ㅇ Improve carbon absorption and storage though forest circulation management (afforestation and forest tending) and expanded use of timber; increase urban forest carbon sinks, such as Climate-Resilient Urban Forests from 2023 to 2027, and facilitate the restoration of forest ecosystems in the Core Ecological Axes.
<Annual target (Unit: 1,000 ha)>

	Baseline	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030
Afforestation	19	20	20	20	20	20	20	20
Forest tending	217	217	290	290	290	290	290	320

ㅇ By 2027, assess the value of wetlands as a carbon sink and incorporate the findings into the classification system for wetland conservation. Create a Riverine Ecobelt that serves multiple functions, including carbon absorption, water purification and disaster prevention, by expanding ecological carbon sinks, such as riparian zones, from 29.66㎢ in 2020 to 83.75㎢ in 2030.

ㅇ Protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems to enhance the ocean’s carbon sink capacity by creating salt marshes and marine forests, restoring tidal flats and increasing the coverage of protected areas. This approach will enable the ROK to meet its nationally determined contributions target of maintaining ocean carbon absorption at 1.06 million metric tons by 2030.

ㅇ Improve the assessment of carbon absorption for different types of ecosystems, such as forests, farmlands, grasslands, wetlands and settlements from 2023 to 2027 and develop technologies to enhance their absorption potential based on NbS from 2025 to 2027.

ㅇ Develop and distribute technology to enhance soil carbon storage in farmlands, and ensure the conservation of grasslands to increase greenhouse gas storage.

ㅇ Develop technologies for Blue Carbon-Based Climate-Adaptive Coastal Infrastructure from 2022 to 2026, and build a database to assess the distribution and the sink capacity of blue carbon ecosystems across the country.

ㅇ From 2023 to 2026, develop a cross-ministerial, integrated information management system to consolidate climate and ecological data from various ministries and agencies to facilitate enhanced analysis and more effective control of climate risks in ecosystems. Its development will be completed in three phrases, with Phase 1 linking and consolidating data, Phase 2 involving prediction and analysis based on big data and AI, and Phase 3 focusing on data use and impact assessment.

ㅇ From 2027, ensure that the NIE operates a system that links an ecological observation network with long-term ecological research.

ㅇ From 2024 to 2028, establish a national standard ecosystem observation network* for automated analysis and prediction of ecosystem response to climate change.
* The network comprises two integrated observation stations for temperate and tropical forest climate zones, three ordinary observation sites for forest, urban and wetland ecosystems, and two mobile observation platforms.

ㅇ From 2024, survey vulnerable forests to assess the impacts of climate change, and develop an index to evaluate how these impacts affect the distribution of forest species. Prepare climate adaptation guidelines for vulnerable forests and pilot them in areas of concern for biodiversity loss.

ㅇ From 2023 to 2027, conduct research on the conservation of natural heritage under climate change, and from May 2024, set forth the legal basis for climate action in the Framework Act on National Heritage.

ㅇ Incorporate indicator species for climate change into the Comprehensive National Survey on Marine Ecosystems and develop a strategy to enable monitoring at the local unit level.
ㅇ Continue the ongoing observation and analysis of ocean acidification in nearshore water off the Korean Peninsula* , which began in 2015, as well as the ongoing research examining the physiological and ecological impacts of ocean acidification on marine species**, including shellfish, scheduled from 2022 to 2026.
* Analysis of long-term and seasonal variations in ocean acidification through site-specific and water layer-specific surveys (four times per year)
** Analysis of the impacts of extreme ocean acidification on shellfish survival rates through controlled indoor experiments