Kia has signed a multilateral agreement with South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and local governments to restore the Seocheon tidal flats ecosystem. The project will plant salt-tolerant vegetation across 168,000 square meters of tidal flats by 2029, converting an abandoned fish farm into a blue carbon garden with walking trails and an observatory. Blue carbon refers to carbon absorbed and stored by marine ecosystems like tidal flats, which also help filter pollutants. The initiative builds on Kia's earlier tidal flat restoration work in Hwaseong City since 2022. The company frames this as a public-private cooperation model for ecosystem preservation and carbon neutrality. The article does not specify the expected carbon sequestration volume or how it will be verified and credited, but the project is a concrete example of corporate investment in nature-based carbon sinks beyond forestry.
