Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment (한국물환경학회지)

Korean Society on Water Environment (한국물환경학회)
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Current Status and Perspective of Biological Assessments of Water Environment in Korea

우리나라 생물학적 물환경평가의 현황과 미래

  • Hwang, Soon-Jin (Department of Environmental Science, Konkuk University) ;
  • Kim, Nan-Young (Department of Environmental Science, Konkuk University) ;
  • Won, Doo Hee (Doohee Institute of Ecological Research (DIER), Korea Ecosystem Service (KES), Inc.) ;
  • An, Kwang Kuk (School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University) ;
  • Lee, Jae Kwan (National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER)) ;
  • Kim, Chang Soo (National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER)) ;
  • Shin, Jae-Ki (Korea Institute of Water and Environment, Korea Water Resources Corporation (KOWACO))
  • 황순진 (건국대학교 환경과학과) ;
  • 김난영 (건국대학교 환경과학과) ;
  • 원두희 ((주)생태조사단 부설 두희자연환경연구소) ;
  • 안광국 (충남대학교 생명과학부) ;
  • 이재관 (국립환경과학원 환경진단연구부) ;
  • 김창수 (국립환경과학원 환경진단연구부) ;
  • 신재기 (한국수자원공사 수자원연구원)
  • Received : 2006.06.26
  • Accepted : 2006.08.16
  • Published : 2006.09.30
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Abstract

Biological assessments are the primary tool for evaluating the biological condition of a water body and makes it possible to understand accumulative and long-term effect of stressors. They also provide reliable biological information for which disturbed systems are to be restored. Sustainable water environment is not enough with attaining only the clean water, but it should sustain healthy and diverse aquatic life. Aquatic organisms are affected by various factors, including not only water quality but also habitat condition and stressors, and thus good condition of both physical and chemical water quality is prerequisite for sustaining healthy organisms. Therefore, biological assessment, along with other physical and chemical assessments, are crucial for evaluating the health of a water body. Overall, sustainability of water environment demands the attainment and maintenance of ecological integrity, which is resulted from the combination of physical, chemical and biological integrity. The biological criteria will play very important role in the water resource management and policy issues, and thus bioassessment program should be fully implemented and supported eventually by the law. To keep ecosystem health of water environment safely from the toxic pollutants and other stressors, the following suggestions need to be considered in environmental quality standards in Korea. For the first step, the biological indicators need to be introduced in evaluating river quality condition; they provide a qualitative description of biological condition of water body. Secondly, the biological water quality standards using biotic indices should be developed and implemented under the consideration of characteristics of Korean river systems. Lastly, the ecological status classification regime (ESCR) should be developed and introduced; it could be used in quality assessment of the water environment in general. In developing ESCR, integration of physico-chemical, biological, and habitat parameters should be taken into account.

Keywords

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