Lined with barbed wire, concrete fortifications and hundreds of thousands of wary troops, the 2.5-mile wide demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea doesn't seem to be a peaceful refuge. But that's exactly what it is for hundreds of species of flora and fauna that have thrived there for 50 years. Undeveloped and superbly guarded, the DMZ has become an ecosystem unto itself, supporting numerous species that have been driven to extinction elsewhere in Asia. For now, the DMZ is still off-limits to humans. But political rapprochement between the North and South has whetted developers' appetites. What does the future hold for this ecological jewel?

Noted conservationist Arthur Westing will explore the unique political and environmental characteristics of the DMZ; its place as the world's most heavily fortified border, as well as its unique status as a trans-boundary nature reserve.  He will also examine the central role of the DMZ in the delicate relationship between a region's environmental needs and social demands. 

Friday, November 17, 2006 

About the Speaker

Arthur Westing received an AB in botany from Columbia University in 1950. After two years in the United States Marine Corps, during which time he served as an artillery officer in the Korean War, he earned his Ph.D. in forestry from Yale University. For eight years he directed the United Nations Environment Programme project on peace, security and the environment. In 1987 he was named a Peace Messenger by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Westing has been honored by the New York Academy of Sciences for his work and is one of the 500 individuals on the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour. Westing has served as an environmental security consultant to several branches of the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the government of Eritrea and the World Bank. He currently serves on the faculty of the European Peace University, as a member of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas and as an advisory board member of the DMZ Forum. 

This forum is jointly presented by The Korea Society and the DMZ Forum (www.dmzforum.org)