• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.433-443
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• 2020

Background and objective: The boom in urban agriculture has also resulted in the creation of many school gardens. With the increase in various hands-on education programs, people are interested in assessing the value of school gardens. This study was conducted to derive indicators for service value assessement of educational farming experience using school gardens. Methods: Through literature review, we selected assessment items and sub-factors. The indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of school gardens are classified using the Delphi method that involve a focus group experts. In order to increase the reliability and validity of the selected and classified items, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. In addition, the relative importance and priority of each factor in each field were assessed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Results: We classified the indicators into 4 criteria and come up with 13 items and 33 sub-factors in educational value, health value, economic value, and ecological and environmental value. Most of the items for the 4 value criteria derived were significant for assessing the value of agricultural experience services with content validity ratio (CVR) higher than 0.59 and reliability higher than .6 . In the value criteria, the experts rated educational value as the most important, followed by health value, ecological and environmental value, and economic value. In the assessment items, the most important was improvement of social functions. In the sub-factors, the most important was strengthening of ties (friendly interactions). Conclusion: Among the derived indicators assessing the value of school gardens, 4 criteria, 12 evaluation items and 29 sub-factors showed significance. The schematic index would be useful for the assessment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.20-30
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• 2003

This study is aimed at establishing the categories and items for ecological assessment and evaluation of the environmental friendliness of golf courses in the capital region of Korea. The categories and items for the assessment have been derived based on the existing literature and interviews with golf experts. This study covers 32 golf courses in the capital region of Korea that are available in terms of data and on-site surveys. In order to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the environmental friendliness of the golf courses, the assessment area was divided into 4 categories that include a total of 14 sub-categories. The 4 categories encompass 1) location, 2) topography, 3) vegetation, and 4) construction. As its sub-categories, the location category includes current land use and zoning in the National Land Use Management Law. Topography has 2 sub-categories in the damage ratio of existing topography, gradient, cut area, and slope height. The assessment of vegetation is largely based on site surveys in the categories of preservation of the existing vegetation, the use of natural resources and existing trees, the component ratio of native tree species, the multi-layered structure of vegetation, and the utilization of water purification plants. In the aspect of construction, afforestation on tile slopes and the utilization of existing surface soil were evaluated. The examination of comparative analysis among the 10 items as a ratio measure showed that the scores were low in the sub-categories of current land we, the use of existing trees, and the multi-layered structure of vegetation. However, the rating results were satisfactory in the 2 sub-categories including cut area, and the utilization of native tree species. Those proved to be contributing factors in the ecological health of the golf courses. According to correlation analysis of the 10 items to the overall ecological rating of each golf course, the sizes of the 32 golf courses were mainly affected by the damage ratio of existing topography, gradient, preservation of vegetation and slope height. This study has the initiative to conduct an ecological assessment of golf courses in the country based on site surveys. The study results revealed that location factors such as current land use, damage ratio of topography and gradient and topographical factors were the main factors affecting the environmental friendliness of golf courses. This indicates indicating the significance of these factors in the future construction practices of golf courses. Furthermore, this study raises the need for follow-up studies to establish more detailed assessment criteria and to develop assessment techniques for areas such as slope afforestation and water purification plants that need a qualitative approach.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 1995

In generally speaking, the purpose of Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) is to give the environment its due place in the decision-making process by clearly ealuating the environmental consequence of a proposed activity before action is taken. The introduction of conventional EIA is to be seen as an end product of a very long evolutionary process, starting with rudimentary but evolving pollution control measures for air, water, noise, land and chemicals, each governed by separate, and separately administered pieces of legislation. In EIA process, the measures of status, scoping, proposed mitigation and communication have not been very quantitative in their significancy. Of course, the determinations have uncertainity in the implications for significant impacts. To improve the determination of significant impacts, some more comprehensive methodologies of EIA has been proposed with the concepts of risk analysis in the proposed projects. The concepts of risk analysis has been introduced to the expression of human health impairment due to environmental pollutants since the early 1980's. The risk analysis being meant by the statistical significance of impact has a process quantitatively considering uncertainities and importances of ecological systems and human health as well. The process of risk analysis shows assessment, doseresponse in toxicity, exposure assessment and risk characterization. With the risk assessment, it could be suggested for the proper measurements against their anticipated risk in the EIA. This paper deals the priciples developing process and application of the risk-based analysis in EIA.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.373-383
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• 2016

