• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.3
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• pp.360-367
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• 2015

The present study investigated the habitats of Korean fir trees (Abies koreana E. H. Wilson) on Mt. Baekwun (Baekwun-san), determined the current distribution, quantified the contribution of biological and non-biological environmental factors affecting the distribution, derived actual and potential habitats, presented a plan for the establishment of protected areas, applied RCP 8.5 climate change scenario to analyze the effects of climate change on the future distribution of Korean fir trees, and predicted future potential habitats. According to the results of the study, 3,325 Korean fir trees (DBH >= 2.5 cm) inhabited Mt. Baekwun, and their distribution area was approximately 150 ha. Populations of Korean fir trees were confirmed to exist at an altitude of 900 m above sea level and were distributed up to 1,200 m. Based on potential distribution, areas appropriate for habitation by Korean fir trees were analyzed to be 450 ha, three times the current distribution area, with a focus on Sang Peak (Sang-bong), Eokbul Peak (Eokbul-bong), Ddari Peak (Ddari-bong), and Dosol Peak (Dosol-bong). The forest stands near Sang Peak, the main peak, were evaluated as those with the most appropriate potential for the habitation of Korean fir trees, and populations of the trees tended to prefer the northern slope rather than the southern slope. When climate change scenario RCP 8.5 was applied and future potential distribution was analyzed, the habitats were expected to decrease in area to 20 ha by 2050, with a focus on Sang Peak, and areas appropriate for habitation were predicted not to exist by 2080. Judging from such results, as global warming accelerates, the habitats of Korean fir trees are clearly expected to move from lowlands to highlands.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.106 no.2
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• pp.130-149
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• 2017

The subalpine zone which is vulnerable to climate change could be functioning as a habitat for northern plant species especially in the Korean peninsula. In this study, classification of phytosociological community type and investigation on flora of vascular plants of Daecheongbong area in Mt. Seorak were carried out in order to provide a basic information for an ecological restoration and management of the vegetation through community ecological approach. Vegetation data were collected from 31 of quadrates from May to October, 2016. We analyzed vegetation types with phytosociological method, importance value with Curtis & McIntosh method, CCA using PC-ORD program tool, and flora of vascular plants. As a result, the forest vegetation was classified into Abies nephrolepis community. The community was divided 3 groups such as Pinus pumila group, Rhododendron brachycarpum group and Angelica decursiva group. Therefore, the vegetation had 3 kinds of units. The differential species group, it was classified into total of 7 species group units including Thuja koraiensis and Smilacina bicolor differential species group. The mean importance percentage (MIP) in VU 1 was shown Pinus koraiensis (24.1), A. nephrolepis (23.6) and Betula ermanii (10.5), and in VU 2, it was P. koraiensis (26.2), A. nephrolepis (20.8) and B. ermanii (10.5), and in VU 3, it was P. koraiensis (22.2), A. nephrolepis (16.4), B. ermanii (13.5) in the order, respectively. As for importance values of P. koraiensis and A. nephrolepis representative competition species, were different at each layers. The former (46.7) was higher than the latter (26.1) in tree layer, but the latter was higher than the former in subtree and, shrub and herb layers of VU 1. VU 2 and VU 3 also indicated the same tendency. P. pumila group and A. decursiva group were shown to have positive correlation with altitude and present species, respectively. The designated as the endemic plant was 11 taxa and, as the rare plant 24 taxa and 62.5% of vascular plant was northern plant species. It is necessary to continue further long-term monitoring of 3 vegetation units, IV of main competition species (P. koraiensis and A. nephrolepis) with stratum and main specific species (rare plants and endemic plants) considering vegetation science and, population and community ecology approaches.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.237-251
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• 2019

