• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.135-153
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• 2021

The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier with 248 kilometers in length and about 4 kilometers in width crossing east to west to divide the Korean Peninsula about in half. The boundary at 2 kilometers to the south is called the southern limit line. The DMZ has formed a unique ecosystem through a natural ecological succession after the Armistice Agreement and has high conservation value. However, the use of facilities for the military operation and the unchecked weeding often damage the areas in the vicinities of the southern limit line's iron-railing. This study aimed to prepare basic data for the restoration of damaged barren vegetation. As a result of classifying vegetation communities based on indicator species, 10 communities were identified as follows: Duchesnea indica Community, Hosta longipes Community, Sedum kamtschaticum-Sedum sarmentosum Community, Potentilla anemonefolia Community, Potentilla fragarioides var. major Community, Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina Community, Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum-Carex lanceolata Community, Dendranthema zawadskii Community, Plantago asiatica-Trifolium repens Community, and Ixeris stolonifera-Kummerowia striata Community. Highly adaptable species can characterize vegetation in barren areas to environment disturbances because artificial disturbances such as soil erosion, soil compaction, topography change, and forest fires caused by military activities frequently occur in the barren areas within the southern limit line. Most of the dominant species in the communities are composed of plants that are commonly found in the roads, roadsides, bare soil, damaged areas, and grasslands throughout South Korea. Currently, the vegetation in barren areas in the vicinities of the DMZ is in the early ecological succession form that develops from bare soil to herbaceous vegetation. Since dominant species distributed in barren land can grow naturally without special maintenance and management, the data can be useful for future restoration material development or species selection.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.32-61
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• 2023

To investigate the distribution of vascular plants growing at Wetland in Daegu·Gyeongbook, we surveyed from June 2020 to October in 2021. The flora of wetland was classified as a total of 459 taxa comprising of 104 families, 286 genus, 406 species, 12 subspecies, 34 varieties, 6 forma, 1 hybrid. Among them, the rare plants species 5 taxa, endemic plants 11 taxa, floristic regional indicator plants 57 taxa, naturalized plants 27 taxa and wetland plants 74 taxa were recorded. The percentage of urbanization index was 8.44%, the naturalized ratio was 5.88%, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.17-28
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• 2024

In order to achieve the management goals (30by30) mandated by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, this study established the site-level assessment criteria for OECMs, tailored to domestic circumstances using the Delphi analysis. Subsequently, a site-level assessment was conducted on the National Gariwangsan Natural Recreation Forest. As a result of the study, the initial step involved presenting criteria for the site-level assessment of OECMs, with 'consent for the assessment and recognition of OECM by competent and management authority' proposed as a prerequisite. Subsequently, seven evaluation criteria were established, including 'other than a legally protected area', 'spatially separated area with defined boundaries', 'effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity', 'sustainable management based on the competent and management authority', 'long-term sustainability of conservation outcomes', and 'provision of ecosystem services'. The results of applying site-level assessment criteria to the National Gariwangsan Natural Recreation Forest indicate that six criteria were met, while one criterion (sustainable management based on the competent and management authority) requires further improvement. Specifically, the key competent and management authorities for the National Gariwangsan Natural Recreation Forest are the Korea Forest Service and the National Natural Recreation Forest Management Office, with competent and management organizations established. However, the management focus is primarily on providing forest recreation services centered on users and facilities, making it difficult to confirm the long-term biodiversity conservation plans and implementation by the competent and management authorities. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to improve the long-term biodiversity conservation plans and implementation for the recognition of the National Gariwangsan Natural Recreation Forest as an OECM.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.317-345
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• 2022

This study carried out a survey to utilize basic data for the conservation of northern lineage plants that are vulnerable to climate change, targeting algific talus slope of a specific forest biodiversity region in Yeotan-ri, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do. The survey was conducted by dividing the wind hole into 625 m² inside and 6,925 m² outside based on the wind hole. The vascular flora were identified as 84 families, 203 genera, 296 species, 6 subs., 27 var., 2 for., and a total of 331 taxa. This was found to be about 7% of 4,724 species of vascular plants in Korea. Plants endemic to the Korean peninsula were identified as 19 taxa, including Syringa fauriei, and 11 taxa for rare plants designated by IUCN. Critically endangered grade (CR) was Paeonia obovata 1 taxa, Endangered grade (EN) was Forsythia saxatilis and Prunus choreiana 2 taxa. A total of 78 taxa were florisitc target species, and 19 taxa were classified for indicator plants in the limestone area. As for alien plants, 20 taxa such as Taraxacum officinale were identified, and the naturalization rate was 6.04% and the urbanization rate was 5.33%. Geographical plants of the study area are 2 taxa of Syringa fauriei and Syringa villosa subsp. wolfii.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.311-338
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• 2021

