A MIDA case study on Jeju Island, the first site in the world to receive UNESCO's Triple Crown and the only MIDA holding all four major international designations, and on its community-led ecotourism model.
Description
Jeju Island, a volcanic archipelago at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, holds Biosphere Reserve status (2002, expanded 2018), the World Natural Heritage Site 'Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes' (2007), UNESCO Global Geopark status (2010) and five Ramsar Sites (2006-2015). The reserve's core centres on Mount Hallasan National Park, extending down two river valleys to three islets, while mid-mountain volcanic cones, woodlands, pastures and tourism facilities form the buffer zone and coastal areas and urban settlements the transition zone. Often described as a textbook of volcanology, the island is dominated by the 1,950 m shield volcano Hallasan and dotted with over 360 volcanic cones, or oreum, alongside extensive lava tubes, columnar jointing and gotjawal woodlands. The Biosphere Reserve Ecotourism Activation Project trains villagers to develop ecotourism activities and brand local products; the Jeju World Heritage Office supports seven 'World Heritage Villages' with training and funding; and the Global Geotrail Festival at Suwolbong Peak has transformed a sleepy fishing village into a site of geotourism and local pride. Jocheon-eup secured Ramsar Wetland City accreditation in 2018, and villagers hold events and markets at the Ramsar Wetland Centre. Together with the world-famous haenyeo women divers, these initiatives challenge mass tourism models across every designation.
