Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union Urges Conservation of Magpies' Habitat within Daehanbangjik Land
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Lee ByungJae(2025-06-16 16:06:39)
For the second consecutive year, the presence of Eurasian eagle-owls has been confirmed at the former Daehan Textile site in Samcheonbyeon, Jeonju.
On the 16th, the Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union stated, "Based on the Eurasian eagle-owl listening survey conducted on the 14th at the former Daehan Textile site in Samcheonbyeon, we confirmed the owl calls at four different points," emphasizing, "Even after capture and relocation, the presence of Eurasian eagle-owls has been confirmed for two consecutive years, proving once again that the site is still a major habitat."
Through a statement released on that day, they strongly urged the Jeonbuk Regional Environmental Office to reflect habitat preservation and the creation of alternative habitats within the environmental impact assessment for the Daehan Textile site's mixed development.
In November of last year, the company Ja Kwang captured 63 adult Eurasian eagle-owls and 544 chicks and relocated them to the Geonjisan Osongje Ecological Park area, submitting a completion report to the Jeonbuk Regional Environmental Office. However, in May 2024 and June 2025, Eurasian eagle-owls were once again found in large numbers within the Daehan Textile site, highlighting the clear limitations of this capture and relocation method.
The Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union stated, "Capturing all Eurasian eagle-owls on a site spanning 23,000 square meters is realistically impossible," emphasizing that preserving habitats within the site or creating new habitats is a more effective measure.
The Union particularly pointed out the significantly low success rate of relocation to external alternative habitats. They cited the case of Eurasian eagle-owl capture and relocation during the development of the Samcheon Ecological Learning Center in Jeonju in 2021 as a failed project, stating, "Despite releasing around 230 individuals, the owl calls disappeared, and they were hardly confirmed during post-monitoring."
The Environmental Union mentioned that within the Daehan Textile site, there are ample spaces such as community parks (11,300 square meters), landscaped green areas (10,251 square meters), landscaped areas (36,028 square meters), and public notice areas (79,840 square meters) that could be utilized to create Eurasian eagle-owl habitats. They pointed out that the owl playground in Samcheondong Geoma Park is composed of a small dry wetland and grassy area of about 50 square meters, stating, "Eurasian eagle-owls have a narrow range of movement from 100 to 300 meters. Creating habitats in urban areas is not difficult."
The Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union emphasized, "Creating ecological spaces within the site is more economical and effective than the repeated capture and relocation each year," stating, "Protecting Eurasian eagle-owls is not just about environmental conservation but the first step towards coexistence of urban development and life."
