Do you know that there are unique plants that grow only in Dokdo? Do you also know that we can now see those plants growing at Yeungnam University?
Yeungnam University’s Dokdo Botanical Garden was created so that grade school students and general citizens can learn about Dokdo without going to the island.
There are currently seven unique Dokdo plant species at Dokdo Botanical Garden, including Haeguk, Tiger lilies, Spindle trees, Seomgirincho, Coastal mosslike stonecrop, Dianthus longicalyx, and Campanula takesimana. At the end of August, Haeguk, a yellow autumn flower, begins to bloom.
In order to maintain optimal ecological conditions similar to those of Dokdo, the researchers and staff are working together with Professor Park Seon-joo, the director of the Dokdo Research Institute, who majors in Dokdo plants.
Although the Dokdo Botanical Garden is currently being used for education, another long-term goal is to distribute Dokdo plants to schools and libraries for educational purposes. They also announced that they are planning to set up a nursery for culturing Dokdo plants to preserve around 57 species of plants native to the island.
The Dokdo Research Institute, which established the Dokdo Botanical Garden, has been conducting ‘interdisciplinary research to establish sovereignty over Dokdo Island’ since it was selected as a policy research center by the Ministry of Education in December 2007. In addition, The Dokdo Research Institute is carrying out various projects related to Dokdo, such as the ‘Visiting Dokdo Exhibition’ and ‘Dokdo Humanities Education’.
