• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.106 no.2
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• pp.111-120
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• 2017

The best source of information on the conservation status of species at a global scale is the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Until now, 236 vascular plants from Korean peninsula have been evaluated using the IUCN red list categories and criteria. It indicated that five taxa were considered as critically endangered, 20 as endangered and nine as vulnerable species as a threatened status. On the other hand, the rest (189 taxa) were assessed as a least concern, which did not qualify for threatened species categories. Korea Ministry of Environment published a revised version of 57 species list by re-classifying endangered species with idiosyncratic qualitative criteria for two levels (I and II) followed by status reviews in 2011. However, two thirds species proposed by Ministry of Environment do not qualify as threatened. The major difficulties found in applying IUCN Red List criteria at the global scale was a lack of knowledge on the status of species at broader geographic scales and the perceived difficulty the causes. The lack of consistency between two lists constrains the prioritization of species-based conservation work at the national level. Due to a lack of centralized monitoring data for most species, this status is largely qualitatively and so it carries a high level of uncertainty. This is reflected in the high number of species with an unknown population trend. The current list of endangered species of flora and fauna by the Ministry of Environment should be recognized as the national list (local and population extinction), which is different from the IUCN Red list due to the different geographical contexts. Also, it is necessary to improve the quality of evaluation and conservation management system rather than presenting massive number of endangered species list.

• 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.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.305-320
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• 2005

Recently 64 species in Korea have been ranked as rare and endangered taxa by the Ministry of Environment using two categories, I and II. The original threat categories produced by the Ministry of Environment were developed to provide a standard for specifying animals and plants in danger of extinction and has been influential sources of information used in species conservation in Korea. However, the criteria by Ministry of Environment were applied to the whole taxa only by regional boundaries, especially in South Korea, rather than international context, and it also lacked an explicit framework that was necessary to ensure repeatability among taxa because of the absence of quantitative criteria to measure the likelihood of extinction. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has developed quantitative criteria for assessing the conservation status of species. The threatened species categories, the 2000 IUCN Red List, proposed by SSC (Species Survival Commission) of IUCN have become widely recognized internationally. Details of threatened Korean plants, identified by applying the IUCN threat categories and definitions, were listed and analyzed. The number of species identified as threatened was only 34 out of 64 taxa (48.4%), while the rest of taxa were rejected from the original lists. Many of the species (51.6%, 33 taxa) excluded from the original list proposed by Ministry of Environment do not qualify as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable because these taxa were widely distributed either in Japan or in China/far eastern Russia and there is no evidence of substantial decline in these countries. An evaluation of taxa in Korea has been carried out only based on subjective views and qualitative data, rather than quantitative scientific data, such as rates of decline, distribution range size, population size, and risk of extinction. Therefore, the national lists undermine the credibility of threatened species lists and invite misuse, which have been raised by other cases, qualitative estimate of risk, political influence, uneven taxonomic or geographical coverage. The increasing emphasis on international responsibilities means that global scale is becoming more significant. The current listings by Environment of Ministry of Korea should be challenged, and the government should seek to facilitate the resolution of disagreements. Especially the list should be flexible enough to handle uncertainty and also incorporates detailed, quantitative data. It is suggested that the highest priorities for the Red List should be given to endemic species in Korea first. After setting up the list of endemic species to Korea, quantitative data on population size and structure, distributional range, rated of decline, and habitat fragmentation should be collected as one of long term projects for the Red list categories. Transparency and accountability are the most important key factors. Also, species assessors are named and data sources referenced are required for the future objective evaluations on Korean plant taxa.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.04a
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• pp.30-30
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• 2018

