Situated on South Korea's west coast at approximately 35 Deg 50'N, 126 Deg 45'E (about 250km southwest of Seoul) Saemangeum (pronounced "Say-man-gum") is one of the world's greatest shorebird staging sites.

The fight against the reclamation of its 40,100 ha of tidal-flat and shallows is one of the most important and urgent conservation issues in northern Asia. The imminent completion of a 33km long sea-wall across the free-flowing estuaries of the Mangyeung and Dongjin Rivers dooms hundreds of thousands of shorebirds by removing a key feeding area along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

International protests are centring on South Korea's apparent disregard for international conventions which it has signed, which should ensure the conservation of Saemangeum and the migratory bird populations which depend upon it. The Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Hon Dr David Kemp MP, has "made diplomatic and official representations to express concern" about the Saemangeum [sic] tidal flat reclamation.

The front-line campaigners in South Korea areworking to ensure that the first overseas Government to express its concern will also not be the last. Now they have invited PROACT to help spread the word and mobilise even more support.