• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.153-165
• /
• 2021

The objective of this study was to provide basic data for the conservation of wetland ecosystems in the Civilian Control Zone and the management of Yongyangbo wetlands in South Korea. Yongyangbo wetlands have been designated as protected areas. A field survey was conducted across five sessions between April 2019 and August of 2019. A total of 248 taxa were identified during the survey, including 72 families, 163 genera, 230 species, 4 subspecies, and 14 varieties. Their life-forms were Th (therophytes) - R₅ (non-clonal form) - D₄ (clitochores) - e (erect form), with a disturbance index of 33.8%. Three taxa of rare plants were detected: Silene capitata Kom. and Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. known to be endangered species, and Aristolochia contorta Bunge, a least-concern species. S. capitata is a legally protected species designated as a Class II endangered species in South Korea. A total of 26 taxa of naturalized plants were observed, with a naturalization index of 10.5%. There was one endemic plant taxon (Salix koriyanagi Kimura ex Goerz). In terms of floristic target species, there was one taxon in class V, one taxon in Class IV, three taxa in Class III, five taxa in Class II, and seven taxa in Class I. Three invasive alien species (Ambrosia trifida L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., and Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc) were observed. For continuous conservation of Yongyangbo Wetlands, it is necessary to remove invasive alien plants and block the inflow of non-point pollutants.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.285-292
• /
• 2021

We investigated habitat use and home range of a rescued and released white-naped crane using GPS tracking technology in Cheorwon, South Korea, from October 2016 to March 2017. Four types of roosting sites were identified: frozen reservoirs, paddy fields, rivers, and wetlands. Upon arrival, the white-naped crane preferred wetlands in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). In late wintering season, it showed a tendency to change main roosting sites in the following order: rice paddies, rivers, and frozen reservoirs. Among 14 sleeping places, Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) with various type of available habitats was more preferred than the DMZ. Places outside of CCZ were rarely used due to anthropogenic disturbances during the night. The tracked white-naped crane widely chose daytime feeding sites while moving around all over rice paddies in the CCZ. Mean diurnal movement distance was 10.5 km with a maximum of 24.8 km. Its home range measured with Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) was 172.30 km² with MCP, 159.60 km² with KDE 95%, 132.48 km² with KDE 90%, and 42.45 km² with KDE 50%. All estimated values of home ranges were higher in the early and later winter than those in the middle period.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
• /
• 2003.05a
• /
• pp.351-352
• /
• 2003

The demilitarized zone (DMZ) covered about 1, 528 $\textrm{km}^2$ (length, 248 km; width, about 4 km), and the civilian control line (CCL) was established around the DMZ after the Korean War. The international organizations (UNESCO and IUCN) showed a continued interests on the biodiversity of the DMZ area, because of relatively well preserved environment and lack of anthropogenic disturbances other than agricultural practice (KFRI, 2000). (omitted)

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.331-341
• /
• 2016

A small irrigation pond for a rice paddy field is a very important refuge for aquatic insects and plants. To reveal environmental factors determining species composition of aquatic insect and plant communities, we analyzed water chemistry and connection between pond and surrounding in five types of irrigation ponds based on water source and connection in CCZ of South Korea: stagnation, exchange-stagnation, spring, stagnation-spring, and exchange-spring types. The stagnation type had the most stable water chemistry among the 16 irrigation ponds studied, and the spring type had the most variable water chemistry. Anion content was highest in the stagnation type, and cation content was highest in the exchange-stagnation type. 228 taxa including 63 wetland plants and 95 aquatic insect taxa were recorded. Six rare plant species and four rare aquatic insect species were identified. The stagnation-spring type had the highest species richness. There was no correlation between size and species richness. Multivariate analyses showed distinctive species assemblages among the irrigation pond types. This would indicate that water chemical change at annual cycle and connection influenced on the species assemblages in irrigation pond. In additional, irrigation pond contributes to regional biodiversity in agricultural areas, as irrigation pond provides heterogeneous communities for the freshwater ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.272-287
• /
• 2019