한반도 고유 식물자원인 특산식물 물들메나무의 지리학적 분포 범위에 대한 고찰을 시도 하였으며, 이를 바탕으로 IUCN 적색목록 평가 자료 확보를 위해 IUCN Red List Criteria B의 분포범위(Extent of occurrence)와 점유면적(Area of occupancy)을 측정하였다. 물들메나무 분포도 작성을 위해 분포가 언급된 관련 문헌자료, 국립수목원 표본관(KH) 소장 표본정보, 국가생물종지식정보시스템(Nature) 종발생정보 DB, 그리고 현장조사 자료를 활용하였다. 이를 통해 한반도 특산식물 물들메나무는 지리산을 중심으로 전라남 북도, 경상남 북도 및 충청북도에 분포하고 있는 것으로 나타났으며, 북방한계지역은 경상북도 보현산으로 추정된다. 수집된 분포정보를 바탕으로 IUCN Red List Criteria B의 분포범위(Extent of occurrence)과 점유면적(Area of occupancy)을 계산한 결과 각각 $25,183km^2$, $96km^2$로 나타났다. 하지만 정확한 보전지위 평가를 위해서는 점유면적, 분포범위, 서식지 면적, 개체군 크기에 대한 지속적인 하락과 극단적인 변동을 측정할 수 있는 모니터링과 객관적인 자료가 요구된다.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.1
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• pp.7-19
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• 2012

After having announced legislation for threatened or endangered species on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants in 2005, the Korea Ministry of Environment proposed (in June 2011) amending the list, thereby delisting or reclassifying endangered species using new quantitative criteria for two levels (I and II), as well as status reviews. The new legislation included 40 species remained in their original endangered status, but 19 species were delisted, 5 species were proposed as candidates for delisting, 29 species were given a new endangered listing, and 3 species were proposed for an endangered listing in Korea. We assessed the threatened status of 98 plants using the IUCN Red List Criteria (version 3.1) at the global level, and compared the Ministry's revised criteria with the IUCN Red List Criteria and ESA criteria used in the USA. Most species proposed by the Ministry do not qualify as threatened and one of the major difficulties found in applying IUCN Red List Criteria at the global scale was a lack of knowledge on the status of species at broader geographic scales and the perceived difficulty this causes. Under the current classification process, many endangered species, such as Abeliophyllum distichum, Leontice microrhyncha, Echinosophora koreensis, Leontopodium coreanum, Iris odaesanensis, and Corylopsis coreana at global level were excluded here. Knowledge gaps and uncertainties mean that the number of taxa at high risk of extinction may be substantially greater than is currently understood. Due to a lack of information on its taxonomic status, currently there is controversy over the Red List status of Physocarpus insularis. Also, Caragana koreana, which was an invalidly published name, should be excluded here. Although the Korea Ministry of Environment insisted this procedure was conducted by applying the modified IUCN threat categories and definitions, this evaluation has been carried out based only on subjective views and misapplication of the IUCN Red List Criteria. The current listings by the Korea Ministry of Environment should be challenged. We suggest that broad species concepts on endemic species are applied and also criteria that adequately address the proper quantitative knowledge should be used. It is suggested that the highest priorities for the Red List should be given to endemic species at least in the Korean peninsula first at global scale.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.29-29
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• 2023

특정도서(特定島嶼)의 다양한 자연생태계, 지형 또는 지질 등을 비롯한 자연환경의 보전에 관한 기본적인 사항을 정함으로써 현재와 미래의 국민 모두가 깨끗한 자연환경 속에서 건강하고 쾌적한 생활을 할 수 있도록 함을 목적으로 하는 '독도 등 도서지역의 생태계보전에 관한 특별법(도서생태계법)' 제6조 및 특정도서 보전기본계획(2015~2024)에 의거하여 한강유역환경청에서는 33개(강화군 8, 옹진군 23, 안산시 1, 화성시 1) 도서를 특정도서로 지정하여 관리하고 있다. 본 연구에서는 출입과 개발행위가 제한되어 있는 특정도서의 식물상 조사를 도서생태계법 제6조에 의거하여 수행하였고, 인근 유인도서와 식물상을 비교 기록하였다. 조사된 유인도서는 덕적도, 영흥도, 선재도, 측도, 문갑도, 소야도의 6개 도서이고, 무인도서는 특정도서로 지정된 33개 도서 전체를 대상으로 하였다. 무인도서에서는 90과 225속, 294종, 3아종, 22변종, 1품종, 총 320분류군이 기록되었다. 이 중 국 가적색목록은 지치(Lithospermum erythrorhizon), 이팝나무(Chionanthus retusus), 모새달(Phacelurus latifolius) 3분류군과 한반도 고유종은 새끼노루귀(Hepatica insularis) 등 3분류군이 확인되었으며, 메귀리(Avena fatua) 등 외래식물 24분류군과 돼지풀(Ambrosia artemisiifolia) 등 생태계교란식물 3분류군이 확인되었다. 대조군인 유인도서에서는 116과 350속, 532종, 7아종, 37변종, 3품종, 총 579분류군이 기록되었다. 이 중 선재도에서 멸종위기야생생물 II급 매화마름(Ranunculus trichophyllus var. kadzusensis)이 확인되었으며, 국가적색목록은 낙지다리(Penthorum chinense) 등 4분류군, 한반도 고유종은 할미밀 망(Clematis trichotoma) 등 7분류군이 확인되었으며, 미국자리공(Phytolacca americana) 등 53분류군의 외래식물과 가시박(Sicyos angulatus) 등 6분류군의 생태계교란식물이 확인되었다.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.521-547
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• 2018

