A celebration commemorating the UNESCO's designation of Jeju Island as a Biosphere Reserve was held on May 17, 2003, at the Hallasan National Park.

Among the participants in this celebration were, Minister of Environment Han Myeong Sook, and some of the local residents, representatives from civic groups, and relevant institutions in Korea and from abroad. The celebration is hosted by the Jeju Island and UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programm(MAB).

On Dec. 16, 2002, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) announced that it has designated about 83 thousand hectares of areas around the Jeju Island, which includes the Hallasan National Park and the coast of Seogwipo as a Biosphere Reserve. Following the designation of Seoraksan in 1982 and Baekdusan in 1989, the designation of the Jeju Island marks the third time that an area in the Korean Peninsula is designated as a Biosphere Reserve.

Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are established by countries working with the UNESCO-MAB(Man and Biosphere) Programme to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on local community efforts and sound science. At present, the world network of biosphere reserves includes more than 400 sites in 94 countries.

Jeju Island is an ecological treasure house where close to 4000 species of plants and animals are abounding. As a biosphere reserve, Jeju Island will take part in the international cooperation efforts, through sharing of knowledge, exchange of experiences and promotion of best practices with the other countries for the efficient use and management of the precious ecosystem. Furthermore, cooperative activities of scientific research, global monitoring and training of specialists will also be promoted.