• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.229-241
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• 2023

Microphysogobio rapidus is designated as endangered species class I by Ministry of Environment, and its distribution and population have been gradually declining, and it is now limited to the Nam River and some tributary streams of the Nakdong River Watershed. For the restoration of this highly endangered species, it is important to identify the causes of the decline and establish appropriate restoration plans. However, due to lack of basic data and ecological research, most steps are stagnant. Therefore, in this study, we identified the differences in the physical, biological, and sociological habitats between current and past distributed sites through field surveys and literature reviews. As a result of the field survey, there were differences in conductivity between the current and past distributed sites, and fish communities were also showed differences. The literature data also showed that the physico-chemical values of the past distributed sites were generally unfavorable, which generated negative consequences on biological factors. In particular, the effects of urbanization were found to be a major factor affecting the habitat of M. rapidus. Habitat stabilization is crucial for the recovery of this endangered species. However, in the past distributed sites, disturbances such as stream development and weir construction have altered streams physico-chemically and result in changes of M. rapidus. Therefore, a comprehensive plan that considers both stream connectivity and water quality is needed to manage and restore the habitat of M. rapidus.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.21-32
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• 2023

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) plays a pivotal role in predicting the potential environmental impacts of proposed developments and planning appropriate mitigation measures to minimize effects on species. However, as concerns over biodiversity loss rise, there's ongoing debate about the efficacy of these mitigation plans. In this study, we utilized data from EIAs and post-environmental impact surveys to understand the trends in biodiversity during construction and operation phases. By examining 30 urban development projects, we categorized species richness indices of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles into pre-construction, during construction, and post-construction operational stages. The biodiversity trends were analyzed based on the rate of change in these indices. The results revealed three distinct biodiversity change patterns: (A) An initial increase in biodiversity indices post-development, followed by a gradual decline over time; (B) a sustained increase in biodiversity as a result of mitigation measures; and (C) a continuous decline in biodiversity post-development. Furthermore, all species exhibited a higher rate of biodiversity decline during the construction phase compared to the operational phase, with mammals showing the most significant rate of change. Notably, the biodiversity change rate during operation was generally lower than during construction. In particular, mammals seemed to be most influenced by mitigation measures, displaying the smallest rate of change. This study provides empirical evidence on the efficacy of mitigation measures and deliberates on ways to enhance their effectiveness in minimizing the adverse impacts of urban development on biodiversity. These findings can serve as foundational data for addressing terrestrial biodiversity reduction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.3
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• pp.462-477
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to understand changes in domestic forest policy and social perception of forests from a macro perspective using big data analysis of news articles and editorials. A total of 13,570 'forest' related data were collected from metropolitan and economic journals from 1946-2017 using keyword and CONCOR (Convergence of iterated Correlations) analysis. First, we found the percentage of articles and editorials using the keyword 'forest'increased overall. Second, news data on 'forest' in the field of reporting was concentrated in the "social" sector during the first period (1946-1966), followed by forest-related issues expanding to various fields from the second (1967-1972) to fifth (1988-1997) periods, then toward the "culture" sector in the sixth (1998-2007) and "politics" after the seventh (2008-2017) period. Third, we found changes in the policy paradigm over time significantly changed social awareness. In the first and second periods, people experienced livelihood issues rather than forest greening or forest protection policy and expanded their awareness of planned and scientific afforestation (third) to environmental protection (fourth) and ecological perspectives (sixth to seventh). The key outcome of our analysis was leveraging news big data that reflected polices on forests and public social perception To further derive future social issues,more in-depth analysis of public discourse and perception will be possible using textual big data and GDP of various social network services (SNS), such as combining blogs and YouTube.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2022

Climate change is a key factor that greatly influences changes in the biological seasons and geographical distribution of species. In the ecological field, the BioClimatic predictor (BioClim), which is most related to the physiological characteristics of organisms, is used for vulnerability assessment. However, BioClim values are not provided other than the future period climate average values for each GCM for the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) scenario. In this study, BioClim data suitable for domestic conditions was produced using 1 km resolution SSPs scenario detailed data produced by Rural Development Administration, and based on the data, a species distribution model was applied to mainly grow in southern, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gangwon-do and humid regions. Appropriate habitat distributions were predicted every 30 years for the base years (1981 - 2010) and future years (2011 - 2100) of the Acer pictum subsp. mono. Acer pictum subsp. mono appearance data were collected from a total of 819 points through the national natural environment survey data. In order to improve the performance of the MaxEnt model, the parameters of the model (LQH-1.5) were optimized, and 7 detailed biolicm indices and 5 topographical indices were applied to the MaxEnt model. Drainage, Annual Precipitation (Bio12), and Slope significantly contributed to the distribution of Acer pictum subsp. mono in Korea. As a result of reflecting the growth characteristics that favor moist and fertile soil, the influence of climatic factors was not significant. Accordingly, in the base year, the suitable habitat for a high level of Acer pictum subsp. mono is 3.41% of the area of Korea, and in the near future (2011 - 2040) and far future (2071 - 2100), SSP1-2.6 accounts for 0.01% and 0.02%, gradually decreasing. However, in SSP5-8.5, it was 0.01% and 0.72%, respectively, showing a tendency to decrease in the near future compared to the base year, but to gradually increase toward the far future. This study confirms the future distribution of vegetation that is more easily adapted to climate change, and has significance as a basic study that can be used for future forest restoration of climate change-adapted species.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.74-88
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• 2019

