• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.146-159
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• 2020

The objective of our study was to analyze the distribution and composition of fish species and their community characteristics in agricultural waterways in the six water systems-Mankyung River, Seomjin River, Namhae Region, Tamjin River, Yeongsan River, and Dongjin River-during 2017-2018. Little is known about the distributions and community characteristics of the aquatic biota of agricultural waterways in Korea, even if the water bodies have important roles as spawning areas or habitats for fish. In this study, we identified 3,633 fish individuals in the waterways, belonging to 53 species, eleven families, and six orders (dominant species: Tanakia koreensis, T. lanceolate) and 7,108 fish individuals in the main rivers, belonging to 57 species, fifteen families, and nine orders. Moreover, three endangered wildlife (designated by the Ministry of Environment, Korea)-T. somjinensis, Acheilognathus majusculus and Coreoperca kawamebari-were found in the waterways. By fish guild analysis, we found that many waterways had a lower proportion of sensitive species and a higher proportion of omnivore species than those of the main rivers, which indicates a feature of a disturbed environment. In addition, by grouping with environmental variables, we found the group of waterways with high substrate complexity had a higher diversity index (Shannon index) and a lower dominance index (Simpson index) than that of simple substrate complexity. Overall, our study represents the characteristics of fish habitats in agricultural waterways and suggests the need to manage them and study further.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2021.06a
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• pp.445-445
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• 2021

대구시민의 삶의 질 향상에 크게 기여하는 신천은 홍수, 친수 및 하천환경 관리에 대한 필요성이 증가되는 상황에서 신천 복원을 위하여 하천횡단구조물 및 생태조사가 필요한 실정이다. 신천 내에 위치하고 있는 14개의 하천횡단구조물은 신천의 흐름을 가로막고 있어 수질악화 및 생물이동을 저해하고 있으며, 집중호우 등으로 인하여 구조물 주변에 대한 하천관리가 어려운 것이 현실이다. 특히 신천은 인구가 밀집해 있는 도심을 관통하는 하천으로 친수공간, 홍수 및 하천환경 관리에 대한 필요성이 증가하고 있다. 본 연구에서는 신천의 수질과 어류의 생태성의 상관관계를 확인하고 횡단구조물에 대한 해결방안을 제시하고자 한다. 현지조사 결과 총 3목 6과 10종의 어류가 관찰되었으며, 법정보호종인 멸종위기 야생생물 및 천연기념물은 관찰되지 않았으나, 고유종으로 긴몰개와 참갈겨니, 꺽지, 동사리 4종이 출현하였으며, 환경부 지정 생태계교란 생물 블루길 1종이 관찰되었다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 어류생물지수(FAI)를 검토하였을 때, 하류지역으로 갈수록 E등급으로 매우 나쁨의 환경상태를 나타내었다. 이는 상류에서 하류로 갈수록 비정상개체수가 증가하고 하상의 단순화 및 유기물의 축적으로 출현 종수의 감소에 따른 결과로 판단된다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 신천의 평균 FAI 지수는 14.71점으로 E등급의 매우 나쁨의 환경상태를 나타내는 것으로 분석되었다.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.107 no.4
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• pp.361-377
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to examine whether the guideline by the Ministry of Environment (ME) successfully and appropriately applied the IUCN Red List criteria at regional level and the rare and endangered national list considered eligible. A certain number of vascular plants, which are widely distributed in the world or in east Asia, deemed to be ineligible for assessment at a regional level as Not Applicable category (NA), because it occurs at very low numbers in South Korea. Among 377 vascular plant taxa evaluated by the ME, NA included 238 species, which represented 63.1%. The number of synonymized species or illegitimate name species were 13 species, which accounted for 3.4%. 21 species (9.3%) were threatened at global level and 103 species were possibly candidates species list for Red List assessments at regional level in the near future. The proportion of NA or waiting list was 66.6% among the list assessed by the ME. The most common errors involved incorrectly application of species extinction in case of population extinction in South Korea to the assessment and provided incorrect interpretation of the Red List criteria at regional level. The most assessments proposed by ME were not backed up without quantitative data quality, justifications, and sources. It is suggested that the risk of extinction should be reassessed at least in the Korean peninsula within the light of their overall distribution including far eastern Russia and North eastern China in north and for Japan and Taiwan in south for regional assessment. The results obtained here using the IUCN criteria at regional level showed that the list proposed by the ME produced an overestimation of the number of threatened vascular plants. Also, the misapplication of the term 'species extinction' for regional assessment was open to some degree of subjectivity and misinterpretation.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.375-383
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• 2023