This study was investigated to find out the distribution of vascular flora and remarkable plants and its factors and management plan in the forest genetic resource reserve of Mt. Munsu, located in the DMZ and DMZ border area in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do province. The survey was carried out 17 times from April 2019 to October 2020. First of all, in the forest genetic resource reserve of the Mt. Munsu, a total of 444 taxa in 95 families, 276 genera, 395 species, 13 subspecies, 33 varieties and 3 forms. This result was found to be about 9.09% of the total 4,881 taxa of vascular plants in Korea. In addition, endemic plants were classified as 6 taxa. Floristic special and rare plants were identified as 39 taxa and 3 taxa, respectively. Lastly, the invasive alien plants that appeared in Mt. Munsu of the forest genetic resource reserve were observed in 58 taxa. Moreover, the naturalization rate was 13.1% and the urbanization index was calculated to be 18.0%. As a result of comparing the vascular flora at the forest genetic resource reserve on Mt. Munsu identified in this study with previous studies, it was found the number of taxa was decreased compared to the previous studies, despite the fact that the recent survey section was wider and more varies routes were investigated. In particular, it was confirmed that the number of rare and endemic plants decreased significantly, and the number of invasive plants greatly spread to forest roads and hiking trails. Therefore, it is considered that the forest rest year system should be introduced for the conservation and management of native plants in the forest genetic resource reserve.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.445-468
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of vascular plants growing at the Mt. Daedun provincial park area in the boundary between Nonsan-si, Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do and Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Korea. We collected the vascular plants 9 times from May 2016 to July 2017. The flora of Mt. Daedun was classified as a total of 434 taxa comprising of 95 families, 278 genera, 388 species, 3 subspecies, 38 varieties and 5 forma. Among them, the endemic plants in Korea that the investigation found were 11 taxa including Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold, Clematis trichotoma Nakai, Thalictrum actaefolium var. brevistylum Nakai, etc. It also found rare plant species, as designated by the Korea Forest Service were 6 taxa including 5 grade LC taxa such as Eranthis stellata Maxim., Viola albida Palib., and Scopolia japonica Maxim. and 1 grade DD taxa, Scrophularia koraiensis Nakai. The special floristic plants were a total of 35 taxa such as 9 taxa in degree III (Eranthis stellata Maxim., Stewartia pseudocamellia Maxim., Acer palmatum Thunb., etc.), 7 taxa in degree II (Equisetum hyemale L., Potentilla dickinsii Franch.&Sav., Viola orientalis (Maxim.) W. Becker, etc.) and 19 taxa in degree I (Dryopteris crassirhizoma Nakai, Cephalotaxus koreana Nakai, Ulmus parvifolia Jacq., etc.) to provide basic data. No taxa in grade V or IV were found. The naturalized plants were 34 taxa including Rumex acetosella L., Phytolacca americana L. and Chenopodium album L., and the percentage of urbanization index was 10.6% while the naturalized plant index was 7.7%.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.38-50
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• 2015

Appearance patterns of freshwater fish were investigated in the western Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) adjacent areas near Imjin River in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, of 2014. A total of 61 species belonging to 14 families were found in the river during the survey. The dominant and subdominant species were Zacco platypus (Relative abundance, 20.3%) and Zacco koreanus (12.6%), respectively. Other abundant species include Rhinogobius brunneus (9.2%), Pungtungia herzi (4.4%), Acheilognathus yamatsutae (4.4%), and Pseudogobio esocinus (4.0%). Among the residing species, 24 species (39.3%) were endemic to Korea; and 1 species, Carassius cuvieri, was non-indigenous species. Hemibarbus mylodon is a natural monument, and Lethenteron reissneri, Acheilognathus signifer, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, Gobiobotia brevibarba, G. macrocephala, and G. naktongensis are endangered species in Korea. In addition, Anguilla japonica and Plecoglossus altivelis are catadromous and amphidromous species, respectively. Among the investigated sites, the lower part of Sami Stream (St. 5, 6) and Gunnarm-dam region (St. 11, 14) are particularly valuable for the conservation of species diversity, because many fish species (33~42 species) including a natural monument and several endangered species inhabit in these regions.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.206-216
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• 2021

