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Coexistence between man and nature (August 5, 2013. The Korea Times)
- Date : 2013.08.05
- Views : 1057
Coexistence between man and nature
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I was recently amused by television news coverage of a 13-year-old dolphin named Jedol being flown to an ocean pen off Jeju Island for rehabilitation and, ultimately, return to freedom.
The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin had been captive for 497 days in a pen at Seoul Grand Park and trained to perform for human entertainment.
After a local court ruled illegal the capture of Jedol and ordered its return to the open sea, the Seoul Metropolitan Government took action for the dolphin’s release. Two other dolphins have also been rehabilitated and freed off the coast of Jeju.
This process ― the capture of the dolphins, their confinement, coerced training for entertainment purposes, a court ruling to free them offshore, rehabilitation and a safe return to their birthplace ― is one you would expect in an advanced soft power nation.
More than 100 wild dolphins are estimated to be swimming in several pods in the waters off Jeju. I saw some during a short boat ride recently to Marado Island, near Jeju, and the sight of them leaping occasionally from the water was, indeed, spectacular.
Of course, visitors to Seoul Grand Park won’t be able to see the dolphins anymore, and I too will miss seeing them, as it had been my routine during recent weekend strolls through the park.
Instead, their absence can remind children and adults alike that humans do not have the right to separate wildlife from their natural surroundings, especially not for the sake of our ego.
What Korea did through social consensus to free illegally captured dolphins was praised as an unprecedented case of reintroducing a wild animal into nature by the International Whale Commission’s Scientific Committee, affirming Korea’s potential to lead other countries in marine life protection.
As we often talk about human rights, so should there be “nature’s right” and the recognition that all forms of nature have their own life. This applies even more so for wild life.
Modern human civilization has long engaged in the act of conquering nature for comfort and survival. However, the unrestricted and greedy exploitation of nature without a sense of preservation could result in fateful consequences and even the demise of humans.
This summer, as we have in the past few years, we continue to experience abnormally long spells of rainy weather, which harms both property and human lives.
In recent decades, all nations, advanced or developing, have been paying an increasingly high price due to drastic climate change. Humans have historically tended to separate civilization from wildlife in a number of ways, including in the legal, social and moral sense.
In modern times, we must regard the natural ecosystem with priority to preserve its sustainable coexistence with man. The first step to valuing a sustainable ecosystem is putting an end to the domestication of wild animal species for human benefit.
Oriental philosophies and ideologies have long been rooted in the concept of a harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature.
Many old paintings in Korea show men, both young and old, playing chess or reading while peacefully surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, deer, calves and a variety of birds.
As members of a truly civilized society, Koreans today should cultivate their mindset to protect nature’s rights. And as we saw in the case of Jedol and her friends, it feels good to watch a creature rejoin its kind, in the habitat it was meant for. We must also remember that high economic value could be created from our firm belief that man and nature must coexist, and our early education system must address this.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2013/08/333_140439.html