• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.601-609
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• 2020

This study aims to draw suggestions for establishing the Post-2020 national policy direction and goals related to protected areas in Korea by analyzing the trends of major discussion issues on protected areas in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and reviewing the achievement progress of the Aichi target-11. Regarding the CBD decisions on protected areas, two decisions (Decisions II/7 and II/8) were adopted in 1995, and then the Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), which presented an ideal blueprint for protected areas, was adopted at the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2004. At the 10th COP in 2010, the "Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Target" (Decision X/2) was adopted along with the Decision X/31, which presented ten key issues related to protected areas. The global outcomes of the Aichi Target-11 include 15% of the earth's land area and 7.4% of the ocean being designated as protected areas. In Korea, 16.63% of the land and 2.12% of the ocean have been designated as protected areas. However, the outcomes of the effective and equitable management, protection of areas important to biodiversity and ecosystem services, and identifying "Other effective area-based conservation measures" (OECMs) and linking them with protected areas have been found to be significantly short of global goals. The first draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (Post-2020 GBF) prepared in January 2020 presented multi-step objectives. They included protecting at least 60% of particularly important sites for biodiversity through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, at least 30% of the entire land and sea areas, and at least 10% of them under strict protection by 2030. The Updated Zero drafted in August 2020 concisely set out one quantitative goal of at least 30% of the globe by 2030, adding qualitative goals that these areas should be protected and conserved through "well connected and effective system of protected areas and OECMs at least 30 % of the planet with the focus on areas particularly important for biodiversity." Based on the draft Post-2020 GBF's targets related to protected areas and Korea's national targets reflecting the current state of Korea and established national plans, we suggest the national targets "to protect and conserve at least 30% of the land area and 10% of the marine area and to strengthen the means of qualitative achievement by establishing sub-targets through an effective system of protected areas and OECMs by 2030.".

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.558-572
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to classify the types of degraded areas of Mt. Jirisan section in Baekdudaegan and survey the actual condition of each damage type to use it as basic data for the direction of the restoration of damaged areas according to damage type based on the vegetation information of reference ecosystem. The analysis of the Mt. Jirisan section's actual degraded conditions showed that the total number of patches of degraded areas was 57, and the number of patches and size of degraded areas was higher at the low average altitude and gentle slope. Grasslands (deserted lands) and cultivated areas accounted for a high portion of the damage types, indicating that agricultural land use was a major damage factor. The survey on the conditions of 14 degraded areas showed that the types of damage were classified into the grassland, cultivated area, restoration area, logged-off land, and bare ground. The analysis of the degree of disturbance (the ratio of annual and biennial herb, urbanized index, and disturbance index) by each type showed that the simple single-layer vegetation structure mostly composed of the herbaceous and the degree of disturbance were high in the grassland and cultivated land. The double-layer vegetation structure appeared in the restoration area where the pine seedlings were planted, and the inflow of naturalized plants was especially high compared to other degraded areas due to disturbances caused by the restoration project and the nearby hiking trails. Although the inflow of naturalized plants was low because of high altitude in bare ground, the proportion of annual and biennial herb was high, indicating that all surveyed degraded areas were in early succession stages. The stand ordination by type of damage showed the restoration area on the I-axis, cultivated area, grassland, logged-off land, and bare ground in that order, indicating the arrangement by the damage type. Moreover, the stand ordination of the degraded areas and reference ecosystem based on floristic variation showed a clear difference in species composition. This study diagnosed the status of each damage type based on the reference ecosystem information according to the ecological restoration procedure and confirmed the difference in species composition between the diagnosis result and the reference ecosystem. These findings can be useful basic data for establishing the restoration goal and direction in the future.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.227-237
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• 2020

Microclimatic data were measured, and the human thermal sensation was analyzed at 10 local climate zones based on the major land cover classification to investigate the thermal environment of urban areas during summer nighttime. From the results, the green infrastructure areas (GNIAs) showed an average air temperature of 1.6℃ and up to 2.4℃ lower air temperature than the gray infrastructure areas (GYIAs), and the GNIAs showed an average relative humidity of 9.0% and up to 15.0% higher relative humidity. The wind speed of the GNIAs and GYIAs had minimal difference and showed no significance at all locations, except for the forest location, which had the lowest wind speed owing to the influence of trees. The local winds and the surface roughness, which was determined based on the heights of buildings and trees, appeared to be the main factors that influenced wind speed. At the mean radiant temperature, the forest location showed the maximum value, owing to the influence of trees. Except at the forest location, the GNIAs showed an average decrease of 5.5℃ compared to GYIAs. The main factor that influenced the mean radiant temperature was the sky view factor. In the analysis of the human thermal sensation, the GNIAs showed a "neutral" thermal perception level that was neither hot nor cold, and the GYIAs showed a "slightly warm" level, which was a level higher than those of the GNIAs. The GNIAs showed a 3.2℃ decrease compared to the GYIAs, except at the highest forest location, which indicated a half-level improvement in the human thermal environment.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.388-395
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• 2020

