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City of Fremantle employee only West Australian chosen for Korean exchange program

ENVIRONMENTAL issues came to the fore as part of an Australian-Korean cultural exchange in November - and only one West Australian was selected to take part.

City of Fremantle Senior Environmental Planner Caroline Raphael was one of 10 Australians chosen for the Australia-Korea Young Leaders Exchange Program, which aims to develop leadership skills for people aged between 25 and 45.

During the eight-day trip, delegates participated in numerous leadership briefings and meetings with their counterparts in South Korea while also visiting relevant institutions and industries relating to the environment.

Ms Raphael described a visit to the Demilitarised Zone as one of the highlights – a pristine section of vegetation that survived destruction in the Korean War, due to its status as a buffer zone between the two warring countries.

“It was quite a sight to see how such a heavily guarded zone is being used as a conservation area as well as a tourist precinct,” she said.

“South Korea has also redeveloped a former landfill site where the waste sits 94m high off the ground.

“The two hills of waste can be seen from most locations around Seoul but the site has been redeveloped for recreational purposes and has become a popular walking spot for locals, as well as educating children on waste and its management.”

Looking at the level and scale of development occurring in Korea, Ms Raphael believes innovative planning and thinking is needed from a sustainability point of view.

“In South Korea, about 90 per cent of their energy needs are met by importing fuel sources while 80 per cent of their food comes from China,” she said.

“With 48 million people in the country, it begs the question of how long and how well they will be able to survive, given climate change is upon us, and how Australia might learn from this.

“We are luckier here because 70 per cent of the food we consume is generated in Australia and our energy needs are met with local resources – but we still need to consider the long-term future.”

Another noteworthy project came from Korea’s Local Alliance for Sustainability, a not-for-profit organisation working with local communities and local governments to implement sustainability projects.

In Korea, developers are required to contribute 20 per cent public open space in new developments – double the required 10 per cent in WA.

“I’ve come back with a renewed sense of wanting Australia to be a leader in applying sustainability at all levels… from households, communities and the business sector through to local, state and Federal governments,” Ms Raphael said.

“We have plenty of knowledge and resources to do this and are one of the best-placed countries in the world to develop and implement projects reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and their impact on the environment.

“From this, I would hope to share our technologies and learning with other developing countries that need our support.”

The exchange program was initiated by the Australia-Korea Foundation, in partnership with the Korea Foundation and the Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific.

Key organisations involved in the eight-day trip included the Korean Graduate School of Environment, Korea’s Local Alliance for Sustainability, Haneul Park, POSCO, Mungyeong City Council, Sihwaho Tidal Power Plant and the Citizens’ Movement for Environmental Justice.