Ornithologists and ecologists of the Biodiversity Institute under the State Academy of Sciences made observation of water-birds at 20-odd survey places including Pyongyang and Nampho cities, and South Phyongan, South Hwanghae, South Hamgyong and Kangwon provinces. Among them are also two regions registered as East Asian-Australasian Flyway network sites.

The subjects of survey are grebe, cormorant, pelican, swan, crane, snipe, gull, etc. which are defined as water-birds by the Ramsar Convention.

More than 100,000 water-birds of 49 kinds were observed during the survey.

In this regard, Yun Chol Nam, head of the Institute, told KCNA:

Asiatic goosander, white crane with a red crest, swan goose, old-squaw, black scoter and other kinds of endangered water-birds were observed.

And 160-odd Asiatic goosanders amounting to 3.24 percent of its total numbers in the world live in reservoirs of the Kumsanpho Reclaimed Tideland.

The DPRK, taking part in the Asian Water-bird Census (AWC) started in 1987, has striven to contribute to the confirmation of the number of water-birds in the world and preserve the biodiversity.

Korea is considered as an important region of the world in preserving migratory water-birds as it has a large number of rivers, streams and lakes as well as long seashore and broad tideland areas.