To provide fundamental information to areas that lack data on the plant resources and the ecosystem, this study conducted a survey on the vascular plants in Mt. Jigisan in Hongseonggun. The vascular plants identified during the six-round field surveys were a total of 443 taxa: 96 families, 286 genera, 391 species, 7 subspecies, 40 varieties, 3 forms, and 2 hybrids. On floristic regional of Korea, Mt. Jigisan is deciduous broad-leaved and conifer-mixed forest which is south province of Korean peninsula. 4 taxa of Korean endemic plants such as Populus ${\times}$ tomentiglandulosa, Forsytsythia koreana, Forsytsythia ovate, and Iris rossii var. latifolia were collected. The vascular plants on the red list according to IUCN evaluation basis were found to be 6 taxa: Vulnerable (VU) species of Forsytsythia ovata, Least Conern (LC) species of Chionanthus retusus, Pseudoraphis ukishiba, and Cymbidium goeringii, and Not Evaluate (NE) species of Panax ginseng, and Fimbristylis verrucifera. The floristic regional indicator plants were found 27 taxa: 2 taxa of grade V, 3 taxa of grade IV, 6 taxa of grade III, 4 taxa of grade II, and 12 taxa of grade I. The specific distribution plants were found 27 taxa: 4 taxa of northern part of plants, 12 taxa of southern part of plants, 10 taxa of isolation distribution of plants, and 1 taxon of recently reported Viola betonicifolia var. albescens. The invasive alien plants were identified as 67 taxa. The naturalized index (NI) was 15.12%, and urbanization index (UI) was 20.9%, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.128-138
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• 2013

The conservation status of an endemic perennial herb, Hanabusaya asiatica (Nakai) Nakai (Campanulaceae) was determined by applying the IUCN risk assessment criteria from our field study and available specimen data. Also, the GIS technology was used to develop a species distribution map to calculate the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) for the taxon. After two years of continuous field studies, 269 mature individuals were found in four localities in 2011, while 216 mature individuals were confirmed in three localities in 2012. Based on the following data, such as EOO (2,742 $km^2$), AOO (76 $km^2$) and estimated population size of mature individuals, the taxon, which is known as 20 localities in Korean peninsula, is evaluated as the category of Endangered (EN). A major difficulty in application of IUCN criteria to Korean rare plants were the lack of essential biological information and understanding the correct knowledge of the IUCN criteria in previous Korean studies. Sound conclusions regarding the conservation status of individual species require more intensive population studies, observations, and applying IUCN assessment procedures correctly.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.170-200
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• 2019

This study was carried out to investigate the vascular plants of Mt. Choejeong in Gachang-myeon, Daegu. From March 2017 to October 2018, a total of 22 studies were conducted. The vascular plants surveyed were grouped into 560 taxa, including 104 families, 297 genera, 495 species, 4 subspecies, 51 varieties and 10 forma. Endemic plants 15 taxa, Rare plants 5 taxa, Red list plants 5 taxa, Floristic regional indicator plants 54 taxa, Naturalized plants 36 taxa were recorded. Among surveyed 560 taxa, edible, medicinal, ornamental, timber, pasturing, industrial and fiber plants included 246 taxa (29.2%), 228 taxa (27.1%), 164 taxa (19.5%), 61 taxa (7.2%), 13 taxa (1.5%), and 8 taxa (0.9%). And because people are coming and going more frequently than in the past, this will result in more frequent influx of naturalized plants and a threat to the habitat of the plants that are currently growing.