From October 14 to 16, 2025, a project team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) — composed of representatives from the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), the Forest Management Bureau (FMB), and the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC) — conducted a benchmarking and learning mission to three flagship forest healing and conservation institutions in Korea: the National Healing Forest (Busan-Seunghaksan), the National Center for Forest Activities (Cheongdo), and the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum (Bonghwa). Through presentations, guided tours, and hands-on participation in healing programs, the delegation examined how Korea integrates forest-based health services, urban-accessible healing infrastructure, and large-scale conservation management. The mission served as a platform to explore models that can be adapted to improve nature-based healing spaces and arboretum operations in the Philippines.
1. The National Healing Forest, Busan-Seunghaksan : Urban-accessible forest healing model
The first day (14, Oct) of the learning mission began at the National Healing Forest (Busan-Seunghaksan), Korea’s flagship model for urban forest healing services. Operated by the Korea Forest Welfare Institute (FoWI) under the Korea Forest Service, the site showcases how a forest space can be designed and managed as an accessible public health service within a metropolitan area. Opened in May 2024 and located only 20–30 minutes from the city center and Gimhae International Airport, Seunghaksan demonstrates the strengths of a nature-based wellness facility that is highly accessible by public transport while still offering immersive experiences in a healing forest environment. Through a briefing session and guided experiential program, the delegation examined how Seunghaksan integrates indoor healing facilities, structured program protocols, and customized walking trails to accommodate different user groups, including vulnerable populations.
After the briefing, the delegation toured the healing center and forest trails and participated in several experiential programs. The first activity was natural handkerchief dyeing, called “Coloring with Nature.” Participants arranged leaves and natural materials on a handkerchief, covered them with film, tapped them gently, moistened the fabric, and finished it using natural dye (sappanwood). The facilitators explained that this activity is not simply a craft, but a nature-based healing program designed to promote emotional relaxation by observing natural colors and textures and engaging in repetitive hands-on movement.
The next session was tea therapy, held in the tearoom overlooking the forest. While drinking beet tea, the delegation experienced a moment of quiet pause and slow breathing. This mindful break, combined with the view of the forest, helped participants regain emotional balance and sensory awareness.
During the forest healing trail tour at Mt. Seunghaksan, the delegation observed how forest spaces can be intentionally curated to support relaxation, emotional stability, and mental recovery. Mt. Seunghaksan, which means “a crane taking flight,” stands at approximately 497 meters and offers gentle slopes and scenic views overlooking both the Nakdong River and the South Sea. These features make it a popular destination for urban residents seeking restorative experiences in nature.
The walk began along Gabeunjarak-gil, one of the themed healing trails named using expressions from the local Busan dialect to create a welcoming and familiar identity for visitors. Facilitators encouraged participants to slow their walking pace, focus on breathing, and heighten their awareness of surrounding sounds, air, and scents. These guided breathing and mindfulness elements help participants disconnect from urban stress and transition into a calm emotional state before entering the deeper forest environment.
The group then entered a cedar forest, where the subtle natural fragrance of cedar and the soft rustling of leaves created a strong sensory effect that supports psychological stability. Participants were invited to close their eyes and feel the stillness, an approach that has proven effective for visitors experiencing stress or emotional fatigue, such as office workers and students. By integrating breathing, sensory activation, and guided awareness, the program shifts participants from passive walking to an active state of nature-based recovery.
The trail concluded at the children’s forest playground, an outdoor learning space that allows children to interact freely with nature through unstructured play. Facilitators explained that in this space, nature itself becomes the teacher, enhancing curiosity, independence, and emotional resilience in children.
In the final reflection session, the facilitators emphasized that the value of a healing forest lies not only in the physical landscape but in how interpretive programs guide users to experience the forest with intention. The delegation noted that sensory-centered interpretation programs increase user engagement and generate measurable emotional benefits, making them especially meaningful for individuals experiencing high stress. This observation reinforced that healing forests are not simply places but program-based services that enhance the social and psychological value of forest environments, offering an important takeaway for future benchmarking.
The visit concluded with a singing bowl relaxation program, where participants lay down, focused on their breathing, and experienced the vibrations and resonance of the singing bowls. Facilitators explained the effects of sound frequency and rhythm on emotional stability and muscle relaxation, as well as considerations such as space density and sound control when running the program. Through this experience, the delegation observed how sound, vibration, and the surrounding forest environment contribute to stress reduction and emotional well-being.
National Healing Forest – Busan
2. From Healing to Learning: How Cheongdo Expands Korea’s Forest Welfare Model
October 15, 2025 — Cheongdo, Korea.
