Living Natural History Museum, Upo Wetland Trip | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Upo Wetland is a vast swamp with a total area of 2,505,000㎡, spanning four myeon: Yuo, Ibang, Daehap, and Daeji in Changnyeong-gun. It is an ecological treasure trove inhabited by more than 800 species of plants, 209 species of birds, 28 species of fish, 180 species of benthic large invertebrates, and 17 species of mammals. It was designated an Ecological and Landscape Conservation Area on July 26, 1997, registered as a Ramsar Convention wetland on March 2, 1998, and designated a Wetland Protection Area on August 9, 1999. Due to its importance, it was designated a Natural Monument on January 13, 2011, and on February 8, 2012, it was designated a Wetland Improvement Area and changed to a Wetland Protection Area. On October 25, 2018, at the 13th Ramsar Convention of the Parties, it was certified as the world's first Ramsar Wetland City. The formation of the wetland began approximately 140 million years ago. During the Mesozoic Cretaceous period when dinosaurs roamed, the sea level rose sharply, and the ground of the Nakdonggang basin subsided, causing water flowing into the Nakdong River to pool and form swamps and natural lakes, which became playgrounds for dinosaurs. Dinosaur footprint fossils remain in Sejin-ri, Yuo-myeon near Upo Wetland. During the rainy season, the water depth can reach 5 meters but is usually 1 to 2 meters. The swamp bed has thick layers of humus accumulated from numerous life forms over tens of millions of years, preventing feet from sinking like in mudflats. This humus layer makes Upo Wetland an ecological archive or a living natural history museum. Until the Japanese colonial period, there were 10 more wetlands around Upo Wetland, including Gahang Wetland, Pallak Wetland, and Hakambeol, but they have disappeared due to reckless development and encroachment by farmland.

Upogasiyeon Flower Village in Changnyeong, loved for ecological experiences along with exploration of the ancient mystery of Upo Wetland, is a village near Sajipo, a natural monument clump of the thorn lotus flowers. It is designated as a rural traditional theme village in 2006 and a recreational village under the 2011 Urban-Rural Exchange Promotion Act. The village hosts the tomb of General Jo Minsu from the late Goryeo period, embodying his spirit. Many visitors come for Upo Wetland exploration and various ecological experiences utilizing natural resources. It is a village where you can heal alongside the natural environment.