Cheonsu Bay, one of the most important in Korea as a coastal fishery is a semi-enclosed bay that is surrounded by large farmlands and industrial areas. This coastal environment has been affected by anthropogenic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The objectives of this study were to investigate the distribution of PCBs and OCPs in sediment, Manila clams, and mussels from Cheonsu Bay; the accumulation pattern of these chemicals in these bivalves in relation to seasonal changes; and the ecological risk from sediments and the risk to the Korean population from the consumption of these bivalves. The levels of ${\Sigma}PCBs$, ${\Sigma}DDT$, and ${\Sigma}HCHs$ were 69.3-109, 40.3-49.3 and 6.25-17.8 ng/g lipid in Manila clams, and 70.6-159, 38.6-102 and 9.00-13.5 ng/g lipid in Mussels. Significant seasonal variations in PCBs and OCPs concentrations were observed in the two bivalves, suggesting that the accumulation of PCBs and OCPs in these species is related to their spawning times. The dietary intake of these two bivalves and the resulting lifetime cancer risk (LCR) and non-cancer risk were calculated for the human population. The consumption of these bivalves seemed to be safe in relation to human health with negligible LCR and non-cancer risk.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.345-350
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• 2005

Acute toxicities of five pharmaceutical products were evaluated with aquatic microbes, invertebrates, and fish. The test pharmaceuticals, i.e., cimetidine, carbamazepine, diltiazem, acetaminophene, and metformin have been often detected in aquatic environment, but theire cological hazard on receptors of various trophic levels has seldom been evaluated. In the present study, we conducted acute toxicity assays with a marine bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, an invertebrate, Daphnia magna, and a fish, Japanese medake (Oryzias latipes). In general, D. magna, showed the most sensitive response to the test chemicals. Diltiazem exhibited the lowest EC50 value after 96 hr of exposure at 7.6 mg/L, followed by cimetidine >acetaminophen > metformin = carbamazepine in an order of decreasing susceptibility. With the fish, diltiazem and carbamazepine showed the 96 hr EC50 values at 14.1${\sim}$35.4 mg/L while acetaminophen, cimetidine, and metformin did not cause 50% mortality at 100 mg/L. Similar pattern was noted with the Microtox Assay, with which the median effective concentrations for acetaminophen, cimetidine, and metformin were found at the range between 301.8 and 755.4 mg/L. Carbamazepine and diltiazem exposure to the microbes resulted in EC50 values around 50 mg/L. Predicted no effect concentrations (PECs) of these pharmaceuticals derived from the EC5O values obtained from this study, and predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) obtained from available literatures were utilized to estimate ecological risks of the test compounds. No test pharmaceuticals resulted in risk quotients (PEC/PNEC) greater than 1, which suggests no serious potential ecological concerns. It should be noted however that further studies including the refinement of PEC derivation, identification and toxicity assessment of the metabolites and/or their interactions with other stressors may be warranted to better understand the environmental consequences of the residual pharmaceutical discharge to the waterway.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2008