This study developed the Assessment Indicator evaluating eco-cultural value of temple forest in Korea and applied the developed Assessment Indicator to Songgwang-sa(also known as Seungbo-sachal), one of the Three Jewels Temple. Literature reviews and the draft of Assessment Indicator were drawn from brainstorming(including 2 forest therapy experts, 1 Buddhist monk expert, 1 landscape architect, 1 forest expert, and 6 researchers). After that, the Assessment Indicator drawn from the group of experts(the 1st in-depth interview: 32 people, the 2nd in-depth interview: 30 people) was verified and revised. The final Assessment Indicator, which was composed of 4 parts and 20 items, was developed. The results are as follows. The eco-cultural Assessment Indicator of temple forest was composed of 4 parts, which were Historical Cultural value, Ecological value, Recreatory Visitational value, and Educational Useful value, and 20 items and each item had 5 points. Historical Cultural value had 5 items and its total points were 25. Ecological value had 5 items and had total 25 points. Recreatory Visitational value had 6 items, 30 total points. Educational Useful value had 4 items, 20 total points. The total points of the eco-cultural Assessment Indicator were 100 points. As a result of applying the developed Assessment Indicator to the target place, Songgwang-sa in Mt. Jogye, Historical Cultural value of temple forest was calculated as 23 points(out of 25). Ecological value was 21 point(out of 25), Recreatory Visitational value, 22 points(out of 30), and Educational Useful value, 16 points(out of 20). The total points were 82(out of 100). Consequently, this study is meaningful based on the following 5 aspects. Firstly, this study challenged the development of the eco-cultural Assessment Indicator of temple forest for the first time. It is significant because the developed Assessment Indicator can be a useful resource for the eco-cultural value of temple forest. Secondly, the result showed that Educational Useful value and Recreatory Visitational value of forest temple were very low. Therefore, the supports for leisure, tour, education, and use of temple forest are needed from Korea Forest Service, Ministry of Environment, Cultural Heritage Administration and other government agencies since they acknowledge the temple forest as the best customers in Korea. Thirdly, the excellence or for eco-cultural value of temple forest needs to be extended in a national level. It is possible to make a Korean National Bran(e.g., the Therapy at the Temple) by blending temple stay, which is only in temples, and therapy, and is also possible to be a global tour industry. Fourthly, this study suggested legal definition about the necessary of legal definition for temple forest because there is no legal definition on temple forest in the current situation. When the definition of temple forest is legally arranaged, it would be a foundation for conserving eco-cultural value of temple forest, for organizing exclusively responsible departments in governmental institutions, and further for registering temple forest as World Natural Heritage. Lastly, the developed eco-cultural Assessment Indicators of temple forest from this study would be applied to "the 7 Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea(Sansa)" and the characteristics of each 7 temple are drawn. This study would be a basic data for temples' management and use with the eco-cultural Assessment Indicator of temple forest.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.305-320
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• 2005