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established in 1953 by the Korean War Armistice Agreement. It extends from the estuary of the Imjin River, in the west, to the coast of the East Sea. It is 4 km in width and 148 km in length. However, the ecosystems of the civilian control zone (CCZ) located between the southern border of the DMZ and the civilian control line (CCL) and the CCZ in the estuary of the Han River and the Yellow Sea are similar to those in the DMZ, and, therefore, the ecosystems of the DMZ and the CCZ are collectively known as the "ecosystems of the DMZ and its vicinities." The flora in the DMZ and its vicinities is composed of 1,864 species, which accounts for about 42% of all the vascular plant species on the Korean Peninsula and its affiliated islands. Conducting a detailed survey on the vegetation, flora, and fauna in the DMZ is almost impossible due to the presence of landmines and limitations on the time allowed to be spent in the DMZ. However, to assess the environmental impact of the Munsan-Gaesong railroad reconstruction project, it was possible to undertake a limited vegetation survey within the DMZ in 2001. The vegetation in Jangdan-myeon, in Paju City within the DMZ, was very simple. It was mostly secondary forests dominated by oaks such as Quercus mongolica, Q. acutissima, and Q. variabilis. The other half of the DMZ in Jangdan-myeon was occupied by grassland composed of tall grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis, M. sacchariflorus, and Phragmites japonica. Contrary to the expectation that the DMZ may be covered with pristine mature forests due to more than 60 years of no human interference, the vegetation in the DMZ was composed of simple secondary forests and grasslands formed on former rice paddies and agricultural fields. At present, the only legal protection system planned for the DMZ is the Natural Environment Conservation Act, which ensures that the DMZ would be managed as a nature reserve for only two years following Korean reunification. Therefore, firstly, the DMZ should be designated as a site of domestic legally protected areas such as nature reserve (natural monument), scenic site, national park, etc. In addition, we need to try to designate the DMZ as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve or as a World Heritage site, or as a Ramsar international wetland for international cooperation. For nomination as a world heritage site, we can emphasize the ecological and landscape value of the wetlands converted from the former rice paddies and the secondary forests maintained by frequent fires initiated by military activities. If the two Koreas unexpectedly reunite without any measures in place for the protection of nature in the DMZ, the conditions prior to the Korean War, such as rice paddies and villages, will return. In order to maintain the current condition of the ecosystems in the DMZ, we have to discuss and prepare for measures including the retention of mines and barbed-wire fences, the construction of roads and railroads in the form of tunnels or bridges, and the maintenance of the current fire regime in the DMZ.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.129-143
• /
• 1999

Plasmodium vivax malaria, which was highly prevalent in the Republic of Korea, disappeared rapidly since 1970s. However, malaria re-emerged with the first occurrence of a patient in 1993 near the demilitarizd zone (DMZ), the border between South Korea and North Korea. Thereafter, the number of cases increased exponentially year after year, totaling 6,142 cases (6,249 if United States Army personnels were included) by the end of 1998. Interestingly enough, the majority of cases (3,743; 61%) was soldiers aged 20-25, camping around the northern parts of Kyonggi-do or Gangwon-do (Province) just facing the DMZ. Among 2.399 civilian cases, 1,144(47.%) were those who Provinces. The re-emerging malaria characteristically revealed a combination type of short and long incubation periods with predominance of the long type. The course of illness was relatively mild, and the treatment was successful in most patients. Vector mosquitoes are Anopheles sinensis and possibly A. yatsushiroensis. Wide-scale preventive and control measures should be operated to eradicate this re-emerging disease. It has been suggested by many authors that the initial source of the re-emerging malaria was infected mosquitoes which had flown from the northern part of the DMZ.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2019.04a
• /
• pp.31-31
• /
• 2019