In the present study, the concentration levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) in the environments in Korea are estimated based on some measured data in Korea, in comparison with the data from the other countries. Even though PCBs were banned as electrical fluids in 1970s in Korea, PCBs are still detected in the environment. PCBs levels in Korea are greatly lower than those in other countries, which are gradually decreased as well. However, the measured data are not sufficient in both numbers and quality, to estimate the average PCBs levels in Korea. The regulation limit on polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) is 2mg/kg (ppm), which is too low compared to 50 ppm of many other countries including U.S. With this strict regulation, there are many problems expected, for example, in the analysis of PCBs in the transformers using in the field as well as the safe treatment of PCBs. The risk assessment on the PCBs in the environment is surely necessary prior to the change in the limit. Also the PCBs concentration monitoring in the environmental media (i.e. air, water, soil and sediment) and exposure assessment will be essential for the accurate risk assessment. If the PCB-waste guideline maintain as 2 ppm after 10 years, the excess cancer risk of PCBs exposure by ambient air, drinking water and soil was $10^{-8}$. But if the guideline mitigate as 50 ppm after 10 years, the cancer risk was increased by $10^{-7}$. The ecological risk quotient by regulation change was not exceed '1'.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.483-501
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to apply a multi-metric model of Lentic Ecosystem Health Assessments(LEHA) for environmental impact assessments of Cheongpyung Reservoir during 2005 - 2006 and assessed the ecological model values. The ecosystem model of LEHA was composed of eleven metrics such as biological parameters($B_p$), physical parameters($P_p$), and chemical parameters($C_p$), and determined the rank of ecological health by the criteria. The variables of $B_p$ were metrics of % sensitive species($M_2$, NMS) and insectivore species($M_5$, % $I_n$), which decrease as the water quality degradates, and these metric values were low as 1.5% and 32.4%, respectively. In contrast, the proportions of tolerant species and omnivore species as the other $B_p$ parameters were 43% and 62%, respectively, which indicate a degradation and disturbance of the ecosystem. Riparian vegetation coverage($M_9$, % $V_c$) as a variable of $P_p$, were higher in the 2nd than 1st survey, and decreased toward the dam site from the headwaters. This was due to a habitat simplification(modifications) by frequent bottom dredging of sand and rocks. The variables of $C_p$ were two metrics of specific conductivity($M_{10}$, $C_I$) as an indicator of ionic contents(cations and anions) and the Trophic State Index(TSI) based on chlorophyll-a($M_{11}$, $TSI_{CHL}$) as an indicator of trophic state. These metric values of $C_p$ had high temporal variations, but low spatial variations on the main axis of the reservoir along with the ecological health of a good condition. The environmental impact assessments using the LEHA multi-metric model indicated that the model values of LEHA averaged 30.7 in 1st survey(fair - poor condition) vs. 28 in 2nd survey(poor condition), indicating a temporal variation of the ecological health. The model values of LEHA showed a minimum(28) in the lacustrine zone(S5) and ranged from 29 to 30 in the other locations sampled, indicating a low longitudinal variation. Overall, environmental impact assessments, based on LEHA model, suggest that chemical water quality conditions were in good, but biological conditions were disturbed due to habitat modifications by frequent dredgings in the system.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.27-43
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• 2017

The objectives of the study were to evaluate fish compositions, endangered species, community structure, physical habitat, and general water quality for a preliminary environmental impact assessment of Jeokbyeok River on the road construction between two regions. Total number of species and total number of individuals, based on CPUE, were 23 and 1186, respectively. The endangered species (I, II) as the legal protection species were Pseudopungtungia nigra (79 samples) Gobiobotia brevibarba) (5) Gobiobotia macrocephala (2), indicating a requiring of endangered species conservation. In the meantime, exotic species and ecological disturbing species such as Micropterus salmoides and Lepomis macrochirus, were not present, indicating a well conserved area. According to fish community analysis, values of species diversity index were high (range: 0.788 - 1.030), and the dominance index were low (range: 0.097 - 0.183), indicating that the fish community in this area was maintained well without high dominacne by specific species. Also, fish analysis on tolerance guilds and trophic guilds showed that the proportions of sensitive species were largely exceeded the proportions of the tolerant species, while the proportions of insectivore species were largely exceeded the proportions of the omnivore species. This outcome suggests that the ecosystem was well maintained in terms of tolerance and trophic compositions (food chain). Ecological health, based on the multi-metric fish model of Fish Assessment Integrity (FAI), reflected those fish conditions. In other words, values of FAI model averaged 82.4, which means a "good condition" in the criteria of ecological health by the Minstry of Environment, Korea. In addition, general water quality and physical habitat analyses showed that the system was in good condition. Under these conditions, if the road constructions between the two regions happen in the future, inorganic suspended solids may increase in the waterbody, and this may result in indirect or direct influences on the physical habitats and food chain as well as fish compositions, so the ecological protections and prevention strategy from the soil erosion are required in the system.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.495-502
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• 2007