This study evaluated the ecological value of waterside parks by investigating the animal distribution and ecological feature in 92 waterside parks and analyzed the change of ecological awareness by users and non-users of waterside parks through ecological education and promotion based on the investigation results. The result confirmed inhabitation of various animals including 9 endangered species (Pernis ptilorhynchus orientalis, Accipiter soloensis, Falco subbuteo, Charadrius placidus, Felis bengalensis euptilura, Lutra lutra, Kaloula borealis, Polyphylla laticollis manchurica, and Leptalina unicolor) in waterside parks. Although waterside parks were constructed to be hydrophilic areas for human use, some of them with high natural characteristics are valued as biological habitat. We investigated user status in 5 areas (Daejeon, Sejong, Cheongju, Kongju, and Buyeo) located at Guem river basin to evaluate people's perception of waterside parks and carried out the ecological education and promotion based on the investigation result. The survey of 200 people showed that there were more users of waterside parks than non-users and that people in their 40's showed the highest use rate. The use frequency of waterside parks located in Daejeon and Cheongju was lower than in other areas (Sejong, Kongju, and Buyeo). We considered it was because Daejeon and Cheongju were urban areas and had relatively more leisure areas such as sports facilities and cafe than other areas, and thus the residents had a lower reliance on waterside parks. Moreover, users used waterside parks more frequently when they were nearer to users' residence. It is because most users perceived waterside parks as the leisure sports facility and thus preferred them to be within walking distance. The users' perception of waterside parks as the ecological space "to be preserved" increased after the ecological education and promotion. The change of the perception was higher among users (80%) than non-users (38%). Therefore, ecological education and promotion were potentially more effective to people who user waterside parks and thus had a higher understanding of the characteristics and specification. In conclusion, 1) although waterside parks were constructed for human use, some parts had high ecological value for the distribution of endangered species and outstanding natural beauty, and 2) it is necessary to change the perception of waterside parks from the hydrophilic attribute to the conservation attribute. Such change of perception would contribute to establishing waterside parks that feature both hydrophilic and conservation attributes in the management or upgrading plan of waterside parks in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

This study conducted a full survey of the goral population using sensor cameras to identify the exact habitat of the gorals that inhabit Odaesan National Park and for restoration and habitat management-focused conservation projects following the population growth. We surveyed Odaesan National Park for a year in 2018 and selected18 grids (2km×2km) first based on the survey results. We then further divided each grid into four small grids (1km×1km) and installed a total of 62 sensor cameras in 38 small girds divided by four grids(1km×1km). The survey resulted in a total of 5,096 photographed wild animals, 2,268 of which were gorals, and the analysis by the classification table of goral (horn shape (Ⓐ), ring pattern (Ⓑ), ring formation ratio (Ⓒ), and facial color (Ⓓ)) identified a total of 95 animals. The ratio of male and female was 35 males (36.8%), 46 females (48.4%), and 14 sex unknowns (14.7%), while the ratio of female and male excluding sex unknowns was 4 (male):6 (female). The horn shape (Ⓐ) and face color (Ⓓ) were the important factors for distinguishing male and female and identifying individuals. The analysis of the correlation of 81 individuals, excluding 14 individuals of unknown sex, showed a significant difference (r=-0.635, p<0.01). Since the goral population in Odaesan National Park has reached a minimum viable population, it is necessary to change the focus of the management policy of Odaesan National Park from restoration to conservation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2012

From April to November 2009, we performed field investigation to survey the characteristics of fish fauna and fish community structure inhabited in Yongdam reservoir in the upper Geumgang, which is changed into flat-water zone from flow-water zone by blocking the continuity by the gigantic submerged weir built in the upstream of Geumgang. 15 species belonging to 8 families were collected from natural habitat (St. 1) where its natural characteristics is well preserved, and 11 species were korean endemic fish species. 24 species belonging to 10 families were collected at the down region of Yongdam dam (St. 3), which might be affected by the change of water environment due to the dam, and 11 species were korean endemic fish species. On the other hand, 20 species belonging to 7 families were collected inside Yongdam reservoir (St. 2) which is changed into flat-water zone from flow-water zone by the dam reservoir, and 6 species were korean endemic fish species. In the dam reservoir, due to Yongdam dam built in the upper Geumgang, the original flow-water zone fish such as $Acheilognathus$ $koreensis$, $Pseudopungtungia$ $nigra$, $Coreoleuciscus$ $splendidus$, and $Gobiobotia$ $macrocephala$ were disappeared, and instead, the kinds of fish habitating in the flat-water zone tend to increase rapidly, such as $Carassius$ $auratus$, $Opsarichthys$ $uncirostris$ $amurensis$, $Hemiculter$ $eigenmanni$, $Zacco$ $platypus$, and $Lepomis$ $macrochirus$. Relative abundance of the insective fish was 66.7% at St. 1, 40.0% at St. 2, and 54.2% at St. 3. In order to preserve endemic fish species and aquatic ecosystem, it is desirable to minimize the artificial installation in the upper river, such as a large scale dam which can affect the habitat and if inevitable, it is required to prepare preservation measures when building facilities.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.305-319
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• 2000