서부 민통지역은 육군 제 1사단, 육군 제 25사단, 육군 제 28사단 관할지역에 걸쳐있다. 경기도 파주시 민통지역은 육군 제1사단 관할지역으로 장단면, 군내면, 진동면을 포함한다. 연천군 반정리는 육군 제 25사단 관할 지역 내에 있다. 본 조사에서는 장단면 일대와 군내면 정자리 덕진산성, 진동면 동파리 일월봉, 임진강변, 수내천, 세월천을 중심으로 세 개 면과 연천군 장남면 반정리의 식물상을 조사하여, 서부 민통지역의 주요 식물들의 분포를 자세히 파악하고자 하였다. 2012년 4월부터 2018년 10월까지 조사를 통해 463점의 표본을 확보하였고, 총 96과 307속 415종, 3아종, 45변종 6품종의 469분류군이 확인되었다. 조사 시기 중 멸종위기종은 발견되지 않았으며, 우리나라 특산식물로는 고려엉겅퀴, 벌개미취, 키버들 등 7분류군이 확인 되었다. 식물구계학적 특정종으로는 Ⅴ등급 통발을 비롯, IV등급 8종, III등급 11종, II등급 11종, I등급 16종이 발견되었다. 서부 민통지역에서 확인된 외래 및 귀화식물은 단풍잎돼지풀을 포함한 35분류군으로 전체 식물의 7.5%에 해당한다. 최근 무분별한 개발로 인한 민통지역 자연자원의 보전대책 수립도 요구된다.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.247-256
• /
• 2012

We evaluated the landscape ecological value of selected minefields and wetland patches as a habitat of the forest bird community. The avian fauna of three minefields of 8.5ha, 17.4ha, and 40.6ha were evaluated by comparing that of three control sites of mountain area. Average number of forest bird species, number of individuals, species diversity index, species richness, and species evenness were analyzed according to the size of patch and environmental characteristics such as the presence of wetland and connectivity. Community similarity was evaluated between test and control plots. Avian fauna can be summarized as follows. First, 63 species were recorded, and the sum of maximum counts was 828 individuals. Species diversity index was 3.8, and the species richness was 9.2. Species evenness was 93.3. Second, small, isolated forest patch had a low average number of species and individuals as expected. But, small forest patches with streams had higher bird density than patches without water surface. Third, forest patches with marsh wetland were evaluated as lower habitat quality than forest patches with stream wetland in terms of the number of bird species per unit area, number of individuals per unit area, species diversity index, species richness index, and species evenness. Finally, Community similarity of the small forest patches with streams was similar with large connected forest. As a result, lowland forest patch was shown the good quality for the forest bird community in spite of small extents, and community structure was similar with mountain forest bird community. Thus, riparian forest restoration could improve the biodiversity of the forest bird community.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.19 no.11
• /
• pp.488-496
• /
• 2018

This study examined the Gangwon Province's current implementation of its elimination of invasive plants and explored a plan to effectively manage invasive plants. The percentage of the distribution of the plants was 39.6% for riverside areas, 23.3% for roadside areas, 12.4% for roadside & riverside areas, and 4.6% for areas around farm land and river banks. To ensure the systematic management of invasive plants, the current study suggests a) developing an invasive plants monitoring and management system; b) reinvigorating the participation of residents, private organizations, and military posts; c) planting of native replacement plants and the conversion of the locations as attractions, and d) nurturing the project for using invasive plants. For policy directions to be pursued based on the results of the study, the following are suggested: a) improving laws and systems regarding invasive plants, b) developing a cooperative system for managing invasive plants, c) implementing the training of civilian professionals, d) implementing the elimination of invasive plants, e) developing replacement plants for cities and counties, f) fostering industries that tap into invasive plants, and g) using the Han River Water System Management Fund for funding and greater efficiency.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.268-287
• /
• 2022

This study reports newly discovered seven forest wetlands in the western part of the Korean Demilitarized Zone-Civilian Control Zone ecoregion. The wetland assessment criteria proposed by National Arboretum were adopted to evaluate four fields: vegetation and landscape, biogeochemical cycle, hydraulics and hydrology, and social-cultural-historical landscape and disturbances. Among seven wetlands located in Gimpo and Paju, five were of the fallow field type and two were of the natural type. A total of 474 plant species were recorded, including nine rare plants, such as the Carex capricornis Meinsh. ex Maxim. Three forest wetlands were sorted into A-grade, three into B-grade, and one into C-grade. Monitoring forest wetlands scattered across the border area ruled by military regulations can be challenging; still, as forest wetlands with high conservation value turned out, further investigations through remote sensing and cooperation by the relevant agencies will be required.