Species biotic index (SBI), based on a fish assemblage, was applied to a stream assessment using long-term ecological fish data set (1996 to 2001) in Boryong dam area, which is located in the mainstream of Ungchun Stream of Chungnam province, Korea. According to the methods of Hilsenhoff (1988), the scores of tolerance guild assigned 10 classes to each species by its habitat and feeding guild, but modified current 7 criteria to 5 scoring standards due to unclear borderline among species. Relative abundance in the species number of upper stream guilds was only 7% of the total, whereas the abundance in the species number of middle to downstream upper stream guilds was 64%. Mean SBI, based on dataset in Site 1 during 1995-2001 averaged 5.10, which was judged as a "good" condition by the rank criteria of SBI. Before the dam construction, mean SBI in the Site 1 was 4.61, indicating a "good" condition, but after the dam construction, mean SBI was 5.60, indicating a "fair" condition. Trajectory analysis in the Site 1 showed significantly (One-way ANOVA, $F_{6,21}=3.26$, p=0.02) different among years, reflecting the changes of fish composition and population density by the dam construction, whereas Site 2 showed no significant changes ($F_{6,21}=1.00$, P =0.45) difference among years. Mean SBI prior to the dam construction in the Site 3 was 4.52 but after the construction, the value was 6.30, indicating a distinct difference between the pre- and post-dam construction. Trajectory analysis at the Site 3 supported this fact: Values of SBI showed significantly ($F_{6,21}$=14.37, p<0.01) different. Mean SBI was 4.67 in the Site 4, indicating a "good" condition in the health and the health rank was same as the sampling sites 1, 2, and 4. Trajectory in the Site 4 showed no significant ($F_{6,21}=2.35$, p=0.07) difference among the years. Overall, our trajectory analysis indicated that three of four sampling sites (sites 1, 3, 4) showed significant decreases (n=7, p<0.05) and that the proportions of sensitive species declined evidently in the sites 1 and 2 and the tolerant species increased in the dam sites. Our outcomes may be used as a key data for diagnosis of the long-term ecological impact in the future in the watershed.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.908-926
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• 2014

This study investigated the community structure and health assessment of macrobenthic assemblages in Wonmun Bay, in the southern coast of Korea. The total number of species and mean density were 170 species and $1,269\;indivuduals/m^2$, respectively. The major dominant species were the bivalve Theora fragilis ($230{\pm}446\;indivuduals/m^2$) and the polychaetes Lumbrineris longifolia ($180{\pm}339\;indivuduals/m^2$), Sigambra tentaculata ($124{\pm}153\;indivuduals/m^2$), Paraprionospio patiens ($104{\pm}293\;indivuduals/m^2$) and Capitella capitata ($82{\pm}223\;indivuduals/m^2$). Community statistics [cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimentional scaling (NMDS) ordination] revealed that the macrobenthic community structure in the study area was classified into three station groups for both seasons. Several biotic indices based on macrobenthic communities have been developed to assess the ecological quality of coastal ecosystems. In this study, the ecological status was assessed by four biotic indices Shannon's H', the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), multivariate-AMBI (M-AMBI) and the Ecological Conservation Index (ECI). The ecological statuses of the macrobenthic communities in Wonmun Bay were poorer in the summer than in the spring. The results of the present study indicate that three biotic indices ( i.e.; Shannon's H', M-AMBI and ECI ) were better correlated with bottom dissolved oxygen than the AMBI in Wonmun Bay.