• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.429-436
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• 2011

Recent landscape changes from human activities, such as agricultural development and urbanisation frequently result in the loss of habitats, the reduction in habitat patch size and an increasing isolation of habitat patches. However, there is little information on woodland changes in agricultural landscapes. Therefore, the aim of this research was to assess spatial characteristics and changes of woodland in an agricultural landscape and how these may have had an impact on ecological process for 33 years. One of the agricultural landscape character units was analysed based on aerial photographs from 1976, 1983, 1994, 2002 and 2009 in Gwangju city. The results indicated that landscape ecological metrics clearly showed that they could be used to monitor changes of woodland ecological conditions during the past 33 years. The results imply that particularly human activities have been leading to the decrease of the mean size of woodland patches and finally result in woodland isolation. These changes may have a negative impact on woodland bird species in the study area. This woodland information can be used to identify the potential and specific needs for setting priorities for conservation planning.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.129-138
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• 2022

Reintroduction programs have been promoted across the world to recover and rehabilitate endangered birds through ex situ captive breeding and releasing to the nature. The ultimate aims of these reintroduction programs are recovery of sustainable populations in natural habitats. To ensure the success of the reintroduction programs, it is necessary to examine the followings in order to increase the success rate of releasing along with the development of captive breeding techniques: 1) Adequate habitat provision, 2) adaptability of captive-bred individuals, 3) survivability of released individuals, and 4) social interest and will. Before releasing captive-bred individuals, it should be reviewed whether there are habitats in which the limiting factor is removed, and assessed their long-term safety. The quantity and quality of the released individuals must be considered to increase the chances for mate selection, maintain genetic diversity, and acquire the ability to adapt to the wild. The release method must be decided in consideration of characteristics of the target habitats and individuals, and rational means such as careful observation, evaluation, and feedback must be provided throughout the release process. For the long-term success of recovery projects, social awareness, sustainable support, and related experts are needed. Satisfying these criteria can help to increase the success rates of reintroduction programs. For the bird reintroduction program in the future, the feasibility of the methods and procedures must be closely reviewed before starting.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2023

Wetlands are very critical for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, while also serving as the breeding/ nesting/ resting grounds for water birds. Generally, wetlands support both resident and migratory birds, thus serving as connecting dots in the global flyways. The Rajasthan state of India has two Ramsar sites (Keoladeo National Park and Sambhar Lake) and many other water bodies/wetlands. However, most of these areas are segregated in the eastern, southeastern, southern, and northern parts. In the western part of Rajasthan, where lies the Great Indian or Thar desert, there are no such reported prominent wetlands drawing attention towards a substantial number of resident and migratory water birds. The author is an Indian Forest Service officer, who was posted in the Thar Desert region and during that time had identified a hidden wetland in the desert landscape. This study deliberates on the wetland location and its faunal diversity with prospects of developing the area as a proper wetland conservation zone. India is a signatory to the Central Asian Flyway of migratory species and serves as an important member in terms of having significant wetlands and reported migratory birds count. The need of preserving and bring the arid zone's hidden wetlands to the forefront can serve as an important tool to conserve water birds and comply with worldwide bird migration conservation efforts.

• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.69-82
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• 2023

Offshore wind farms (OWFs) should be promoted as part of global efforts to respond to climate change, and efforts to preserve biodiversity in terms of climate change adaptation should also be considered. However, the ecological status of marine birds related to OWFs on the Korean Peninsula, such as habitat and reproduction, are not well known. In this study, ecological reasons for the reproductive status of Black-tailed gulls in Korea and representation related to OWFs, the evaluation direction of marine birds related to OWFs was presented. In a review of the techniques for monitoring marine birds, it was confirmed that Korea also needs to provide basic status information on marine birds at the national level. In addition, this study analyzed the reproductive status and related research status of Black-tailed gulls, an important indicator and dominant species on the Korean Peninsula, in relation to marine development projects including OWFs. Furthermore, the direction of environmental impact assessment preparation and impact prediction for various development projects promoted in the ocean, such as OWFs, was considered.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2007