Exotic species have been imported for economic purposes, but more recently, an increasing number of animals are imported as pets. With the increasing popularity of two species of turtles, Mauremys sinensis and Pseudemys concinna, the number of pet turtle owners has gradually increased since 2014. The number of turtles increased by 180 in 2017 and 281 in 2019. However, these turtle species have been abandoned to nature, owing to their long lifespans and the changes in conditions of pet owners. The two turtle species have been designated as invasive alien species (AIS) in Korea considering their ecological risks, and the Biological Diversity Act prohibits their release. The owners of Mauremys sinensis and Pseudemys concinna are required to submit the "Application for Approval of Breeding and Grace for AIS" document. In this study, the breeding conditions for the two turtle species were investigated by analyzing the information in the submitted applications for six months (e.g., the suitability of breeding facilities, number of turtles, breeding period, type of pet adoption, and local district of pet owner). A total of 614 cases were analyzed. Because only 58% of breeders provided suitable breeding conditions, breeding information and responsible pet ownership training should be offered to prevent abandonment in natural ecosystems. In addition, continuous monitoring is necessary to prepare for potential problems caused by the lack of information in many applications and the one-off licensing policy.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.515-529
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• 2020

Constructed wetlands undergo biological and physical changes such as an increase in the proportion of arid plants due to the natural succession process after formation. It can adversely affect not only the purification function but also the habitat of species. As such, this study aims to identify environmental factors affecting biodiversity and propose management plans based on the monitoring results of physical environmental changes and the emergence of species in seven constructed wetlands selected based on the water depth and surrounding conditions among the lands purchased by the Nakdong River basin. We examined the environmental conditions and emergence of the Odonata, which is a wetland-dependent species, to predict the trend of changes in biodiversity and abundance. The results showed that the open water area decreased as the emergent plants spread to the deep water in 2015 compared to 2012 when they were initially restored to a depth of 0.2 to 1 m. While a total of 54 dragonfly species were observed, the habitat diversity, such as vegetation, water surface, and grassland, remained similar to the initial formation of the wetlands despite the expansion of the emergent plants. On the other hand, the number of Agrionidae species, which prefer areas with fewer aquatic plants, decreased between 2012 and 2015 due to the diminished water surface. The p-values of the differences in the number of species and population between wetlands by year were 2.568e-09 and 1.162e-08, respectively, indicating the statistically significant differences. The decrease in open water surface was found to have the greatest effect on the biodiversity and habitat density of dragonflies. The time-series survey of constructed wetlands confirmed that the spread of Phragmites communis, P. japonica, Typha orientalis, etc., caused a decrease in species diversity. It suggests that environmental management to maintain the open water surface area is necessary.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.105-114
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• 2021

This study determines the differences between Korean female university students and their Chinese counterparts residing in Korea by evaluating the subjective sensation and tactile preference in fabrics for casual shirts. Seven types of white causal shirt fabrics were selected as specimens from those available in spring and autumn shirt collection. The fabrics were made from various fibers (cotton 100%, polyester 100%, flax 100%, polyester 80%/cotton 20%, polyester 65%/cotton 35%, polyester 50%/cotton 45%/spandex 5%, and polyester 50%/modal 50%). Forty Korean and Chinese female university students subjectively assessed the subjective sensation of fabrics used for casual shirts. Participants were asked to observe the seven types of fabrics and complete the questionnaire. The subjective sensation to be assessed for white casual shirt fabrics was classified into the following four factors: smoothness, lightness, softness, and stretchiness. Subjective sensation factors showed partially significant differences by nationality. Korean female students evaluated cotton fabric as being light, whereas their Chinese counterparts evaluated the polyester/cotton/spandex blended fabric as light. Korean female students evaluated polyester/modal blended fabric as being stretchable. The tactile preference for fiber composition of the fabrics showed partially significant differences by nationality. Korean female students preferred cotton 80%/polyester 20% blended fabric, polyester 50%/cotton 45%/spandex 5% blended fabric, and flax 100% fabric. The subjective sensation of the fabrics had different effects on preferences by nationality. Smoothness and softness had positive effects on preferences for the fabrics of Korean students. However, smoothness, softness, and stretchiness had positive effects on the preferences of Chinese students. The subjective sensation and tactile preference for casual shirt fabrics showed a difference between Korean female students and their Chinese counterparts. Therefore, when planning casual shirt fabrics for female university students, it is necessary to reflect on these differences in subjective sensation and tactile preference.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.1-28
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• 2020

