• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.300-307
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• 2020

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of weir gate operation in aquatic fish habitats through a physical habitat simulation of Geum River, Korea. The target species was Zacco platypus, which is a dominant species in the study area. The River2D model was used to compute the flow, and the habitat suitability index model was used to estimate the quality and quantity of the habitat using a habitat suitability curve. An unopened case and a partially opened case were investigated to assess the impact of weir gate operation on the aquatic fish habitat. The simulation results showed that the aquatic habitats of the target species in the partially opened case improved significantly, compared to the case without a gate opening. Furthermore, the weighted usable area increased by a factor of approximately 13, owing to weir gate operation in the study area.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.367-379
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• 2011

This study was conducted to develop an ecological park planning model to enhance the functions of habitats and ecological corridors in Green Belt Areas, because changing policies have resulted in the degredation of the Green Belts due to progressive fragmentation of ecosystems. The principal outcome of the study is to plan an ecological park model through the restoration of habitats. In order to evaluate the capacity of the model to enhance the ecological functions of habitats and ecological corridors in Green Belt Areas, a simulation of habitats was carried out in the Sungnam-Yusoo region. The model was developed via following steps: 1. Selection of candidate sites and selection of the study site by analyzing development factors; 2. Selection of target species that can represent the habitat at the site; 3. Analysis of the site's suitability index for the target species; 4. Establishment of a conceptual plan to enhance and expand the currently produced suitability index; 5. Creation of a master plan based on the conceptual plan; and 6. Evaluation of the enhanced and expanded suitability index of the site. The study showed that the Habitat Unit (HU) of Rana coreana, which was selected as the target species of the study, increased from $28,044m^2$(3.6%) to $224,352m^2$(28.8%), and the HU of the site as the ecological corridor for wild animals increased from $4,674m^2$(0.6%) to $152,684m^2$(19.6%). The study results show that the ecological deficits of the Green Belt Area can be overcome by enhancing the ecological functions of the region, which should be beneficial. The model could be utilized for effective enhancement and management of other Green Belt Areas.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.207-219
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• 2018

In this study, the ecological flow rate of the Zacco playtypus habitat was simulated based on the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) in reachs of urban and natural stream using the habitat suitability index (HSI) of the probability density function (PDF). To apply this method, PHABSIM model was used in this study. However, in this study, the HSI of the probability density function was developed by adjusting the parameters of the PDF based on Kang (2010) HSI. As a result, the normal distribution is closest to the ecological flow rate of the Kang (2010) in the urban stream. However, the two-parameter log-pearson distribution tended to be the closest in the natural stream. The ecological flow rate was simulated by the HSI and the reach of stream with the PDF. Based on the comparison of simulation results, we propose an ecological flow rate estimation method using probabilistic method.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.55-64
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• 2022

The objectives of this study were to assess physical habitat suitability of fish species for different life cycle stages and to suggest appropriate ecological stream flows in a Bokha downstream reach. A dominant species of Zacco platypus was selected as the study fish of which three stages of spawning, juvenile and adult in life cycle were considered into assessment. The stream hydraulic environment was calibrated with HEC-RAS before the PHABSIM simulation. The hydraulics of flow velocity and depth were used to estimate Weighted Usable Area (WUA) by multiplying respective habitat suitability indices with stream area. Overall the WUAs tend to be great in gentle slopes with relatively shallow water depth regions. Maximum WUAs, ie, candidate for ecological flow rates were 1 m³/s, 7 m³/s and 8 m³/s for the respective spawning, juvenile and adult stages of Zacco platypus. Since the ecological flow rates for juvenile and adult stages appeared to be is greater than the abundant flow rate (3.67 m³/s) for the study reach, additional water supply may be needed but should be cautious to avoid the spawning period of Apr through May from the stream water management perspective.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.175-189
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• 2015

The objective of this study was to analyze characteristics of distribution of amphibian species and the affecting ecological factors. For the study, habitat environment factors were determined and applied to a habitat suitability model for the data collected from the Seom River in Hoengseong County and Wonju City, Gangwon Province, Korea between March 2013 to October 2013. The analyzed amphibian species were Rana nigromaculata, Hyla japonica, Rana dybowski, and Rana rugosa Temminck and Schlegel, and a logistic regression model was used with the pseudo-absence data. The result of the model analysis suggests that the major factors for Rana nigromaculata are distance to vegetation and rock and that for Hyla japonica is waterway. Rana dybowski and Rana rugosa Temminck and Schlegel have similar habitat characteristics, but the latter is shown to be dominant due to its wider habitat preference. According to the species richness model, the analyzed amphibian species are shown to have tendency to move between valleys or streams. This study quantitatively analyzed habitat environment characteristics using species distribution model, however, there is a limitation in terms of analysis on food factor and connectivity with other species. Combined with additional density or habitat analysis on birds or fish, this study can lead to more comprehensive analysis on biological environment factors.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.11-18
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• 2012

