• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2021

Restoration of DMZ has come up with the discussion on the peaceful use of the DMZ and the conservation plan of the army. In this study, we aim to identify soil characteristics of 108 sites to figure out environmental conditions around the iron fence of DMZ where vegetation has been removed repeatedly. Based on the soil characteristics and climate variables, hierarchy clustering was performed to categorize sites. As a result, we categorized 108 sites into 4 types: middle elevation region, lowland, East coast lowland, other areas. Group of 'other area' is only high in nutrient and clay proportion. Others are in igneous rock and metamorphic rocks with a high proportion of sand and lower nutrients than the optimum range of growth in Korean forest soil. The middle elevation region has a high altitude, low temperature. The east coast lowland has a high temperature in January and low precipitation. The lowland has a low altitude and high temperature. This category provides the environmental condition around the DMZ fence and can be used to select plants for restoration. The restoration project around the DMZ iron fence should satisfy the security of military plans, which means that functional restoration is prior to ecological restoration such as vegetation management under a power line. Additionally, improvement of soil quality and surface stability through restoration projects is required to enhance the resilience of the ecosystem in DMZ.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.143-150
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• 2017

In this study, we intend to integrate the database(DB) method into one logical structure that is related to damage such as cause and type of damages occurring in the DMZ area. We divided the DMZ members into two types, which are classified into qualitative and quantitative aspects based on the current status survey for three years as a study of database construction, So that the actual data can be utilized in future restoration. The database construction through each restoration direction regarding the type of DMZ corruption is as follows. First, we recognized the necessity of restoration of the damaged area of the DMZ, and approached it as a plan to select the damaged mark. Second, DMZ database reconstruction can be used as a restoration of damages, suggesting more information and restoration type through building an ecological database for education and research. Third, in order to maintain and restore restoration of damaged areas continuously at the national level, it is necessary to institutionalize guidelines for reasonable internal restoration in the national level as data that can be credited externally and can be acknowledged as the latest data.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

This study suggested suitable soil textures that is proper to propagate native plants to manage and restore barren land in DMZ. Germination tests were conducted for 16 native herbaceous plants growing in the DMZ border area in accordance with FAO-BI (Biodiversity International) standards, and the germination rate and T₅₀ in vitro were investigated. In order to examine the germination characteristics according to the soil textures, we used gravel, bed and mixed soil and investigated the germination characteristics under ordinary room temperature conditions in the greenhouse. As a result, it was observed that the germination rate in the greenhouse was significantly decreased compared to the germination rate in vitro of the species advertised due to soil textures. T₅₀ between the in vitro and each soil texture showed significant differences whereas T₅₀ between soil textures alone did not in all species advertised. The germination rate in vitro of Aster koraiensis, Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum, Hosta clausa, and Hosta minor there was no significant difference compared to ordinary room temperature conditions. In addition, as the germination rate is demonstrated more than 70%, which is relatively higher than other species advertised, it is considered to have strong environmentally adaptable. On the other hand, considering that the 6 species of Leontopodium coreanum, Plantago major, Potentilla chinensis, Sedum kamtschaticum, Sedum latiovalifolium, and Veronica kiusiana demonstrated less than 50% of germination rate in vitro, it is expected to be difficult to propagate without pre-treatment. In order to use these 6 species as restoration material plants, it needs to be considered to pre-treat to improve germination rate, or to enhance the vitality of seeds by improving the seed gathering period and storage method.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2017

This study has been carried out for the purpose of predicting the potential habitat sites of invasive alien plants in the DMZ and providing the basic data for decision-making in managing the future DMZ natural environment. From 2007 to 2015, this study collected the data for the advent of Ambrosia trifida var. trifida through fieldwork around the DMZ area, and simulated the potential distribution area of Ambrosia trifida var. trifida using Maxent model among the models of species distributions. As a result, it showed that the potential distribution area of the Ambrosia trifida var. trifida was concentrated in the western DMZ with relatively low altitude and scanty in the central east regions with relatively high elevation and forest cover rate. Because the invasive alien vegetation is a significant threatening factor in the agriculture and restoration of ecology and it costs a lot to restore the area already invaded by invasive alien vegetation, advance precautions are necessary to prevent biological invasions. It is expected that it is possible to predict the disturbed ecosystems through this study for the efficient land use within DMZ in the future and to apply this study in setting up the areas for the development and conservation within the DMZ.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.163-175
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• 2012

In spite of the ecological value of the DMZ, there have not been established guidelines for sustainable conservation and use on the DMZ and adjacent area. In this study we suggested a method about zoning the conservation and utilization area considering environmental data and the characteristic of the DMZ region, and we make the guideline for conservation of the DMZ region based on the zone. Using 10 legal protection areas, the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map (ECVAM) and the boundaries of the DMZ region, we evaluated this region into conservation areas, management areas, and utilization areas. The results showed that as much as 91.8% of the DMZ region was evaluated as conservation areas, 6.9% as management areas, and 1.3% as utilization areas. After consultation with experts we suggested management principles, the direction, and the guideline based on the planning process considering the evaluation map. The study suggests principles and guidelines for management, and the guidelines could be a effective tool for the sustainable conservation and management strategy of DMZ region.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.135-151
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• 2015