Recently 64 species in Korea have been ranked as rare and endangered taxa by the Ministry of Environment using two categories, I and II. The original threat categories produced by the Ministry of Environment were developed to provide a standard for specifying animals and plants in danger of extinction and has been influential sources of information used in species conservation in Korea. However, the criteria by Ministry of Environment were applied to the whole taxa only by regional boundaries, especially in South Korea, rather than international context, and it also lacked an explicit framework that was necessary to ensure repeatability among taxa because of the absence of quantitative criteria to measure the likelihood of extinction. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has developed quantitative criteria for assessing the conservation status of species. The threatened species categories, the 2000 IUCN Red List, proposed by SSC (Species Survival Commission) of IUCN have become widely recognized internationally. Details of threatened Korean plants, identified by applying the IUCN threat categories and definitions, were listed and analyzed. The number of species identified as threatened was only 34 out of 64 taxa (48.4%), while the rest of taxa were rejected from the original lists. Many of the species (51.6%, 33 taxa) excluded from the original list proposed by Ministry of Environment do not qualify as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable because these taxa were widely distributed either in Japan or in China/far eastern Russia and there is no evidence of substantial decline in these countries. An evaluation of taxa in Korea has been carried out only based on subjective views and qualitative data, rather than quantitative scientific data, such as rates of decline, distribution range size, population size, and risk of extinction. Therefore, the national lists undermine the credibility of threatened species lists and invite misuse, which have been raised by other cases, qualitative estimate of risk, political influence, uneven taxonomic or geographical coverage. The increasing emphasis on international responsibilities means that global scale is becoming more significant. The current listings by Environment of Ministry of Korea should be challenged, and the government should seek to facilitate the resolution of disagreements. Especially the list should be flexible enough to handle uncertainty and also incorporates detailed, quantitative data. It is suggested that the highest priorities for the Red List should be given to endemic species in Korea first. After setting up the list of endemic species to Korea, quantitative data on population size and structure, distributional range, rated of decline, and habitat fragmentation should be collected as one of long term projects for the Red list categories. Transparency and accountability are the most important key factors. Also, species assessors are named and data sources referenced are required for the future objective evaluations on Korean plant taxa.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.8-28
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• 2001

This investigation grasps the level and relevant elements of performance of health promotional activities for the elderly in Korea. It provides fundamental data on health promoting projects targeting the elderly population from farming villages. Hence, this study gropes for an effective approach and measures of health promoting programs. The program needs to be developed with a focus on elderly people from farming villages. In addition, it was carried out in order to provide basic data for development of health projects for local communities. Data gathering was based on survey data targeting patients from the free clinic service. Service was rendered for the residents of farming villages, and conducted at the Offices of CheonBuk Province from October 2000 to December 2000. Analytical results were used to examine the health promotional method for the elderly in the aspect of Oriental Medicine. SPSS 9.0 version as well as T-test and ANOVA were used for survey data analysis. Piersons correlation coefficient was utilized for the relationship for each area, obtaining the following analytical results. 1. The average score for the activities of health promotion was 2.28. Looking at each subcategory, stress management was the highest at 3.65; interpersonal relationship, 3.00; nutrition, 2.55; health responsibility, 2.15; self-realization, 2.03; and exercise was the lowest at 1.89. 2. With respect to lifestyle of the health promotion secondary to general features of elderly people from farming villages, the level of activities of health promoting lifestyle was shown to be higher for males than that of females. Self-realization area was high among males in detailed particulars while the level of execution was high as age decreases in the stress area. 3. Regarding health promoting life style secondary to socioeconomic characteristics, the level of execution was higher for the individuals with a higher level of education and further utilization of spare time. With respect to occupation, the level was highest for people from the fishery. The level decreased in the order of other occupations such as trade, unemployed and agriculture, which was shown to be the lowest. In detailed particulars, it revealed that higher the individuals educational level, the higher the self-realization and stress management areas. The level of interpersonal relationship was the highest among people with little or no education. With respect to self-realization area, the level was highest among the cases where one paid living expenses along with their children. The lowest level of living expenses was seen in the cases where an individual pays for living expenses by himself/herself. There were significant results in all areas except for nutrition areas depending on occupation. The fishery was shown to be the highest. The level of activities was higher as one utilizes more spare time in all areas except for the area of interpersonal relationship.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.219-232
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to find characteristics of $Pinus$ $densiflora$ forests in previous records and cultural landscape regions and to establish a management method for recovery of $P.$ $densiflora$ landscape. A total of 16 landscape paintings were analyzed to study $P.$ $densiflora$ forests in Inwangsan(Mt.) shown in figure data. As a result of analyzing figure data, $P.$ $densiflora$ $forests$ were found to be distributed mainly in the ridge line of east slope side of Inwangsan(Mt.) from landscape paintings of Jung Seon, Jang Si Heung and Gang Hee Un. In order to analyze the landscape of $P.$ $densiflora$ forests shown in photograph data on Inwangsan(Mt.), photographs of Inwangsan(Mt.) since late 1800s were searched and a total of 24 photographs were used for analysis. As a result of photographic analysis, $P.$ $densiflora$ forests were found to be distributed mainly in the low area and ridge line of western slope side of Inwangsan(Mt.). As a result of analyzing the distribution status of 10 cultural heritages of Inwangsan(Mt.), cultural heritages in the mountain were mainly established with rocks and $P.$ $densiflora$ forests as the background and are establishing their landscape not only as a form of cultural heritage but also including the natural landscape in the background. A method of restoring cultural landscape of P. densiflora forests was necessary. As a result of analyzing 26 rock beds of Inwangsan(Mt.), most of $P.$ $densiflora$ forests were distributed nearby rock beds since the past. Among such regions, restoration and management of introduced species in the accumulated soil regions to $P.$ $densiflora$ forests were deemed necessary. As a result of analyzing current vegetation of $P.$ $densiflora$ forest areas of the past, 51.87% of areas maintained $P.$ $densiflora$ forest and 25.80% were changed to artificial forests. Most of low areas of the mountain were turned into urban area (10.16%). Management type for restoration of $P.$ $densiflora$ landscape of Inwangsan(Mt.) was classified into preservation, $P.$ $densiflora$ restoration and maintenance. Preservation management was configured as $P.$ $densiflora$ distribution and rocky area distribution. The targets of $P.$ $densiflora$ restoration were indigenous broad-leaf trees, vegetation areas with introduced species and damaged regions within the mountain. The targets of maintenance were urban area in the low area of Inwangsan(Mt.) and military base at the top of the mountain.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.426-436
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate actual vegetation, the structure of plant community, and ecological succession sere of coastal forest ecosystem in warm temperate climate zone, Taejongdae, Busan City, Korea to provide the basic data for planning of the forest management. As a result of analysis of actual vegetation, vegetation types divided into 35 types, and the area of survey site was $1,750,461m^2$. The ratio of vegetation type dominated by Pinus thunbergii was 80.7%, dominated by Quercus spp. was just 5.0%, and dominated by Carpinus tschonoskii was just 0.4%. Eighteen plots(size is $20m{\times}20m$) were set up and the results analyzed by DCA which is one of the ordination technique showed that the plant communities were divided into four groups which are community I(P. thunbergii community), community II(P. thunbergii-Quercus serrata community), community III(Q. serrata-P. thunbergii community), and community IV(Carpinus tschonoskii-P. thunbergii community). The age of community I was from 38 to 59 years old, that of community II was from 35 to 71 years old, that of community III was from 37 to 53 years old, that of community IV was from 50 to 72 years old, thus we supposed that the age of the study site is about from 38 to 72 years old. We supposed that the successional sere of the study site is in the early stage of ecological succession in the warm temperate climate zone. The dominant species will be changed from P. thunbergii to Q. serrata or Carpinus tschonoskii in the canopy layer, on the other hand, Eurya japonica will be dominant species in the understory layer, and E. japonica and Trachelospermum asiaticum var. intermediumwill be dominant species in the shrub layer for a while. According to the index of Shnnon's diversity(unit: $400m^2$), community I ranged from 0.8640 to 1.3986, community II was from 0.1731 to 1.1885, community III was from 0.8250 to 1.0042, and community IV was from 0.3436 to 0.6986.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.264-272
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• 2015

