There have been some suspicious sightings posted on social media recently. Oh my, this is awesome! This wild animal with a streamlined

body and brave face is an otter. But what's surprising is that the place where it was seen is the Han River in the center of Seoul.

I visited the Han River with an otter expert to see otters in person. What are the chances of seeing an otter today? There are a lot

of people around, and they are nocturnal. When I looked, I was able to find traces of otters instead.

What is it? This is otter droppings. If you look at it, you can see fish bones inside. Since 70 to 80 percent of otters' diets are fish, you can see fish bones and spines in their droppings. When we analyzed the population in 2022, we confirmed up to 15 individuals.

It's been two years now, so I guess it might have increased even more. But it's hard to believe that there are otters, an endangered species, in the middle of Seoul, a city with a population of over 10 million. When did otters start living in the Han River?

There are records in ancient literature of otters being caught and raised for fish, but since Seoul began

developing, otters have not been confirmed in the Seoul section of the Han River. Then, in March 2016, a rider happened to take a video, and otters were confirmed for the first time in nearly

40 years. The fact that otters arrived in 2016 means that otters, as top predators

in the aquatic ecosystem, control their food at the top, which means that water quality has improved, the aquatic environment and such have improved a lot, and now we can say that the ecosystem has stabilized.

It is truly meaningful to be able to see wild otters in the Han River. Because in neighboring Japan, wild otters were virtually extinct by 2012.

In the 1930s, due to fur exports and war demands, almost all otters were captured, and

later, due to overfishing, water pollution, a decrease in food resources, road construction, and river straightening projects, otters are now a rare sight.

In that sense, it is very welcome that the number of otters is increasing around us, especially in the Han River in the center of Seoul, because it means that the Han River ecosystem is coming back to life.

But did you know that in addition to otters, there are many other endangered wild animals living in Seoul? There are also endangered level 1 goral, which hop up and down cliffs, and cute level 2 endangered civets.

There are a total of 5,000 species of creatures living in Seoul. Among them, there are 50 species of endangered wild animals such as the common kestrel, the black-faced spoonbill, and the yellow-throated bunting. There are also 30 species of natural monuments such as

the yellow-throated bunting and the mandarin duck. Seoul is the city with the largest population density in Korea. So, many people think

that Seoul's ecological environment is not good. However, if you actually look closely at Seoul, you will find that Seoul's natural environment is not as bad as

other regions, and in some cases, it is even better. So, how healthy is Seoul’s ecosystem?

When it comes to whether the ecosystem of a region is healthy, you need to look at it from two perspectives. First, there

are many creatures living there in a good environment. Then, the ecosystem is good, and second, how well the surrounding environment that allows

those creatures to live, such as water and soil, is preserved. Seoul has good food resources and a good natural

environment in which to live, to the extent that even a very valuable protected species like otters can

survive. This is a good example of what we can say about Seoul's ecosystem being good.

But in fact, Seoul wasn't like this from the beginning. The Han River that runs through Seoul had a gray appearance until the mid-2000s.

People could not go near the river. Of course, it was difficult to imagine going on a picnic or resting by the Han River. As a result of the winds of industrialization, the water quality of the Han River worsened. With the completion

of the Paldang Dam in 1974 and the increase in artificial structures such as concrete blocks installed in low-lying areas in the 1980s to prevent flooding, many wild animals left the Han River, which was their home.

In particular, otters disappeared in the 1970s and did not appear in the Han River for about 40 years. Then, how did Seoul become what it is today?

Behind the current appearance of Seoul, there are constant efforts by the city of Seoul to restore its natural state. First, the concrete around the river was removed and soil, sand, and aquatic plants were planted in its place to restore it to a natural-looking embankment.

Natural habitats also play a big role in restoring the habitat of living things. They expand the spawning grounds of fish and increase the influx of birds to eat these fish. They also serve as hiding places and migration routes for mammals such as otters.

Of the 57.1 km of Han River banks currently developable as natural revetments, 49.5 km (86.7%) have been converted.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to restore the remaining 7.6 km, making the entire Han River bank a 100% natural revetment.

In Hangang Park, 70,000 trees were planted this year, bringing the total to 3.65 million.  Compared to approximately 850,000 trees in 2005, this is more than a fourfold increase.

Plans also include creating a buffer forest near roads to block noise and dust, and provide shade in citizen areas.

Five ecological parks exist along the Han River. Some have achieved natural ecological stability, while others experience interference between citizen use and ecological stability, or instability due to flooding.

The city plans to reorganize these parks, comprehensively investigating and analyzing each environment to create specialized parks for healthy human-nature interaction.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is also designating and managing wildlife migratory bird protection areas and ecological landscape conservation areas.  Thanks to these efforts, the number of Han River species has increased by nearly 30%, from 1,608 in 2007 to 2,062 in 2022.

Thanks to long-term efforts, Seoul's ecosystem is becoming healthier, creating a better environment for people.  We are animals too; I hope wild plants and animals can coexist with people in the future.

I look forward to a future Seoul where people, animals, and plants live comfortably.

Please watch the video recommended by the video's creator.  Subscribe to SBS News for more videos.

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