Habitat restoration and juvenile fish releases underway

Education programs nurture next generation's environmental awareness

500 million won in cumulative support for local environmental groups

Members of Hyundai Motor's Ulsan factory environmental team and the Taehwa River Conservation Society release juvenile Dongnam mitten crabs and Korean rose bitterlings into the lower reaches of the Taehwa River in Ulsan. [Hyundai Motor]
Members of Hyundai Motor's Ulsan factory environmental team and the Taehwa River Conservation Society release juvenile Dongnam mitten crabs and Korean rose bitterlings into the lower reaches of the Taehwa River in Ulsan. [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor's Ulsan factory has spent two decades at the forefront of efforts to preserve biodiversity along the Taehwa River, the lifeblood of Ulsan.

Situated along the lower reaches of the river, the factory has carried out native species restoration programs since 2005 in line with Ulsan's push to become an ecological city. It also runs education programs that allow younger generations to experience the local ecosystem firsthand and learn about the importance of biodiversity.

On April 1, the factory signed an MOU with the Taehwa River Conservation Society for environmental and social contribution activities, donating 60 million won ($44,200) to support community biodiversity conservation and resource recycling. Cumulative donations have now reached 500 million won.

Hyundai Motor launched its species restoration work in 2005, releasing more than 400 artificially bred Sericinus montela — a native Korean swallowtail butterfly — after the species had been gradually disappearing from the Taehwa River area.

Starting in 2007, the factory released 10,000 Dongnam mitten crabs along the southern riverbank of the Taehwa River Ecological Park, and has since continued restoring aquatic species by releasing Korean rose bitterlings and pond mussels, which share a reproductive symbiotic relationship with the bitterlings. In 2011, it completed a 1,500-square-meter butterfly habitat planted with host plants for caterpillars, then donated the site to Ulsan so residents could observe the native butterfly restoration process.

Since 2023, the factory has worked with the Taehwa River Conservation Society to produce 3,000 copies of a field guide covering 57 protected wildlife species in the Ulsan area for use as elementary school teaching materials, and has supported ecology club activities for youth.

"Being part of Ulsan's ecosystem is what sustainable growth means for Hyundai Motor's Ulsan factory," a factory official said. "We will continue our biodiversity conservation efforts in ways that engage the local community and future generations."


cityblue@heraldcorp.com