Following the first day’s visit to the National Healing Forest in Busan Seunghaksan, where the Philippine delegation experienced how forests can serve as accessible public health services within a metropolitan setting, the delegation continued the mission at the National Center for Forest Activities – Cheongdo. If Busan introduced the idea of forests as places for emotional rest and recovery, Cheongdo revealed the next stage of forest welfare in Korea: forests functioning as learning environments and platforms for community engagement.
Operated by the Korea Forest Welfare Institute (FoWI), the center specializes in transforming forest experiences into structured learning outcomes. Its program design encourages participants to learn, stay, create, and record. Rather than simply walking a trail and leaving, visitors accumulate knowledge, immerse themselves in forest environments, create something from that learning, and take a personal memory home. This structure explains why the center is highly used by preschools, elementary schools, and high schools for experiential learning trips. Instructors repeatedly highlighted that the purpose is not a single memorable visit, but cultivating returning learners who build long-term relationships with forests.
The first program of the visit was a forest interpretation session and ecological walk. Healing instructors guided the group into the forest at a deliberately slow pace. The walk centered on learning how to observe. Participants noticed acorns and pinecones scattered along the trail and discussed how seeds travel through wind, animals, and terrain. Standing in front of an old oak tree, the guide explained underground fungal networks that transport nutrients between trees. The delegation came to understand that the forest functions as a connected ecosystem rather than a space filled with independent trees.
Immediately following the walk, the group transitioned into a landscape sketching activity. Participants sat along the trail and sketched whatever part of the forest had left the strongest impression on them. The goal was not artistic perfection, but to recognize what they had truly observed. A place they had walked through became a place they had connected to.
In the following session, participants moved deeper into the forest for hammock installation. Instructors taught simple rope knot techniques and guided the group to set up hammocks on their own. Once they lay back and looked up into the canopy, movement stopped. The forest shifted from a site of learning to a space of intentional rest. Participants experienced what it means not just to pass through the forest, but to stay in it.
Back indoors, learning continued through traditional fan woodcraft. Participants engraved the sketches they had drawn earlier onto wooden fans using burning pens. The Center is particularly known for its specialization in woodcraft as a medium of forest education. The instructors emphasized that the activity is not simply crafting, but a method of internalizing forest learning through touch, engraving, and creation. The final product, taken home by each participant, becomes a lasting memory of the forest. The delegation quickly recognized the potential adaptation to the Philippines, where sustainable materials such as bamboo or coconut shell could be integrated into similar educational programs inside nature parks.
The final part of the visit was a tea gathering and operational briefing. During this session, held in a meeting space overlooking the forest, the delegation received an explanation of the Center’s operational model from the management team. The management team explained how programs are developed, staffed, and certified. One of the most distinctive features is the contribution of senior community volunteers. These seniors support program facilitation, guide student groups, assist during woodcraft activities, and provide cultural storytelling. They are not simply volunteers but contributors who help sustain the center’s operations and maintain a welcoming environment. The delegation noted that although the Philippines’ climate may limit outdoor senior engagement, the Cheongdo model demonstrated opportunities for senior participation in indoor craft programs, visitor reception, and cultural interpretation. Such arrangements could create meaningful social employment without physical strain.
The visit ended with a reflection from the Philippine delegation. Arboretums and protected areas in the Philippines could gradually evolve from sightseeing destinations into structured learning centers. By introducing craft-based forest interpretation using local materials and offering opportunities for senior involvement, forest welfare can become a sustainable and community-driven system. Cheongdo demonstrated that forests are not only places to rest. They are places where people learn, create, and belong.
Korea Forest Welfare Institute
3. Preserving the Future: Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault
October 16, 2025, Bonghwa
On the last day of the learning mission, the Philippine delegation visited the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, where they explored how forest welfare extends beyond healing and education into long-term biodiversity conservation. While Busan demonstrated forests as public healing spaces and Cheongdo showed how forests can operate as learning and community platforms, Baekdudaegan represented a strategic shift toward protecting the future.
The delegation’s main focus was the Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault, an underground secure storage facility operated by the Korea Arboretum and Garden Institute (KoAGI). The Seed Vault serves as a national ecological backup system designed to safeguard seeds against future risks such as climate change and natural disasters. Seeds collected from the field undergo standardized processing, including cleaning, drying, and viability checks, before being stored for long-term preservation.