Deutzia paniculata Nakai, a rare and endemic plant, has limited distribution throughout the North and South Gyeongsang provinces of South Korea. The D. paniculata community grows mostly on the stony slopes of forests, valley edges, and rock layers at 250-960 m in altitude, where deciduous trees are dominant and high humidity is maintained. Correlation analysis of vegetation and environmental factors found that the Walter's dogwood-mulberry community was correlated with soil acidity (pH). Whilst the queritron community had correlations with distance from the valley, rock rate and slope. The natural habitat of the Palgongsan Mountain in Daegu is known to have high genetic diversity, had eight D. paniculata individuals recorded from 2014 to 2018, and 12 individuals recorded in 2020 (new individuals due to a newly created space within the herbaceous layer caused by grass mowing works), it is therefore unlikely that the community would perish unless there was an artificial disturbance. To conserve the natural habitats of D. paniculata, oppression by Sasa borealis, damage, increase in crown density of the upper layer, overexploitation, and absence of seedlings should be carefully investigated. In addition, response measures should also be established and the impact on seed fullness and the reproductive characteristics of D. paniculata recorded. To restore declined genetic diversity, individuals from high genetic diversity regions, such as Palgongsan Mountain, should be artificially transplanted.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.355-378
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• 2019

We investigated the flora of vascular plants in Mt. Papyeong which is located in the northern part of Paju and the border of western DMZ through 13 surveys from April 2016 to August 2019. The vascular plants of Mt. Papyeong include 410 taxa; 361 species, 9 subspecies, 36 varieties, and 4 forms from 257 genera of 91 families. Among 410 taxa, we characterize endemic species, rare and endangered plants, floristic regional indicator plants, and climate change adapted plants in Korea. Specifically, there are 9 Korean endemic plants designated by Korea National Arboretum and 6 taxa by Korean Ministry of Environment. According to IUCN evaluation, there are 13 rare and endangered plants in Mt. Papyeong. On the other hand, 2 taxa were listed in a red list suggested by Korean Ministry of Environment. The floristic regional indicator plants include 46 taxa which are composed of 2 species of IV degree, 13 taxa of III degree, 11 taxa of II degree, and 20 taxa of I degree. Also, 27 naturalized plants were identified, and the percentage of Naturalized Index (NI) and Urbanization Index (UI) were 6.58%, and 8.43%, respectively. We hope that this investigation provide a valuable data for applying the further studies on the biodiversity and strategy of conservation of environment in the DMZ and Paju areas.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

By delivering effective, in-situ conservation of biodiversity, OECMs can contribute to sustaining existing biodiversity values and improving biodiversity conservation outcomes. In this study, for the reporting of OECMs required by Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the site-level assessment of the Korea National Arboretum and Buffer Zones were conducted using the assessment tool of IUCN. The site-level assessment was carried out in three steps(step 1: screening, step 2 : consent for full assessment, step 3 : the full assessment). It was found that the criteria were satisfied except for the consent for full assessment, sustainability of governance and management arrangements, and the equity of governance and management. Although the governing authority, rights-holders or any other stakeholders could be identified, the step of acknowledging and agreeing to the full OECM assessment was not possible because the governance was not established. As a result of the assessment of equitable governance and management in the aspect of recognition, procedure, and distribution based on criterion(the equity of governance and management), it is judged that more specific measures are needed in the aspect of recognition. And in the aspect of procedure, there is no legal basis for participation in governance and collection of opinions, so it is judged that there is a limit to listening and reflecting the opinions of stakeholders. In the aspect of distribution, it is necessary to further confirm whether it provides direct benefits to rights-holders such as landowners in the region. And it is necessary to prepare specific criteria to assess the important biodiversity values. Therefore, in order to promote OECM reporting in the future, it is necessary to conduct detailed research on various types of governance establishment and operation plans that can establish the basis for recognizing and agreeing to OECM assessment, specific criteria and reasonable measures to judge equity, and important biodiversity value.