To determine the cause of the population decline in Gobiobotia naktongensis, substrate preference and burying behaviour were investigated in this study. In general, the species was shown to prefer a substrate size of 1 mm or less, depending on the flow. In addition, the burying depth varied according to the size of the fish and increased with a decrease in water temperature. Our findings showed that the main cause of the population reduction was the physical changes in the substrate structure due to the dams or barrages construction. Notably, the accumulation of silt and mud in the substrate upon the formation of an upstream lentic water region for structural construction and bed armouring caused by scouring and reduced downstream inflow of fine sediment were deterministic in the fish habitat changes, causing problems in burying. As sand substrate structure is critical for the survival and inhabitation of psammophilous species, efficient strategies should be developed with proper habitat management to reduce the anthropogenic damage

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.986-995
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to analyze the distribution of endangered fish species and elucidate their relations on chemical water quality, physical habitat conditions and ecological stream health. The dominant species in the watershed was Pseudopungtungia nigra (Pn), Gobiobotia macrocephala (Gm), Gobiobotia brevibarba (Gb), Liobagrus obesus (Lo), and Iksookimia choii (Ic) in the order. The species of Pn designated as "critical endangered species (I) (CER)", was most widely distributed species among the endangered species, so the designation of the species should be re-evaluated. The endangered species was most popular (4 species, 384 individuals) in the Cho-River region of eighteen lotic regions. According to the analysis of chemical tolerance limits in the habitats with endangered fish species, biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total phosphorus (TP) was analyzed as "very good" (Ia) and "good condition" in the chemical criteria of the Ministry of Environment, Korea. Also, chemical conditions, based on ammonia-N ($NH_{4+}$), total nitrogen (TN), phosphate-P ($PO_{4^-}P$) were much better in the habitat with endangered species (Hw) than the habitat without endangered species (Ho). In the meantime, the species of Ic showed wide ranges on the chemical tolerance, so physical habitat conditions, such as the size of substrate particles (sand) and hydrological regime, were considered as more important factors than the chemical water quality, if the water quality is not largely degraded. The endangered species were also more distributed in the high-order (4-6) streams than the low-order (1-3) streams. The evaluation of ecological stream health, based on multi-metric model of the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), showed the large difference between the Hw (21.6, fair condition)and Ho (30.5, good condition), indicating that the habitat maintained well chemically and physically had higher distributions of endangered species. Overall, the designation of CER on the Pn should be re-evaluated due to wide-distributions, and the protections from water pollution and the habitat conservations on the endangered species are necessary in the watershed.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.307-315
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• 2022

In terms of habitat conservation, it is essential to develop a habitat assessment system that can evaluate not only the suitability of the current habitat, but also the health and stability of the habitat. This study aimed to develop a methodology of habitat quality assessment for endangered species by analyzing various existing habitat assessment methods. The habitat quality assessment consisted of selecting targeted species, planning of assessment, selecting targeted sites, assessing performance, calculating grade, and expert verification. Target sites were selected separately from core and potential habitats using a species distribution model or habitat suitability index. Habitat assessment factors were classified into ecological characteristic, landscape characteristic, and species-habitat characteristic. Ecological characteristic consisted of thirteen factors related to health of tree, vegetation, and soil. Landscape characteristic consisted of five factors related to fragment and connectivity of habitat. Species-habitat characteristic consisted of factors for evaluating habitat suitability depending on target species. Since meanings are different depending on characteristics, habitat quality assessment of this study could be used by classifying results for each characteristic according to various assessment purposes, such as designation of alternative habitats, assessment of restoration project, and protected area valuation for endangered species. Forest habitat quality assessment is expected to play an important role in conservation acts of endangered species in the future through continuous supplementation of this system in regard to quantitative assessment criteria and weighting for each factor with an influence.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.439-455
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• 2018

