A wetland on the coast of the West Sea of Korea, the Mundok migratory bird reserve in Mundok County, South Phyongan Province, was designated thus in Juche 84(1995) in an area of over 3 700 hectares.
It is home to more than 280 species of birds like spoonbills, Eurasian spoonbills, hooded cranes and Chinese Egrets. In spring and autumn, over 80 000 water birds of some 120 species such as Calidris tenuirostris, Xenus cinerea, Charadrius mongolus, and little stint fly into the area. Water birds of 22 major dominant species so far observed number more than 76 000.
Of the 22 threatened species of birds in the world, two species in danger of extinction, seven endangered species and 13 vulnerable species are known to inhabit the area.
Over 50 000 swan geese known as a vulnerable species were observed in October 2018 alone.
The reserve is a good place for feeding, breeding and inhabitation of water birds as it has rich fauna and flora: about 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, over 60 kinds of fishes, 21 species of crustaceans, dozens of kinds of sea-floor animals, seven species of annelids, 16 species of mollusks and hundreds of species of plants.
It is also inhabited by a large number of field and mountain birds such as yellow-breasted bunting, Themeda willdenow., little owl and over 20 species of animals including roe deer.
Snipes with colored rings put around their legs in Australia, New Zealand and other countries are observed in the reserve every year.
The wetland of the Mundok migratory bird reserve was inscribed on the Ramsar wetland list in January 2018 and registered in the Network Site of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world`s eight migratory bird flyways, in April.
The DPRK, in which nature conservation has been set as an important Party and state policy, directs a great deal of energies to ensuring that natural environment contributes to the provision of better life to the people and sustainable development of society.