A total of 50 diatom species and 1 subspecies belonging to 31 genera except Chaetoceros resting spores were identified in the 45 sediments subsampled from a gravity core GH98-1223 collected from the western Hokkaido Island located in the northeastern East Sea (Sea of Japan). The most dominant species is Thalassionema nitzschioides (Grunow) Hustedt, ranging 29 to 59% of the total assemblages, and most species including Denticulopsis seminae (Simonsen and Kanaya) Simonsen and Pseudoeunotia doliolus (Wallich) Grunow were less than 5% in average. Frequencies of cold-water species are generally higher than those of warm-water species and the vertical distribution of cold-water species was largely opposite to that of warm-water species in spite of ecological habitat difference. Frequency of cold-water species, D. seminae is reverse to that of P. doliolus, an indicator of the Tsushima Warm Current, which is consistent with diatom temperature value (T$_{d}$ value). The variation of T$_{d}$ values shows that the upper part of core with greater-than-average T$_{d}$ values represents postglacial warming trend. These T$_{d}$ values clearly demonstrate that the study area located in the northern part of the East Sea is gradually influenced by Tsushima Warm Current. In addition, the zig-zag variation in the lower part reflects the unstable seawater for diatom habitat. Chaetoceros resting spores indicating productivity and upwelling was 5.3 to 40%, with maximum peak at 80 cm. Chaetoceros resting spores/Chaetoceros vegetative cells, an indicator of relative amounts of biogenic material in the sediments was high at the upper 80 cm level, corresponding to the change of T$_{d}$ values. On the basis of diatom assemblages, the northeastern part of East Sea has experienced the effects of Tsushima Warm Current during the postglacial period of Holocene, which is similar to the modem climatic environment. However, the variation of P. doliolus reflects that the intensity of Tsushima Warm Current has been oscillated in the East Sea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.338-346
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• 2017

Natural seaweed beds and habitat environments were investigated using quantitative and qualitative methods from May to December 2015 at 3 sites in Gangneung, Uljin, and Busan along the eastern coast of Korea. In total, 9 green, 23 brown, and 64 red algal taxa were identified. The biomass of the seaweed at Gangneung was 173.2 to $613.8wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Dictyota divaricata, 360.8 to $520.4wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Symphyocladia linearis, and 25.9 to $470.8wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Undaria pinnatifida. At Uljin, these numbers were 5.5 to $256.2wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Plocamium telfarirae and 46.8 to $241.5wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Agarum clathratum. The biomass of Sargassum coreanum and Ecklonia cava were 388.1 to $6,972.4wet\;wt.g/m^2$ and 194.9 to $958.5wet\;wt.g/m^2$, respectively, at Busan. S. coreanum and E. cava showed higher biomass compared to other seaweed at Busan. The biomass rate represented an average of 19.2 percent of the total population, ranging from 0.0 to 55.5 percent in Gangneung. In Uljin, the average was calculated as 63.8 percent, and this figure was 48.5 percent in Busan. The percentage of barren ground averaged 46.7 percent in Gangneung and 91.1 percent in Uljin. Uljin showed the highest percentage of barren ground compared to other regions. Sea urchin density appeared to be $6.0ind./m^2$ in Gangneung, $7.0ind./m^2$ in Uljin, and $2.0ind./m^2$ in Busan, with the lowest sea urchin density being that of Busan. In conclusion, the composition of species, appearance ratio, and abundance of vegetation found were similar to previous studies, but it is thought that continuous monitoring is needed due to concerns about physical and chemical pollution caused by global warming, climate change, and coastal development.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.33-47
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• 2022

Wild boars(Sus scrofa) are expanding their range of behavior as their habitats change. Appearing in urban centers and private houses, it caused various social problems, including damage to crops. In order to prevent damage and effectively manage wild boars, there is a need for ecological research considering the characteristics and movement characteristics of wild boars. The purpose of this study is to analyze home range and identify land cover types in key areas through tracking wild boars, and to predict the movement connectivity of wild boars in consideration of previous studies and their preferred land use characteristics. In this study, from January to June 2021, four wild boars were captured and tracked in Jinju city, Gyeongsangnam-do, and the preferred land cover type of wild boars was identified based on the MCP 100%, KDE 95%, and KDE 50% results. As a result of the analysis of the home range for each individual, it was found that 100% of MCP was about 0.68km², 2.77km², 2.42km², and 0.16km², and the three individuals overlapped the home range, refraining from habitat movement and staying in the preferred area. The core areas were analyzed as about 0.55km², 2.05km², 0.82km², and 0.14km² with KDE 95%., and about 0.011km², 0.033km², 0.004km², and 0.003km² with KDE 50%. When the preferred land cover type of wild boar was confirmed based on the results of analysis of the total home range area and core area that combined all individuals, forests were 55.49% (MCP 100%), 54.00% (KDE 95%), 77.69% (KDE 50%), respectively, with the highest ratio, and the urbanization area, grassland, and agricultural area were relatively high. A connectivity scenario was constructed in which the ratio of the land cover type preferred by the analyzed wild boar was reflected as a weight for the resistance value of the connectivity analysis, and this was compared with the connectivity evaluation results analyzed based on previous studies and wild boar characteristics. When the current density values for the wild boar movement data were compared, the average value of the existing scenario was 2.76, the minimum 1.12, and the maximum 4.36, and the weighted scenario had an average value of 2.84, the minimum 0.96, and the maximum 4.65. It was confirmed that, on average, the probability of movement predictability was about 2.90% better even though the weighted scenario had movement restrictions due to large resistance values. It is expected that the identification of the movement route through the movement connectivity analysis of wild boars can be suggested as an alternative to prevent damage by predicting the point of appearance. In the future, when analyzing the connectivity of species including wild boar, it is judged that it will be effective to use movement data on actual species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.246-262
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• 2024