This study was conducted to analyze the distribution patterns of wintering waterbird communities in relation to local environmental factors in the urban streams of Seoul, Korea. A field survey was conducted at 66 sites of 5 tributaries and the main channel of the Hangang River in Seoul in January 2006. The total of 65 species and 39,560 individuals were recorded in the field survey. There were 48 species and 28,989 individuals in the Hangang River, 14 species and 1,395 individuals in the Tancheon stream, 15 species and 2,306 individuals in the Jungrangcheon stream, 22 species and 5,990 individuals in the Anyangcheon, 18 species and 283 individuals in the Changrungcheon stream, and 24 species and 597 individuals in Gokrungcheon stream. The dominant species were Anas platyrhynchos (22.65%), A. poecilorhyncha (14.01%), Aythya ferina (13.26%), Aythya fuligula (8.04%), and Mergus merganser (7.03%). Among the 16 species (with 30,650 individuals) of ducks, the dabbling and diving ducks were 8 species with 18,286 individuals and 8 species with 12,364 individuals, respectively. Through the principal component analysis, the study sites were classified into four main groups according to the similarity of their waterbirds' species compositions: 3 tributaries in the urban area (Group 1), 2 tributaries in the rural area (Group 2), one in the rural area, one in the urban area, the urban area in Hangang River (Group 3) and the main channel of the Hangang River in the urban area (Group 4). Species diversity index and species evenness were the highest in Group 1, while the lowest Group 2. Analysis on their environmental factors showed that the waterbirds wintering in urban streams of Seoul prefer broad water width, low water depth and broad resting sites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.13-26
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• 2015

Urban park and green space provide various functions. Among the functions, human benefit and increase of biodiversity are known to be important. Therefore, it is important to consider human and biotic aspect in the process of selecting suitable site for park and green space. However, there is insufficient research on both aspects. In this study, we used green network to analyze human and biotic aspect to select suitable site for park and green space in Seongnam City in Korea. To analyze the green network, we used accessibility for human aspect and used dispersal distance and habitat size for biotic aspect. We conducted least-cost path modelling using movement cost. In case of biotic aspect, GFS (generic focal species) is used to estimate habitat size and dispersal distance. To find out suitable site for park and green space, we used an overlay analysis method. As the result, old residential areas are shown have insufficient green network which needs park and green space. Furthermore, the green network for biotic aspect is insufficient in old residential areas comapred to green network for human aspect. The result of this study could contribute in planning of park and green space to maximize their functions.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2020

Background: Determining patterns of habitat use is key to understanding of animal ecology. Approximately 1% of bird species use brood parasitism for their breeding strategy, in which they exploit other species' (hosts) parental care by laying eggs in their nests. Brood parasitism may complicate the habitat requirement of brood parasites because they need habitats that support both their host and their own conditions for breeding. Brood parasitism, through changes in reproductive roles of sex or individual, may further diversify habitat use patterns among individuals. However, patterns of habitat use in avian brood parasites have rarely been characterized. In this study, we categorized the habitat preference of a population of brood parasitic lesser cuckoos (Cuculus poliocephalus) breeding on Jeju Island, Korea. By using compositional analyses together with radio-tracking and land cover data, we determined patterns of habitat use and their sexual and diurnal differences. Results: We found that the lesser cuckoo had a relatively large home range and its overall habitat composition (the second-order selection) was similar to those of the study area; open areas such as the field and grassland habitats accounted for 80% of the home range. Nonetheless, their habitat, comprised of 2.54 different habitats per hectare, could be characterized as a mosaic. We also found sexual differences in habitat composition and selection in the core-use area of home ranges (third-order selection). In particular, the forest habitat was preferentially utilized by females, while underutilized by males. However, there was no diurnal change in the pattern of habitat use. Both sexes preferred field habitats at the second-order selection. At the third-order selection, males preferred field habitats followed by grasslands and females preferred grasslands followed by forest habitats. Conclusions: We suggest that the field and grassland habitats represent the two most important areas for the lesser cuckoo on Jeju Island. Nevertheless, this study shows that habitat preference may differ between sexes, likely due to differences in sex roles, sex-based energy demands, and potential sexual conflict.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.98-100
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• 2007