DMZ is considered as an ecologically sensitive landscape and one of the highest biodiversity regions in the Republic of Korea. There have been, albeit the significant value, increased interests in developing this region for a variety of purposes including tourism and commemorative events. As this region has been already facing a range of problems derived from previous development, natural disaster and invasive species, the necessity for active management of ecological health within this region has been increased, which weighs the importance of executing ecological restoration. The objective of this study was to develop evaluation indices as an effective management means of properly evaluating ecological restoration and sustainably maintaining the restored conditions on a long-term scale. Through literature review existing evaluation indices related to restoration were collected, and then the most suitable indices were selected based upon two interviews and one questionnaire survey targeting experts in the relevant field to ecological restoration. They were categorized by two major division and their subclasses (Ecological base - vegetation structure & composition, habitat characteristics, soil environment; landscape ecology - connectivity, landscape patch, boundary & surrounding) and 40 indices. These indices were considered helpful to comprehensively evaluate ecological restoration on degraded environments within ecologically sensitive areas, and sustainably manage target areas by employing a long-term monitoring approach. As this result played a meaningful role in providing the fundamentals of evaluating ecological restoration, it should develop a suitable evaluation system through further research.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.28-38
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• 2005

The De-militarized Zone(DMZ) on the Korean Peninsula is ecologically conserved and naturally developed as access to the area has been controlled in the past five decades. As a result, biodiversity and wetlands are developed very well, but they have not been sufficiently surveyed due to land mines and security reasons. Focusing on the Kyongui Line area in Paju DMZ, this study aims at examining the status of forested wetlands in detail through an on-site survey and understanding the features of forested wetlands in DMZ. The forested wetlands of Paju Kyongui Line area are inhabited by naturally grown Salix koreensis Andress. and Acer ginnale Maxim. and affected by Sacheon Basin region extensively. As the topography of this region is created of inundated area and gentle ground, it is easily affected by hydrology and irrigation and has ideal conditions as forested wetlands. In addition, forest wetlands in this area were used as agricultural land in the past but now transformed into palustrine forested wetlands after being deserted for long time. However, as construction of roads and railways increasingly blocks water paths, the coverage of Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Amorpha fruticosa L. is on the rise, which indicates that forestedwetlands are gradually becoming inland over time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.153-163
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• 2015

The study was conducted to develop ecological restoration method of damaged area in DMZ vicinities. As the material for the ecological restoration, forest soil and trees waste have been used. Forest soils were collected for experiments in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. Effect of ecological restoration was analyzed through germination experiment. Germination experiment was performed using 12 kinds of woody and herbaceous seeds. Woody and herbaceous seed germination in test pot was relatively evenly. Mixed material consisting of forest soil and trees waste seemed a possibility as the material for the restoration. The effects on seed germination were higher in the case of mixing more than 70% by volume ratio of local resources. Total number germinated individuals were different depending on the mixing ratio of soil sampling depth. Individual plants showed different trends depending on the experimental combination. Results of the woody seed germination were affected only in the soil sampling depth. Seed germination of herbaceous received a combined effect on soil sampling depth and mixing ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.185-193
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• 2016

Purpose of this study is to classify damaged lands according to the cause of the damage and their influences based on characteristic of the damaged lands in DeMilitarized Zone(DMZ) area, and utilize this study as a fundamental study for establishment of ecosystem restoration system. Literature review and field survey have been conducted to review the damage status of DMZ area. For field survey, first year and second year have been conducted, in which type of the damage has been reviewed in this study. In the result, types of damage have been classified into 6 categories: 'alteration of initial landform', 'loss of surface layer', 'land pollution', 'alteration of soil chemical property', 'decline of vegetation', and 'invasion of foreign species'. Restoration for each damage type is as following. First, for alteration of initial landform, the land is restored to the original landform prior to the damage and connection to surrounding ecosystem is considered. Second, for loss of surface layer, lost surface layer is restored or further loss is prevented with stabilization. Third, for land pollution, source of the pollution is eradicated or self-circulation with purification of polluted land is encouraged. Fourth, for alteration of soil chemical property, soil is restored of its original property with eradication of the pollution source and improvement of soil. Fifth, for decline of vegetation, current vegetation and anticipated alteration in future are considered and number of wild species is to be increased based on structure and characteristic of nearby vegetation. Sixth, for invasion of foreign species, prevention of dominance by risky species and facilitation ecological stability with ecological management are to be considered. Influence according to the cause of damage has occurred in secondary(indirect) influence or simultaneous occurrence of several damage types. Considering all these aspects, when type of the damage is complex, restoration process for each of former mentioned 6 damage types with solitary influence should be considered in unison.