This study examines whether the firm with high innovation efficiency realizes high operating performance. We measured innovation efficiency by the ratio of patent applications for R&D expenditure or R&D stock and measured operating performance by the ratio of operating income or operating cash flow to total assets for the following year. The sample consists of 1,880 manufacturing firm-years, which listed on the Korean Exchange between 2014 and 2017. We analyze the effect of innovation efficiency on operating performance using a model of Hirshleifer et al. (2013) results show that both innovation efficiency variables have a significantly positive relationship with the total asset operating margin. Besides, the following year's performance, measured by the total asset operating cash flow ratio, also shows a positive relationship with the two innovation efficiency variables at the 5% and 1% significance levels, respectively. The results indicate that high innovation efficiency firms that link the outcomes of R&D to more patent applications realize higher operating performance. Also, we divided the R&D-intensive and non-R&D-intensive industries and performed the same analysis. As a result, the innovation efficiency has a significant positive effect on operating margin in both industries. However, the effect of innovation efficiency on the operating cash flow is only significant in R&D-intensive industries. This study suggests that the effects of innovation efficiency are more consistent in the R&D-intensive industry. Additionally, we divided the high patent application and low patent applications industries and performed the same analysis. As a result, the innovation efficiency has a significant positive effect on operating margin in both industries. This study suggests that the effects of innovation efficiency are more consistent in the high patent application industry. We show that a firm's innovation efficiency is a critical factor for a firm's performance, while prior studies on the R&D performance have not considered the innovation efficiency of each firm. The evidence suggests that firms not only consider R&D expenditures but also improve the performance of companies by increasing innovation efficiency. Investors need to consider their innovation efficiency when evaluating the value of firms.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.657-664
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated the relationships between the air quality (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, O₃) concentrations and local geographical characteristics (terrain heights, building area ratios, population density in 9 km × 9 km gridded subareas) in the Seoul metropolitan area. To analyze the terrain heights and building area ratios, we used the geographic information system data provided by the NGII (National Geographic Information Institute). Also, we used the administrative districts and population provided by KOSIS (Korean Statistical Information Service) to estimate population densities. We analyzed the PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and O₃ concentrations measured at the 146 AQMSs (air quality monitoring system) within the Seoul metropolitan area. The analysis period is from January 2010 to December 2020, and the monthly concentrations were calculated by averaging the hourly concentrations. The terrain is high in the northern and eastern parts of Gyeonggi-do and low near the west coastline. The distributions of building area ratios and population densities were similar to each other. During the analysis period, the monthly PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations at 146 AQMSs were high from January to March. The O₃ concentrations were high from April to June. The population densities were negatively correlated with PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and O₃ concentrations (weakly with PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ but strongly with O₃). On the other hand, the AQMS heights showed no significant correlation with the pollutant concentrations, implying that further studies on the relationship between terrain heights and pollutant concentrations should be accompanied.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.379-394
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• 2021

Air pollution data in South Korea is provided on a real-time basis by Air Korea stations since 2005. Previous studies have shown the feasibility of gridding air pollution data, but they were confined to a few cities. This paper examines the creation of nationwide gridded maps for PM10 concentration using 333 Air Korea stations with variogram optimization and ordinary kriging. The accuracy of the spatial interpolation was evaluated by various sampling schemes to avoid a too dense or too sparse distribution of the validation points. Using the 114,745 matchups, a four-round blind test was conducted by extracting random validation points for every 365 days in 2019. The overall accuracy was stably high with the MAE of 5.697 ㎍/m³ and the CC of 0.947. Approximately 1,500 cases for high PM10 concentration also showed a result with the MAE of about 12 ㎍/m³ and the CC over 0.87, which means that the proposed method was effective and applicable to various situations. The gridded maps for daily PM10 concentration at the resolution of 0.05° also showed a reasonable spatial distribution, which can be used as an input variable for a gridded prediction of tomorrow's PM10 concentration.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.515-530
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• 2021

This study is to estimate soil moisture (SM) using Sentinel-1A/B C-band SAR (synthetic aperture radar) images and Multiple Linear Regression Model(MLRM) in the Yongdam-Dam watershed of South Korea. Both the Sentinel-1A and -1B images (6 days interval and 10 m resolution) were collected for 5 years from 2015 to 2019. The geometric, radiometric, and noise corrections were performed using the SNAP (SentiNel Application Platform) software and converted to backscattering coefficient of VV and VH polarization. The in-situ SM data measured at 6 locations using TDR were used to validate the estimated SM results. The 5 days antecedent precipitation data were also collected to overcome the estimation difficulty for the vegetated area not reaching the ground. The MLRM modeling was performed using yearly data and seasonal data set, and correlation analysis was performed according to the number of the independent variable. The estimated SM was verified with observed SM using the coefficient of determination (R²) and the root mean square error (RMSE). As a result of SM modeling using only BSC in the grass area, R² was 0.13 and RMSE was 4.83%. When 5 days of antecedent precipitation data was used, R² was 0.37 and RMSE was 4.11%. With the use of dry days and seasonal regression equation to reflect the decrease pattern and seasonal variability of SM, the correlation increased significantly with R² of 0.69 and RMSE of 2.88%.