• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.903-916
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• 2012

We need to use aesthetic landscape assessment(ALA) as the means of riparian buffer zone(RBZ) management. This study verified the political validity of designation policy of RBZ and land purchase policy. The purpose of this study was to propose RBZ landscape management strategies through ALA of RBZ in Gyeongan Stream for the better attractive and healthy riparian landscapes. The natural type landscape units(LUs) covered 40.9% of the entire area and the cultivated land type LUs covered 20.58%. Landscape assessment consisted of landscape quality and landscape integration assessment. The criteria for assessing landscape quality(LQ) were naturalness, interest, uniqueness, and landscape function. LQ was ranked into five grades using a matrix. The landscape integration assessment consisted of an inner integration assessment in each LU and outer integration assessment among LUs. To review the propriety of designating the riparian area and the riparian ecological belt, differences in ecological appraisal and aesthetic valuation were reviewed through a t-test, Oneway ANOVA, and logistic analysis. The results of ALA, 29.15% of the entire area scored at grade 1 in LQ, while 31.95% scored at grade 5, indicating that grade 5 areas occupied a high share. Surveyed areas were divided into designated RBZ and undesignated RBZ. Results indicated that designated RBZ scored grade 1 in LQ took up 33.2% of the total, significantly higher than the 23.3% taken up by undesignated RBZ. When examined according to buffer distance, grade 1 areas within 50m took up 50.2% of the total area, lower than the 32.7% at buffer distances of 500m-1km. Results indicated a 1% statistically significant difference. Accordingly, analysis was undertaken for the expansion of designation of the riparian area and the selection of appropriate land for formation of a riparian ecological belt, and was designated at priority 1 and 2 for land purchase. This study can also contribute to the formation of a riverine eco-belt through discovery of design factors for upgrading the ecology, aesthetics, and landscape of the riparian area and application in determining land purchase priorities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.173-184
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• 2014

Riparian areas are significant functional grounds for inhabiting ecological system on the river such as the self-regulation of the water quality and the foundation of important corridors. For such functional device to operate, consecutive land purchase scheme that prioritizes targeted areas with high pollutant load rate imposes sustainable development of the ecological riparian belt. The purpose of this study is focused on measuring the methodology for selecting land purchse order before establishing riparian belt in accordance with pollution loading estimation and the basin approach. The Yeongsan and Seomjin river which includes targeted areas of the land purchase have been classified into the large-medium-small(standard basin) influence areas based on their catchment rage, which than sub-divided the research area of Juam lake by 38 small basins and 223 units. Small basins with the high pollution load rates have been assessed as the first prioritized targets. For the second priority, the condition of the point pollutant sources, original area of the targets, original restored area were concerned. The final decision of the land purchase order targeted only those within 50 meter range from the basin. To validate the accumulated data, the on-site investigation went along the targeted zones, which the result shows that all prioritized areas included both point and non-point pollutant sources, and had not a small originally restored areas.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.327-341
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• 2021

The riparian eco-belt is an efficient technique that can reduce non-point pollution sources in the basin and improve ecological connectivity and health. In Korea, a legal system for the construction and management of riparian eco-belts is in operation. However, it is currently excluded that rivers and floodplains in dam reservoir that are advantageous for buffer functions such as control of non-point pollutants and ecological habitats. Accordingly, this study presented and analyzed a plan to select a site for an integrated riparian ecol-belt that comprehensively evaluates the water quality and ecosystem characteristics of each dam floodplain and riparian zone for the Daecheong Dam basin in Geum River watershed. First, the Daecheong Dam basin was divided into 138 sub-basin with GIS, and the riparian zone adjacent to the dam floodplain was analyzed. Sixteen evaluation factors related to the ecosystem and water quality impact that affect the selection of integrated riparian eco-belt were decided, and weights for the importance of each factor were set through AHP analysis. The priority of site suitability was derived by conducting an integrated evaluation by applying weights to sub-basin by floodplains and riparian zone factors. In order to determine whether the sites derived through GIS site analysis are sutiable for actual implementation, five sites were inspected according to three factors: land use, pollution sources, and ecological connectivity. As a result, it was confirmed that all sites were appropriate to apply integrated riparian ecol-belt. It is judged that the riparian eco-belt site analysis technique proposed through this study can be applied as a useful tool when establishing an integrated riparian zone management policy in the future. However, it might be necessary to experiment various evaluation factors and weights for each item according to the characteristics and issues of each dam. Additional research need to be conducted on elaborated conservation and restoration strategies considering the Green-Blue Network aspect, evaluation of ecosystem services, and interconnection between related laws and policy and its improvements.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.465-474
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• 2016

