Not many people know miseonnamu, otherwise known as Abeliophyllum. Its name carries the warmth of a dear sister, and its blossoms resemble white forsythia. Yet this plant exists nowhere else in the world but on the Korean Peninsula. It is an extremely rare species — the only one of its genus. Even in Korea, it survives in just five natural habitats, all designated as natural monuments for their rarity. At one time, miseonnamu was classified as endangered, its very existence under threat. But the story takes a hopeful turn at Hyundai E&C’s Hillstate apartments. Here, residents can see miseonnamu every day, right outside their windows. How did such a precious tree come to flourish in an apartment garden? The answer lies in Hyundai E&C’s H-Nature Garden.

Due to climate change and urban expansion, 92 of Korea’s 282 endangered wild species are terrestrial plants. In response, Hyundai E&C became the first publicly listed construction company in Korea to declare carbon neutrality, placing climate action and biodiversity conservation at the core of its ESG agenda.
“H-Nature Garden” is the realization of that vision — a habitat creation project dedicated to preserving Korea’s endangered, endemic, and native plant species.

Endemic and native plants are species unique to specific regions of Korea. Those whose populations have declined rapidly or survive only in small numbers are designated as endangered and placed under protection. These rare species are cultivated in the H-Nature Garden. Launched in 2023, the project bore its first fruit the same year with the creation of H-Nature Garden No. 1 at Hillstate Yongin Dunjeon Station, where 4,000 plants from 12 endemic species — including miseonnamu and Korean winter hazel — were grown. Building on Hyundai E&C’s technology and expertise in development, this program represents a new effort to create habitats that safeguard biodiversity within urban spaces.

Above all, H-Nature Garden has drawn attention as the first case in the construction industry where local governments and an international NGO joined forces to create a sustainable public-private partnership model. The Gangwon Nature Environment Research Park contributes by supplying endangered, endemic, and native plants, while World Vision provides education and regular monitoring programs — both offering their expertise. In addition, biodiversity education and garden management programs are provided to residents and local communities, encouraging them to take an active role in ecological conservation. By experiencing the value of ecological restoration in their everyday lives within apartment complexes, these gardens are evolving into living ESG spaces — places where people and communities coexist with nature.