Increasing concern about biodiversity has lead to a rise in demand on the spatial assessment of biological resources such as biodiversity assessment, protected area selection, habitat management and restoration in Korea. The purpose of this study is to create species richness map through data collection and modeling techniques for wildlife habitat assessment. The GAM (Generalized Additive Model) is easy to interpret and shows better relationship between environmental variables and a response variable than an existing overlap analysis and GLM (Generalized Linear Model). The study area delineated by a large watershed contains Jirisan national park, Mt. Baekun and Sumjin river with three kinds of protected areas (a national park, a landscape ecology protected area and an otter protected area). We collected the presence-absence data for wildlife (mammals and birds) using a stratified random sampling based on a land cover in the study area and implemented natural and socio-environmental data affecting wildlife habitats. After doing a habitat use analysis and specifying significant factors for each species, we built habitat suitability models using a presence-absence model and created habitat suitability maps for each species. Biodiversity maps were generated by taxa and all species using habitat suitability maps. Significant factors affecting each species habitat were different according to their habitat selection. Although some species like a water deer or a great tit were distributed at the low elevation, most potential habitats for mammals and birds were found at the edge of a national park boundary or near a forest around the medium elevation of a mountain range. This study will be used for a basis on biodiversity assessment and proected area selection carried out by Ministry of Environment.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.450-463
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• 2023

The objective of this study is to derive the core habitat of the Kirengeshoma koreana Nakai utilizing Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) models. Expert-based models have been criticized for their subjective criteria, while statistical models face difficulties in on-site validation and integration of expert opinions. To address these limitations, both models were employed, and their outcomes were overlaid to derive the core habitat. Five variables were identified through a comprehensive literature review and spatial analysis based on appearance coordinates. The environmental variables encompass vegetation zone, forest type, crown density, annual precipitation, and effective soil depth. Through surveys involving six experts, importance rankings and SI (Suitability Index) scores were established for each variable, subsequently facilitating the creation of an HSI map. Using the same variables, the MaxEnt model was also executed, resulting in a corresponding map, which was merged to construct the definitive core habitat map. Out of 16 observed locations of K. koreana, 15 were situated within the identified core habitat. Furthermore, an area historically known to host K. koreana but not verified in the present, Mt. Yeongchwi, was found to lack a core habitat. These findings suggest that the developed models exhibit a high degree of accuracy and effectively reflect the current ecological landscape.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2015

This study sampled endangered species, Lamprotula coreana, and surveyed its habitat at the Guem River with three times from June to August 2013. To assess the habitat, this study conducted field survey considering diverse physical conditions of stream, such as pool, run and riffle, and measured transect, water depth, water velocity, substrate structure, and habitat type. When L. coreana collected, length, weight and age were measured. Water velocity, water depth and substrate structure were recorded to develop HSI (habitat suitability index) and performed PHABSIM (physical habitat simulation) to estimate the optimum flow discharge. Water level, flow discharge and transect data were used for habitat assessment, and PHABSIM was applied to calculate WUA (weighed usable area). Shell length was $73.1{\pm}18.4mm$ (28.5-102.0 mm), shell weight was $131.6{\pm}72.3g$ (28.0-281.0 g) and age was two to seven years from L. coreana collected at the upstream of the Guem River. Developed HSI indicated that the optimal habitat for L. coreana was 0.4-0.5 m for water depth, 0.3-0.5 m/s for water velocity and sand to boulder for substrate structure. The optimum ecological flow discharge for L. coreana was 2.1 cms and WUA was $3,730m^2$/1000 m by the result of PHABSIM. Recently, river construction work and habitat disturbance have caused negative impact on the distribution of L. coreana. The result of this study would provide fundamental data for habitat restoration and management of L. coreana.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2016

Fishways are constructed to provide longitudinal connectivity of streams or rivers where their flow has been altered by in-stream structures such as dams or weirs. Nature-like fishways have an additional function of providing fish habitats. In the study, we estimated the role of a nature-like fishway (length: 700 m, slope: 1/100) for fish habitat by using two dominant species in the Sangju Weir, Nakdong River, to calculate the optimal ecological flow rate using Physical HABitat SIMulation (PHABSIM). To identify the dominant species that used the fishway, we conducted trap monitoring from August to November 2012 at the fishway exit. The dominant species were Zacco platypus and Opsariichthys uncirostric amurensis with a relative abundance of 62.1% and 35.9%, respectively. Optimal habitat suitability indices (HSIs) for Z. platypus and O. u. amurensis were calculated as 0.6-0.8 m/s (water velocity) and 0.2-0.4 m (water depth), and 0.5-0.7 m/s (water velocity) and 0.1-0.3 m (water depth), respectively. The optimal ecological flow rates (OEFs) for Z. platypus and O. u. amurensis were 1.6 and 1.7 cubic meter per second (CMS), respectively. The results of the study can be used in a management plan to increase the habitat function of nature-like fishways in the Sangju Weir. This methodology can be utilized as an appropriate tool that can determine the habitat function of all nature-like fishways.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.33-44
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• 2015

This study was performed to propose the site selection plan for the restoration of the target Narrow-mouth Frog(Kaloula borealis) habitat, and has developed the AHP model to select the optimal site for narrow-mouth frog habitat restoration on the basis of the narrow-mouth frog Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) items (factors and variables). The assessment areas were established by the narrow-mouth frog HSI factors such as space, feed, cover, water(breeding), threatening factors and others, and the sub-assessment items by each assessment area were established based on the narrow-mouth frog HSI variables. The weighting values of the assessment areas and items were calculated by the developed AHP method. The weighting values of the 5 assessment areas were arranged in order as cover(0.283), water(breeding)(0.276), feed(0.230), space(0.147), and threatening factor(0.064). The final weighting values of the 14 assessment items were arranged in order of height as low-rise grassland(0.190), soil quality(0.178), and stones and between the stones(0.105). The scoring criteria according to the assessment items and factors were marked and applied by equal intervals considering the criteria by HSI items of the narrow-mouth frog and finally the scoring criteria diagram has been proposed for the optimal site selection of the narrow-mouth frog habitat restoration.