Understanding bird status is essential for the systematic and sustainable management of the Nakdong River Estuary, taking into consideration the relationship between ecosystems and the bird species. In this study, bird status in the Nakdong River Estuary Bird Sanctuary prior to the Four Major Rivers Project was analyzed using the bird monitoring data (2003-2011) from surveys conducted by the Busan Development Institute. The high percentage of winter visitors in terms of both species diversity (38.36%) and individual bird numbers (63.14%) suggest that the Nakdong River Estuary is an important wintering site for migratory birds. Cumulative numbers of individual birds were higher in Myungji (208,601), West Nakdong River (202,444), Eulsukdo (153,232), and Baekhap Doyodeung (150,595). The total numbers of migratory species were higher in Eulsukdo (171), Ilungdo (124), Myungji (132), and Samrak (121). Among the 232 species found in the Nakdong River Estuary, Anas platyrhynchos (17.71%) was the most common species, followed by Anas poecilorhyncha (8.85%), Larus crassirostris (6.48%), Anser fabalis (6.09%), Anas penelope (5.16%), and Calidris alpina (4.22%). Most bird taxa, except shelducks, showed annual fluctuations in individual numbers, with increasing frequency during survey periods. Of these, cormorants, swans, and gulls showed higher fluctuations than other taxa. Swans decreased drastically in numbers in 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 compared to previous years. Shore birds, gulls, wagtails, and other forest birds were also less common in 2010-2011. These results suggest that there were some environmental changes that might have affected the birds in the Nakdong River Estuary. Overall, the results suggest that habitat types affect the distribution of dominant species.