Hanon made in the largest maar crater in Korea, is the only paddy field ecosystem in Jeju Island that has been conducting rice farming, for the past 500 years. Flora surveys were conducted eight times, 2015-2018, to understand floristic characteristics and a restoration plan of the study area. As a result, vascular plants of Hanon paddy fields were listed 225 taxa that consist of 55 families, 151 genera, 194 species, 1 subspecies, 25 varieties, and 4 forms. The taxonomic group including the most species, was Gramineae (36 taxa). The next families were Compositae (29 taxa), Cyperaceae (20), Leguminosae (13), and Polygonaceae (11). Biological type of the Hanon was $Th-R_5-D_4-t$ type. The rare plants revealed 3 taxa; Ottelia alismoides(L.) Pers., Acorus calamus L., Pseudoraphis ukishiba Ohwi. Endemic plant revealed 1 taxon; Saururus chinensis(Lour.) Baill. Forty three taxa were naturalized plants composed of 15 families, 24 genera, 41 species, and 2 varieties. The urbanization index and naturalized index were 13.3% and 16.9%, respectively. The Hanon has high plant diversity, including endemic plant and rare plants, and is the only rice paddy in Jeju Island. So, the Hanon has sufficient values in ecological and socio-cultural aspects, so it should be maintained continuously in the future.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.325-331
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• 2020

Macromia daimoji nymphs (Endangered Species II) are known to inhabit the Naeseong Stream in Korea. In March 2019, we performed a correlation analysis between sediment particle size and the M. daimoji population using data collected from a 0.2-㎡ area at 37 sites in Naeseong riverbed. Particle size analysis showed different ratios of sediments in the riverbed: Coarse Sand (500-1,000 ㎛) 52.5%; Very Coarse Sand (1,000-2,000 ㎛) 25.6%; Medium Sand (250-500 ㎛) 17.2%; Fine Sand (125-250 ㎛) 3.1%; Very Fine Sand (63-125 ㎛) 1.0%; and Silt (less than 63 ㎛) 0.7%. The number of M. daimoji nymphs showed a positive correlation with Very Fine Sand and Fine Sand and a negative correlation with Coarse Sand, indicating that M. daimoji nymphs inhabit fine sand. These results can be used to monitor changes in the riverbed environment of Naeseong Stream to ensure the conservation of M. daimoji habitat.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2020

The Ministry of Environment (ME) is planning to adopt in 2020 the IUCN regional Red List for "Guidelines for listing and delisting rare & endangered species and management of endangered Species System". The ME designated 377 species of vascular plants on the regional Red List. In a previous study it had been suggested that 103 species from this list are candidates for the regional Red List. With respect to a possible Red List, we assessed 59 species (after excluding 34 additional NA species and ten endemic species). These assessments indicated that 16 species are at the "threatened" level. Of those, one species is Critically Endangered, ten are Endangered, and five are Vulnerable. A further four species are classified as Near Threatened, 30 as Of Least Concern, and nine as Data Deficient. We found that most of the assessments proposed by the Ministry of Environment were not supported by scientific data, including quantitative geographic data (over 70%) in Criteria B. In order to determine the endangered species belonging to the orchid family, it is necessary to obtain records of illegal activities or data on overcollection. The current problem with the Ministry of Environment Red List has been the lack of management of scientific data on species showing a trend in decreasing population in the mid- to long-term; thus, there is a lack of critical resources for policy-makers. The ME legally designated categories and assessment, and the lack of expertise in failing to comply with the legal law by itself. The key to presenting an accurate overview of the state of Korean flora is to fill the information gaps with respect to significant geographical and taxonomical biases in the quality and quantity of data. By regularly updating the qualified data, we will be able to track the changes in the conservation status of the flora and inform the necessary conservation policies.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.163-173
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• 2018

This study was carried out to propose the baseline data for in situ conservation by analyzing environmental and growth characteristics in Pedicularis hallaisanenesis habitats. P. hallaisanensis habitats, according to investigations, were located on the slope of southwest at an elevation of 1,400 m in Mt. Gayasan and on the slope of southeast at an elevation of 1,500 m in Mt. Hallasan. Pedicularishallaisanensis habitats. Also, habitats were found at the grassland with no upper vegetation. In the study sites, soil pH and soil organic matter were 4.9-6.5 and 4.4-8.1%, respectively. A total of 55 vascular plants taxa were identified in ten quadrats in two habitats, of which 25 were inhabited in Mt. Gayasan and 37 in Mt. Hallasan. Current status of P. hallaisanensis habitats were very vulnerable with the pressure of the vegetation constantly threatening the species' survival. Thus, concrete conservation plans including diverse factors as light intensity, temperature and genetic analysis to protect natural habitats should be set up as soon as possible.