• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

In this study, we 1) identified the damaged areas along the south limit line (SLL) of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) by the military's 'DMZ barren land campaign', and 2) categorized the identified damaged areas into a few ecological types. Using high-resolution satellite images, we delineated the total damaged areas to be 1,183.2 ha, which accounted for 50.1% of the 100-m northern buffer regions from the SLL. Of the total damaged areas, 16% were severely damaged, i.e., they had been damaged until recently and so remained barren without vegetation cover. In other areas, the levels of damage were either moderate (59.9%) or slight (24.1%), due to natural succession that turned those areas to grassland or forest. Using satellite image-derived land cover maps and climatic and topographic data, we categorized the damaged areas into seven types: lowland grassland (19.8%), western lowland forest (21.4%), low-altitude forest (25.5%), mid-altitude forest (18.4%), high-altitude forest (6.8%), vicinity in east coast (7.9%), and waterbody (0.2%). These types can be used to identify proper measures to restore ecosystems in the DMZ for now and after Korean reunification.