On October 10 coinciding with its anniversary the National Institute of Biological Resources (Director: Seo Min-hwan) under the Ministry of Environment will host a symposium at its Saengsaengchaeum Hall in Seo-gu Incheon. The event will focus on discussing the significance and challenges of documenting 60000 species in the national biodiversity inventory.

As of the institutes establishment in October 2007 the National Biodiversity Inventory listed 29916 species. By the end of 2023 this number had more than doubled to 60010 species. In light of this growth the National Institute of Biological Resources aims to expand its research efforts to explore the diverse uses of these species’ unique characteristics.

The symposium will gather leading domestic experts in biodiversity research to reexamine the importance of documenting 60000 species in preserving biodiversity and utilizing biological resources. Discussions will also center on transformative research approaches for discovering and utilizing more species in Korea.

The event will feature presentations by experts from various biological taxonomy fields including:

Dr. Lee Eun-young from the National Institute of Biological Resources who will provide an overview of the national species inventorys progress and future outlook.
Dr. Hyun Jin-oh Director of the Northeast Asian Biodiversity Research Institute will discuss the significance and future prospects of the national species inventory for vascular plants.
Professor Jeong Jae-ho from Gangneung-Wonju National University will present on the diversity and potential applications of invertebrate species.
Further presentations will include:

Professor Lim Young-woon from Seoul National University who will discuss the role of the National Institute of Biological Resources in fungal taxonomy and diversity research.
Professor Bae Yeon-jae from Korea University who will review 18 years of research on native insect species discovery and the future direction of this field.
Professor Yoon Jung-hoon from Sungkyunkwan University will present findings on the diversity of prokaryotes and newly discovered species.
The symposium will conclude with a comprehensive discussion among the attendees.

Director Seo Min-hwan of the National Institute of Biological Resources expressed his hopes for the event stating We expect this symposium to serve as a turning point not only for the conservation of Koreas biological species but also for expanding their practical value and applications.