Since Gyungan stream is included in the protected zone of the water supply source of the Metropolitan area in Korea, the water quality needs to be continuously managed. Therefore, a measure is required that can inhibit the flow of water pollutant into the water body and facilitate the ecological restoration of riparian vegetation. A field survey was conducted on the hydrological characteristics of the landscape elements established on the downstream catchment of the Gyungan stream, the result of which showed that the paddy field and urbanized area can be regarded as point pollution sources. The upland field can be regarded as a non-point pollution source. In order to improve the water quality in the Paldang lake, we first recommended creating a riparian vegetation belt. We also suggested introducing a treatment wetland and an artificial plant island to places in which the creation of a riparian vegetation belt is not ensured. We recommend creating a treatment wetland equipped with diverse functional groups. For creating the plant island, we recommend Zizania latifolia and Typha orientalis, which showed the highest productivity among aquatic plants. The former could be introduced around the outlet of a paddy field and the estuary of tributaries, while the latter could be introduced to a water body directly sourced from mountainous land.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.447-461
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• 2018

To realize river restoration that ecological characteristics of the river are reflected, we classified the river into four reaches of valley stream, upstream, midstream, and downstream based on substrate as well as riverbed gradient obtained from the relationship between distance from the river mouth, and above sea level. Considering that the rivers of Korea have been dominated by various and intense artificial interferences over a lengthy period, we determined cross sectional range of the river based on the geological map and clarified transformation degree by reach. Vegetation profile diagram was prepared by depicting horizontal range and vertical stratification of major vegetation appearing in a belt transect of 10 m breadth installed between weirs constructed in both sides of the river. Restoration models by river reach were prepared based on breadth of waterway, bare ground, herb, shrub, and tree dominated vegetation zones on vegetation profiles wherein a flooding regime was reflected. Species composition information collected from vegetation established in each zone was systematized to use for restoring each reach ecologically. Further, background that longitudinal reaches and horizontal zones were divided, was discussed by comparing with case studies in foreign countries. In addition, necessity of ecological restoration of the river was discussed based on degree of integrity of Korean rivers, ecological significance of riparian vegetation, and importance of reference information for ecological restoration of the river.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.293-304
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• 2020

Background and objective: This study was carried out to assess the relationship between the internal and external environments and the ecological items in five sites with a high level of artificial use intensity prior to the establishment of Geumgang River riparian ecological belts. Methods: The sites were classified into forest type, cultivated land type and urbanized type in accordance with their respective locational types. Ecological items including plant ecology such as proportion, naturalization index and urbanization index of native species were analyzed and animal ecology such as the number of species and population of wild birds, amphibians and reptiles, mammals, and butterflies and dragonflies, which are indicator insects, were investigated. In addition, species diversity indices of wild birds, butterflies and dragonflies found in all the subject lands were computed. Results: Among the plant ecological items, the ratio of native species in the forest type was higher than 90%, which was a satisfactory level, while the naturalization and urbanization indices were less than 10%. The number of species in the animal ecological characteristics was reduced in the order of forest type, cultivated land type and urbanized type. As the results of correlation analysis, the internal area of the planted area showed a negative correlation with the total of individuals. The area of grasslands showed a positive correlation with the number of dragonfly species and the total number of individuals, thereby illustrating that wet grasslands have positive effects. The area of surrounding forests, as an external environment, had a negative correlation with the urbanization index (UI) but a positive correlation with the inhabitation of butterflies and the total number of species. Conclusion: The results confirmed the need for more diversified special compositions including planted land, grassland, wetland, bodies of water and waterways within the subject land in the wetland ecological belt along with the need for surrounding forest location and preservation from the perspective of purchase and restoration of land for enhancement of wider biodiversity in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.69-77
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• 2012

