle .Most of Upo has been protected since
1997 , and is now part of the Upo Ecological Park. However, agricultural andfishing activity still takes place on the wetland. A growingeco-tourism sector has developed in the country, although many local residents remain hostile to the idea of protected land. A visitor's center and observation tower have been constructed near the wetland to facilitate tourism, and in interpretive center has been established nearby.ee also
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List of Korea-related topics
*Geography of South Korea External links
* [http://upo.or.kr/eng/eng-index.html Upo Cyber Ecological Park, provided by the Changnyeong County government]
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