Tropical forests have variety of biodiversity values, which provide invaluable services to the living being on earth. In the recent years, tropical forests are regarded as valuable global resources that act as sink for carbon dioxide in order to mitigate global climatic change. In many parts of the world, tropical forests are being rapidly cleared by various means. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is concentrated in the upper 12 inches of the soil. So it is readily depleted owing to the degradation activities. In the present study, it was aimed to assess the magnitude of disturbance in the availability of SOC in a semi- evergreen forest, situated in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The forest density of this region was mapped with QuickBird satellite data. Intensive field soil sampling and floristic study were conducted to estimate the SOC status in different density classes and to identify the species availability. The SOC density ranged from 274.06 t/ha to 147.84 t/ha in the very dense and degraded semi-evergreen forest respectively. The SOC content was also varied from 3.70 to 1.83 % in the very dense semi-evergreen and medium semi-evergreen forests respectively. The species composition in different density classes was also varied considerably. As a result of this study, it was identified that the disturbance to forests by various means not only affect the density of forests but also affect the below ground SOC status proportionately.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.325-334
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• 2016

We projected the distribution of Hedera rhombea, an evergreen broad-leaved climbing plant, under current climate conditions and predicted its future distributions under global warming. Inaddition, weexplained model uncertainty by employing 9 single Species Distribution model (SDM)s to model the distribution of Hedera rhombea. 9 single SDMs were constructed with 736 presence/absence data and 3 temperature and 3 precipitation data. Uncertainty of each SDM was assessed with TSS (Ture Skill Statistics) and AUC (the Area under the curve) value of ROC (receiver operating characteristic) analyses. To reduce model uncertainty, we combined 9 single SDMs weighted by TSS and resulted in an ensemble forecast, a TSS weighted ensemble. We predicted future distributions of Hedera rhombea under future climate conditions for the period of 2050 (2040~2060), which were estimated with HadGEM2-AO. RF (Random Forest), GBM (Generalized Boosted Model) and TSS weighted ensemble model showed higher prediction accuracies (AUC > 0.95, TSS > 0.80) than other SDMs. Based on the projections of TSS weighted ensemble, potential habitats under current climate conditions showed a discrepancy with actual habitats, especially in the northern distribution limit. The observed northern boundary of Hedera rhombea is Ulsan in the eastern Korean Peninsula, but the projected limit was eastern coast of Gangwon province. Geomorphological conditions and the dispersal limitations mediated by birds, the lack of bird habitats at eastern coast of Gangwon Province, account for such discrepancy. In general, potential habitats of Hedera rhombea expanded under future climate conditions, but the extent of expansions depend on RCP scenarios. Potential Habitat of Hedera rhombea expanded into Jeolla-inland area under RCP 4.5, and into Chungnam and Wonsan under RCP 8.5. Our results would be fundamental information for understanding the potential effects of climate change on the distribution of Hedera rhombea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.49-58
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• 2021

Rural and agricultural landscapes are important forms of land use in maintaining biodiversity. In addition humans are provided with various public functions from ecosystems and agricultural ecosystems. But the creation of a facility horticultural complex can be a space that can undermine the public interest function of the agricultural ecosystem. Therefore, this study aims to quantify the function of ecosystem services that land use changes affect biodiversity in Korea's rice paddy fields. The area subject to the study was selected as the largest agricultural complex in Korea due to rice paddy fields and land use changes, and field agriculture was also carried out simultaneously. The survey was conducted only in the fields of vegetation, insects, amphibians, and birds, four areas of biodiversity that are believed to have a high impact on changes in land use in agricultural landscapes. The valuation of ecosystem services in four areas of biodiversity derived from this study was evaluated as non-market value. As a result of quantitative evaluation, about 25 species of vegetation were reduced due to changes in land use. The diversity of about 40 species of aquatic insects that inhabit rice paddies among insects has disappeared due to the creation of a horticultural complex. Birds and amphibian reptiles were also found to have decreased diversity and populations. This research is expected to be used in various ways to develop policies to enhance ecosystem service functions.