KoAGI explained that the Seed Vault is more than a storage space. It is part of a broader conservation strategy that integrates research, data management, and international cooperation. Seed information generated through germination tests and laboratory analysis is archived in a database and shared with research institutions, enabling species recovery and ecological restoration projects. The Seed Vault also operates a Black Box system, where overseas institutions can entrust seeds for safekeeping while retaining ownership, a model that is especially beneficial for climate-vulnerable countries.
During the guided visit, the delegation observed the structured preservation process and learned how stored seeds can later be used to restore degraded habitats. The experience highlighted that seed preservation is not the final step of conservation but a readiness strategy that ensures the potential for ecological recovery is never lost.
For the Philippines, a country repeatedly affected by typhoons and climate disruption, the Seed Vault offered a compelling benchmarking opportunity. Delegates discussed how arboretums, universities, and government agencies could collaborate to establish a national seed collection network and participate in regional or global conservation initiatives.
The Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault demonstrated that conservation is not only about protecting what exists today. It is an investment in the future, preserving life, preserving options, and safeguarding the possibility of restoration for generations to come.
Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault
3-1. Experiencing Conservation in Practice: Operations & Premium Interpretation Tour
After completing the Seed Vault visit, the Philippine delegation was guided to a conference room inside the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, where they received a briefing on the arboretum’s operational and management system. Presenters included: Director – Gyu-Myoung Lee; Head of Arboretum Management Department – Hyoung-Deok Lee; Visitor Services Office Senior Manager – Jae-Kyun Heo; Planning & Administration Team Leader of Arboretum Management Department – Jong-Hee Lee; Education Program Team Leader of Arboretum Education Office – Dr. Mi-Jin Lee; and Operation Support Office Junior Manager of Arboretum Management Department – Ki-Hoon Nam. The briefing explained how the arboretum functions not as an exhibition garden, but as a national institution for conservation.
The arboretum spans 5,179 hectares and was established to conserve high-elevation plant species vulnerable to climate change and to protect the Baekdudaegan mountain range, a major ecological corridor on the Korean Peninsula. Management emphasized that the defining strength of the arboretum is not its size, but how such a vast area is systematically operated—linking conservation research, education programs, and public services under a unified system. The delegation and the institution discussed real operational challenges such as organizational structure, budget allocation, and how the arboretum collaborates with local governments during regional events. The institution stressed that operations are guided by ecological values, not tourism or visitor volume.
Following the briefing, the delegation boarded electric carts for a premium interpretation tour. The first stop was the wildlife conservation zone, where Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) were resting inside a protected forest enclosure. Seeing the tigers in a natural forest environment helped the delegation understand that the arboretum is not a landscaped park, but a living ecosystem where conservation outcomes are visible.
The next section of the tour focused on the arboretum’s climate-based vegetation zones. As the cart moved through temperate forest, subalpine, and alpine zones, the guide explained how plant communities shift with altitude and environmental conditions. The delegation observed that the exhibition layout was not designed for aesthetics, but to reflect ecological logic—planting species according to natural distribution patterns. Through this, they learned how the arboretum collects native species, propagates them, and reintroduces them into degraded habitats when needed.
Throughout the tour, interpretation went beyond naming species. The guides continuously narrated why each vegetation zone matters, and how these ecological relationships guide the arboretum’s design and operations. By the end of the visit, the delegation concluded that the arboretum’s strength lies not in its scale, but in its integrated operating system, where research enables restoration, restoration informs interpretation, and interpretation fosters public stewardship.
Baekdudaegan National Arboretum
This visit offered the delegation a clear sense of direction. For the Philippines, arboretums and protected areas could evolve from sightseeing spaces into institutions for learning, participation, and conservation action. The operational approach of Baekdudaegan—research-based conservation, structured education programs, and interpretation that encourages public engagement—was identified as a strong benchmarking model. The delegation also noted that guided interpretation and local community collaboration could be applied to park and arboretum operations back home.
Through this learning visit, the Philippine delegation recognized that Korea’s forest management model is not simply about running programs, but about integrating accessibility, operational efficiency, and community-centered systems into a unified framework. They were particularly impressed by the inclusive infrastructure designed for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, the efficient staffing structure that enables large facilities to operate smoothly with relatively small teams, the sustainable revenue system in which visitor fees are reinvested into protected areas and local communities, and the active involvement of senior citizens as program providers. For the delegation, these elements reflected a model in which forests are not only managed, but leveraged to benefit communities and support long-term sustainability—key benchmarking insights they hope to apply in the Philippines.
Contributed by Sungmin Kim, Assistant Program Officer