Gyeonggi Province to Install Transparent Soundproof Walls with Bird Collision Prevention Facilities at Suwon Sindong Intersection and Other Sites

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province will conduct a pilot project to install prevention facilities (sticker films) next month at five transparent soundproof walls on provincial roads where bird collisions frequently occur.

This project is a follow-up measure to the 'Gyeonggi Bird Collision Prevention Policy Implementation Plan' announced by the province in February.

At the time, the province cited data from the Ministry of Environment indicating that approximately 8 million birds per year (15 per minute) die from collisions with artificial structures, and announced plans to implement a pilot project for bird collision prevention facilities in consultation with cities and counties.

The pilot project sites include ▲ areas around Suwon Sindong Intersection ▲ areas around Goyang Samsong LH 12 Complex ▲ areas south of Goyang Wonheung Elementary School ▲ areas around Hanam Misa Lake Park ▲ areas around Yangju Okbit Middle School soundproof walls, totaling five locations.

The sites were selected based on bird collision hotspots (administrative divisions) identified on Naturering (an ecological observation app), cities' and counties' willingness to participate, and expert reviews from the National Institute of Ecology.

All of these are transparent soundproof walls installed near sidewalks in residential areas with heavy foot traffic.

The project scale is 600 million won total, with each participating city receiving 150 million won, supported by the province's special adjustment grants. In July, the province will attach stickers with patterns spaced less than 5cm vertically and 10cm horizontally to transparent soundproof walls with a combined length of 2.4km.

This is in accordance with the Ministry of Environment's 'Wild Bird Transparent Window Collision Reduction Guidelines.' When dense patterns are applied in this manner, wild birds recognize transparent structures as obstacles and do not pass through them.

The province will conduct post-project monitoring to analyze the effectiveness of the project. The 'Gyeonggi Province New Leaf Monitoring Group,' composed mainly of volunteer residents, will also participate in the monitoring. Since March, they have investigated cases of wild birds dying from collisions with artificial structures in major areas throughout the province, including the pilot project sites.

Based on the results of post-project monitoring, the province plans to expand the installation of bird collision prevention facilities in stages.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung said, "It is regrettable that we take away someone's life for economic reasons when a world in which many lives can coexist is possible if humans just pay a little attention," adding "While the scale of this pilot project is not large, I hope it becomes a small beginning in recognizing the importance of coexistence with wildlife."

Meanwhile, in early March, the province received an internal report that wild birds collided and died due to transparent glass surfaces on the connecting corridor between the new and old buildings of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office, and on March 28, installed bird collision prevention film covering approximately 180㎡ of surface area.