An overview of the Ministry of Environment building./Courtesy of Chosun DB

The Ministry of Environment is drafting a blueprint for the establishment of the National Biodiversity Integration Center. The plan aims to connect the biodiversity sector with various industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and agriculture. Through the center, the ministry aims to consolidate the industry, academia, and research institutions. However, there are still hurdles to clear, such as passing a feasibility study.

According to the Ministry of Environment on the 11th, the concept of biodiversity encompasses the diversity of species, the diversity of ecosystems where organisms inhabit, and the genetic diversity that organisms possess. The ministry has been researching biodiversity through biological resource centers located in Incheon, the Nakdong River, and Mokpo, accumulating relevant biological resources and information, and continuously collecting specimens.

The Ministry of Environment reported that although it has secured a large amount of information related to biodiversity, there have been insufficient attempts to connect it with industries. Therefore, it plans to promote the biological resource industry through the integration center and support research and exhibitions. Additionally, it is exploring ways to consolidate biodiversity with artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare, and other fields.

The Ministry of Environment is preparing a roadmap that includes plans for center construction, project implementation, and strategies for high value-added solutions, while also conducting a preliminary feasibility review. The intention is to establish commercialization support facilities and equipment tailored to corporate needs and expand joint research and development (R&D) among universities and corporations in response to industrial changes. It also aims to strengthen support programs for bio startups.

The Ministry of Environment aims to find future food sources in the bioindustry by utilizing wildlife. Notably, the ministry has recently conducted research on capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into ethanol using microorganisms, assessing the efficiency and market value of this method.

A Ministry of Environment official noted, "Biological resources such as animals, plants, and minerals can be utilized in various fields including medicine and cosmetics," adding that "high value can also be generated through environmentally friendly characteristics such as natural origins." He further stated, "We plan to examine through various studies how this field can be commercialized and how it can be developed industrially."

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung had previously emphasized biodiversity conservation during the presidential election process, pledging to strengthen national investment and responsibility to realize a strong pharmaceutical and bio industry. As a result, attention is focused on whether the Ministry of Environment's policies linking biodiversity and industry will gain support.

However, there are also challenges before the center can be established. Currently, the Ministry of Environment is conducting a preliminary feasibility study. This is a process to internally review the economic viability and necessity before project implementation. If the total project cost exceeds 50 billion won and the government's financial scale exceeds 30 billion won, a feasibility study led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to verify economic viability, policy relevance, and technical feasibility must be conducted.

It is a challenging situation to overcome the barriers of the feasibility study. While it is difficult to believe that businesses will emerge immediately in the field of biodiversity simply by establishing a center, there is also a significant possibility of overlap with national R&D projects from other ministries. Currently, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy are supporting R&D projects in the bio field.

Previously, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the Ministry of Environment also attempted to create a biodiversity cluster as part of the 'Green New Deal' policy, but this project was canceled during the feasibility study phase. A Ministry of Environment official stated, "Although there have been several attempts in the past, there has been no real example of connecting biodiversity with industry," adding, "This time, we are working to concretize the policies and promote them."

Professor Kwon Oh-seok of Kyungpook National University's Department of Applied Life Science said, "This project is linked to multiple ministries, such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, so there needs to be collaboration and sufficient discussion in the process of policy and project distribution or coordination." He noted, "We must watch how the process of concretizing policies unfolds."

Kim Min-soo, a principal researcher at the National Assembly Research Institute, also stated, "The Ministry of Environment is a department dedicated to protecting the natural environment and conserving biodiversity, so care should be taken to ensure that the purpose of the department is not compromised for the industrial utilization of biodiversity," adding that "efforts should be made to establish concrete and systematic strategies rather than projects aimed solely at showing short-term results."