National parks, protected areas and biodiversity conservation in North Korea: opportunities for international collaboration

Abstract

National parks and protected areas represent one of the best ways to safeguard nature and preserve biodiversity, especially endemic and endangered species. Currently, more than 110 countries have some form of protected areas within their borders. North Korea’s comprehensive network of national parks and protected areas are rich in biodiversity and ecological value; however, contemporary research on the integrity of North Korea’s protected lands is incomplete. In this paper, we utilize a remote sensing approach to explore North Korea’s protected area system and investigate the current state of biodiversity conservation. We find that several key biodiversity areas have experienced severe tree loss and habitat fragmentation since 2000, indicating that the effectiveness of national park governance and management toward guarding against biodiversity loss is inadequate. To address the issue of biodiversity conservation, we recommend pathways for international cooperation aimed at enhancing conservation efforts and comment on the steps North Korea can take to achieve the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Targets and Sustainable Development Goals.

Keywords

• Biodiversity conservation
• East Asia
• National parks
• North Korea
• Protected areas
• Remote sensing