The survey conducted from 2018 to 2020 aimed to investigate the changes in fish fauna and community characteristics in the upper reaches of the Seomgang River, Korea. During the survey period, 35 sites were selected, resulting in the collection of 7,817 fish belonging to 12 families and 40 species. The dominant species was Zacco koreanus, with a relative abundance of 34.5%, followed by Z. platypus at 28.7%. Other significant species included Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (10.2%), Pungtungia herzi (5.3%), and Squalidus gracilis majimae (4.3%). Notably, four protected species - Acheilognathus signifer, Gobiobotia brevibarba, and Cottus koreanus, designated as class II endangered wildlife by the Ministry of Environment- were identified. These species predominantly inhabit the middle and lower reaches, except for Gobiobotia brevibarba, which is found in the upper reaches. Nineteen species, accounting for a 47.5% endemism rate, were endemic to Korea. The study also noted the presence of one climate-sensitive species, Cottus koreanus, and two exotic species, Carassius cuvieri and Micropterus salmoides. Community analysis indicated a trend of decreasing dominance and increasing diversity and richness from upstream to downstream, with a distinct division into uppermost reaches, upper reaches, middle and lower reaches, and lakes. The construction of the Hwaseong Dam has had a significant direct and indirect impact on the fish community. The habitat and abundance of endangered species such as R. pseudosericeus, A. signifer, and G. brevibarba decreased dramatically immediately after the dam's construction, transforming the submerged area from lotic to lentic environments. Approximately 20 years later, the habitats have stabilized, leading to an increase in the fish population and a recovery of the previously diminished endangered species. The river health (FAI) was also evaluated, with 27 sites rated as very good (A), seven as good (B), and one as fair (C). However, endangered species such as A. signifer continue to face threats from dam and river construction, while C. Koreanus has experienced a severe population decline due to river works. Additionally, the presence of the ecosystem-disrupting species M. salmoides in Hwaseong Lake raises concerns. To ensure a stable habitat for fish in the upper reaches of the Seomgang River, it is crucial to avoid indiscriminate river construction, urgently implement restoration policies for endangered species such as A. signifer, and develop management strategies to control the spread of invasive species such as bass.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2010

Nakdong Estuary Delta plays various roles of worldwide habitat for migratory birds and a sand supplier to Haewoondae Beach and Gwanganri, which are tourist attractions of Busan. In this study, long-term topographical changes of Nakdong Estuary (Jinwoo Islet, Sinja Islet, Doyodeung, Dadae Beach) coast were detected and interpreted. Through the analysis of 34 years' satellite images, it was found out that a part in between front side and back side of Jinwoo Islet increased, Sinja Islet was divided into two belts in 1970, and has formed an islet since the 1980s and extended westward. Due to the rapid development of small islets in front of Baekhabdeung since 1990s, Doyodeung formed in the late 1990s and is still growing. To make coastal map of Nakdong Estuary area, 13 images, of which the tide level was $99{\pm}13cm$, from the 112 Landsat images of the period from 1975 to 2009 were selected to section into water zone and land zone using NDV. And the rates of coastal line change such as MATLAB EPR(End Point Rate) and LRR(Linear Regression Rate) were calculated using DSAS 4.0(Digital Shoreline Analysis System). Through detecting topographical changes, EPR showed that the front(south) and back side(north) of Jinwoo Islet moved southward at -0.93~2.56m/yr, and changes in costal line and area of Jinwoo Islet were low and stable. The front and backside of Sinja Islet moved northward at 1~4m/yr, whereas the west side of Sinja Islet was stable at 2~3m/yr and east side of Sinja Islet moved northward at 10m/yr or faster. The front and back side of Doyodeung moved northward at 18~27m/yr, causing the increase of area, while the coastal line of Dadae Beach moved westward at 7m/yr, causing the expansion of the beach. LRR also demonstrated a similar trend to EPR. Although analysis of satellite images and GIS could enabled detection of topographical changes and quantitative analysis of natural phenomena, we found that continuous observation of natural phenomena and various analytical methods are required.