Zoysia grass emerges as assassins of ecosystem in the tidal flats of Garorim Bay in Chungnam Province

[Anchor]

In the clean tidal flats of Garorim Bay in Chungnam Province, there is a spread of invasive plants that destroy the ecosystem.

They are spreading rapidly and desolating the tidal flats, causing significant damage to fishermen.

This is Seong Yong-hee reporting.

[Report]

In various places in the tidal flats, plants that look like rice grass are forming clusters.

These plants are known as 'Zoysia grass', the assassins of the tidal flats, which dry out the tidal flats and lead to desertification, destroying the ecosystem.

They were introduced to the country in 2008 and primarily inhabited the Incheon and Ganghwa Island areas, but they are now spreading rapidly in Garorim Bay, Chungnam Province.

They have invaded the habitat of seaweed, threatening the livelihoods of fishermen.

[Jeong Rae-man/Head of the Fishing Village Association in Doseong-ri, Seosan City, Chungnam Province: "Last year, because of that plant, we had significantly less (seaweed). This year, the amount of seaweed is less than half of last year's."]

The Zoysia grass was first discovered in Garorim Bay two years ago.

It is estimated that its habitat area has expanded to over 20,000 square meters in just one year due to its strong reproductive ability.

[Hwang In-seo/Director of Marine Ecology at the Korea Marine Environment Corporation: "Because there are coastal currents flowing from south to north and from north to south along the west coast, once it is introduced at any point, it can spread."]

The problem is that it is not easy to stem the spread of Zoysia grass.

Zoysia grass can reproduce not only through seeds but also through roots, making complete removal the only current method of eradication.

Moreover, its rapid spread makes it difficult to establish countermeasures.

[Jeong Soo-jin/Head of the Fishing Village Vitalization Team in Seosan City, Chungnam Province: "Because of its rapid growth, I think it is important to assess the scale and area, and after the research, we will invest the budget in earnest next year."]

If timely measures are not taken against the spread of Zoysia grass, there is growing concern that the tidal flats along the west coast could be overrun by invasive plants.

This is KBS News, Seong Yong-hee reporting.