Seonheul 1-ri Village, South Korea

Photo | Jeju Tourism Organization, Visitjeju.net

Dongbaek-Dongsan forest was heavily relied on by Seonheul 1-ri villagers for resources. Over time, many villagers moved away from the village due to changes in land policy. The forest was recognised as a Ramsar site in 2011 because of its ecological value, and NPOs got involved to help with environmental protection. Villagers later returned to collaborate with government units and NPOs to co-manage the forest and to develop ecological tourism. Such collaboration helps foster capacity building for villagers to take a lead in ecological conservation and village revitalisation.

Navigating Power Relations

After the declaration of Ramsar site, there were many top-down and external initiatives to conserve ecological assets. These capacity building initiatives re-mobilised villagers to be actively involved in the transformation and in deciding the future of the village. In the process, villagers established a cooperative and village council to work with the government units and NPOs.

Expanding Definition of Community

Villagers, newly moved-in residents, environmentalists, NPOs, etc. formed a Conservation and Management Council to co-manage the forest. This represents an inclusive model of governance and is in line with contemporary rural living. It also allows for clearer positioning where local villagers are hosts and can cultivate a sense of pride and ownership in administering commoning.

Information panel at Dongbaek-Dongsan  (Photo | Jeju Tourism Organization, Visitjeju.net)
Villagers come together to discuss tourism strategies (Photo | Jeju Ecotourism Support Center)

References

  • Choe, H., Kim, J.-K., Jang, H.-G., Yoon, Y.-Y., & Park, S.-H. (2022). Commons Perspectives in South Korea Context, Fields, and alternatives, pp 1–9, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Choe, H., & Lee, J. (2018). A Comparative Study on Two Ways of Community Building with Different Commons Ownership Modes: Focusing on the cases of Gasi-ri and Seonheul 1-ri. Development and Society, 47(2), p 211. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90022838
  • Jeong, Y. S. (2018). From Decommonisation to Re-commonisation: A Conceptual Approach to the Study of Social Change Based on the Theory of the Commons. Development and Society, 47(2), pp 169–194. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90022836
  • Jeong, Y. S. (2018). Introduction: The Growth of the Commons Paradigm and New Directions in the Study of Social Changes. Development and Society, 47(2), pp 159–168. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90022835
  • Kang, M., & Ko, J. (2022, March 1). Cooperation on jeju island. GSTC: Global Sustainable Tourism Council. https://www.gstcouncil.org/cooperation-on-jeju-island/
  • Kim, J.-K. (2022). Sunureum as a Traditional Commoning in Jeju: Reinterpretation of Jeju’s Livestock Culture. Commons Perspectives in South Korea, pp 195–210. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003224280-7

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