This study observes the purchased lands in riparian areas of Suncheon City region and proposes a reasonable management method. For the study, the site surveying and analysis on the neglected purchased lands is executed, then, based on the site analysis result, the appropriate management method for each neglected purchased land is established. Each management method is approached from the ecological restoration perspective. According to site surveying and analysis of the neglected purchased lands, most of the sites were bare and agricultural lands. The reason for this is thought to be as when purchasing a land, the areas with higher nonpoint source pollution are bought preferentially. As for the dominant species coverage, 26% ($364,000m^2$) of the total neglected purchased land area in Sucheon City was covered with the dominated species, and for the exotic species coverage, 17% ($232,000m^2$) of the total neglected purchased land area in Sucheon City was covered with the exotic species. The survey site constituted of five different invasive species such as Japanese Hop (Humulus japonicus), Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus), and Evening Primrose (Oenothera odorata). As for the natural succession on site, about 47% of the area showed poor natural succession process. The reason for this outcome is understood as having a lack of appropriate management for purchased lands. Based on the site surveying and analysis, especially the current management state of the and its location, the research site was categorized into preservation, restoration, and improvement sites. During the establishment of the ecological riparian belt, the comprehensive management for preservation, restoration, and improvement of the purchased lands should be executed.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.170-184
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• 2022

The Riparian Buffer Zone(RBZ) is a sustainable social-ecological system created in the middle zone between water and land. For the RBZ, close communication with the local community is important, and it is necessary to promote it as a communicative environmental planning process. In this study, for the RBZ project, three strategies are presented as a communicative act to understand and implement planning. First, government-led projects were avoided and improved to a process in which citizens and stakeholders participated together, centered on local partnership. Second, it was intended to introduce design criterias in terms of enhancing the function of ecosystem services that citizens can sympathize with, and to increase acceptance and awareness through the planning of preferred spaces and facilities. Third, after a balanced plan for habitats, water cycle-based ecological environment, ecological experience and open space, citizens felt the restoration effect and value as an ecological resources, and a system was prepared to participate in the operation and management. This study will work as a process model based on citizens's participation. In addition, it will be possible to provide lessons for the change of the policy paradigm for the RBZ and the implementation of similar projects in the future.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.405-410
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• 2006

Landscape changes for 20 years between 1981 and 2001 in the Wangsuk stream basin located on the central Korea were investigated on the basis of physiognomic vegetation map made from the aerial photograph interpretation and field check. Changes of landscape structure were noticeable in agricultural field and forest landscape elements. Changes in the agricultural fields due to transformation of agricultural pattern into the institutional agriculture dominated landscape change, although urbanization also contributed to such change. The former change due to change of food production structure originated from socio-economic development during this period and the latter to the overpopulation of Seoul. As energy sources for heating and cooking, fertilizer, and fodder for livestock transform from plant materials to fossil fuel, manufactured one, and grain, succession of forest escaped from direct human disturbance dominated change of landscape structure in forested land. Differently from the positive landscape change in the upper area, change in the lower area deteriorated landscape quality by increasing artificial land. It was estimated that such landscape deterioration in the Wangsuk stream basin would influence water quality of the stream. In order to realize sustainable land-use against such environmental degradation, systematic environmental management based on landscape ecological perspective such as "an eco-plan for creating riparian vegetation belt," which is under preparation by Ministry of Environment, was recommended.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.496-506
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• 2022

The growth of trees planted through transplantation rapidly decreases immediately after planting due to extreme disturbances such as root cutting and crown damage. Although the growth rate is recovered as time elapses, the time required to restore the original growth varies by species. Therefore, it is necessary to set an appropriate tree management period for survival after transplantation by analyzing each species' annual growth change. In this study, we analyzed the growth amount of deciduous broad-leaf species planted in the area where the riparian ecological belt was formed and proposed the management period based on the results. Slowed growth immediately after planting is a common phenomenon due to root cutting and pruning, the pre-works performed to increase tree survival rate during the transplantation process. Afterward, the original growth rate is recovered as time passes, but the time required may vary depending on the species and planting environment. Most of the trees showed a rapid decrease in growth immediately after transplantation. After that, although it is different for each species, most of them showed a gradual recovery from 2 years onwards. The analysis of the growth rate by tree species confirmed that it took 2 to 4 years, depending on the tree species, to recover the growth level before transplantation after a rapid decrease in growth immediately after transplantation. The results suggest that improving the defect rate of planted trees is necessary to meet the project objectives: ecological restoration and pollutant reduction. It requires setting a tree management period of at least two years and creating an appropriate base environment.