• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.80-95
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to establish an effective protection and management system for World Heritage (WH) nomination of Southwestern Coast Tidal Flat (SCTF) by proposing a model of protection and management. SCTF has a potential to become a representative best practice to achieve a sustainable development for human society. SCTF has a potential Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs) for WH nomination, thus a harmony between human and nature for wise use of natural resources needs to be pursued. It is required to present the system of SCTF's protection and management and to analyze present status of the regions in the Tentative List by comparing the case which were already inscribed as WH. For better protection of nominated areas, SCTF should expand an area for protection with additional designation. For the management system, two separate management systems such as the Department of Culture & Tourism and the Department of Oceans & Fisheries need to be reconciled. Because of this overlapping management structure, the management of the nominated sites has been inefficient and long-term management plan is lacking. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate conflicting management system of each local government and make a long-term, integrated management plan. To make an efficient and sustainable protection and management, it is essential to set up a collaboration system by integrating various stakeholders such as central and local governments, academic organizations, local residents, and NGOs. As in the case of Wadden Sea, the combined community system of the stakeholders mentioned above should be established. Because it is essential for local residents to understand a basic concepts for protection and management, it is necessary to establish capacity-building of local people. The protection and management structure should be set up by bottom-up processes, that is the proper structure shoud be based on thorough research on local society as well as thorough communication with local residents to make relevant laws and policies. This study also propose the proper plan for better conservation and management of SCTF.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.106-121
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• 2011

The number of World Natural Heritage Sites is smaller than that of World Cultural Heritage Sites. As of 2010, the total number of natural sites was 180, which is less than 1/3 of all cultural sites. The reason why the number of natural sites is smaller can be attributed to the evaluating criteria of OUV(outstanding universal value). Only 9 fossil related sites were designated as World Heritage Sites among 180 Natural Sites. This study compares their OUVs including the academic value and characteristics of the 9 World Heritage Sites to provide data and reference for KCDC(Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast) to apply as a World Natural Heritage Site. This study was carried out to obtain information and data on the Wadi Al-Hitan of Egypt which was designated as a World Natural Heritage Site. The study includes field investigation for whale fossils, interviews of site paleontologists and staff, and inspections of facilities. Three factors can likely be attributed to its successful management and operating system. First, there is a system for comprehensive research and a monitoring plan. Secondly, experts have been recruited and hired and professional training for staff members has been done properly. Finally, the Wadi Al-Hitan has developed local resources with specialized techniques for conservation and construction design, which matched well with whale fossils and the environment at the site. The Wadi Al-Hitan put a master plan into practice and achieved goals for action plans. To designate a future World Natural Heritage Site in Korea, it is important to be recognized by international experts including IUCN specialists as the best in one's field with OUV. Full-time regular-status employees for a research position are necessary from the preparation stage for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Local government and related organizations must do their best to control monitoring plans and to improve academic value after the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. As we experienced during the designation process of Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes as the first Korean World Natural Heritage Site, participation by various scholars and specialists need to be in harmony with active endeavors from local governments and NGOs.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.204-216
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• 2024

Understanding the trade-off effect in ecosystem services and measuring the interrelationships between services are crucial for managing limited environmental resources. Accordingly, in this study, we identified the dominant trends and increases and decreases in ecosystem services derived from changes in land cover over about 30 years and tracked changes in the relationships between ecosystem services that occurred over time. Through it, we determined the relationship between land cover changes and ecosystem service changes, as well as the distinct characteristics of service changes in different areas. The research primarily utilized the InVEST model, an ecosystem service assessment model. After standardizing the evaluation results between 0 and 1, it went through principal component analysis, a dimensionality reduction technique, to observe the time-series changes and understand the relationships between the services. According to the research results, the area of urbanized regions dramatically increased between 1989 and 2019, while forests showed a significant increase between 2009 and 2019. Between 1989 and 2019, the national ecosystem service supply witnessed a 13.9% decrease in water supply, a 10.5% decrease in nitrogen retention, a 2.6% increase in phosphorus retention, a 0.9% decrease in carbon storage, a 1.2% increase in air purification, and a 3.4% decrease in habitat quality. Over the past 30 years, South Korea experienced an increase in urbanized areas, a decrease in agricultural land, and an increase in forests, resulting in a trade-off effect between phosphorus retention and habitat quality. This study concluded that South Korea's environment management policies contribute to improving ecosystem quality, which has declined due to urbanization, and maximizing ecosystem services. These findings can help policymakers establish and implement forestry policies focusing on sustainable environmental conservation and ecosystem service provision.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2024

Macromia daimoji Okumura, 1949 was designated as an endangered species and also categorized as Class II Endangered wildlife on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in Korea. The spatial distribution of this species ranged within a region delimited by northern latitude from Sacheon-si(35.1°) to Yeoncheon-gun(38.0°) and eastern longitude from Yeoncheon-gun(126.8°) to Yangsan-si(128.9°). They generally prefer microhabitats such as slowly flowing littoral zones of streams, alluvial stream islands and temporarily formed puddles in the sand-based lowland streams. The objectives of this study were to analyze the similarity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in M. daimoji habitats, to predict the current potential distribution patterns as well as the changes of distribution ranges under global climate change circumstances. Data was collected both from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by field surveys from April 2009 to September 2022. We adopted MaxEnt model to predict the current and future potential distribution for M. daimoji using downloaded 19 variables from the WorldClim database. The differences of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the mainstream of Nakdonggang were smaller than those in its tributaries and the other streams, based on the surrounding environments and stream sizes. MaxEnt model presented that potential distribution displayed high inhabiting probability in Nakdonggang and its tributaries. Applying to the future scenarios by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), SSP1 scenario was predicted to expand in a wide area and SSP5 scenario in a narrow area, comparing with current potential distribution. M. daimoji is not only directly threatened by physical disturbances (e.g. river development activities) but also vulnerable to rapidly changing climate circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the habitat environments and establish conservation strategies for preserving population of M. daimoji.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.240-252
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• 2024

The distribution status of the nature monument species, Hemibarbus mylodon, was investigated from 2021 to 2024 in Geumgang River and Mujunamdae Stream (a tributary of the Geumgang River). In 2021 to 2023, five individuals from Gemgang River upstream were collected by Geumsan-gun, Chungchangnam-do. In 2021 to 2024, 1,592 induviduals juvenile from seven sites were collected by surveying 15 sites from Mujunamdae Stream. The main habitat of juvenile was about 0.3~1.5 meters water deep, 0.14~0.16 meters per second in the middle-upper stream of rock and sand bottom with slow rapids and pools. The age groups for H. mylodon estimated by the frequency distribution of total length in after spawning season (May) to October indicated the 10~65 mm is 0-year old, 75~90 mm is 1-year old group. In addition, over the 120 mm group is 2-years old, the 190~250 mm is more than 3-years old group. In 2024, we identified 35 spawning place from six sites were sites were collected by surveying 15 sites. Spawning place at the river bottom were top of the rapids, 30~60 cm (mean 48.2 cm) water deep, and the place was covered with stone and gravel, water velocity was 0.13~0.34 (mean 0.25 m/sec) meter per second. The spawning place size of the gravel piles was as follows: length 35~48 cm (mean 40.7 cm), width 25~37 cm (mean 34.5), and height 5~12 cm (mean 8.6 cm). Thus, H. mylodon reintroduced to Mujunamdae Stream has successfully settled down and increase in abundance within the natural habitat.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.183-201
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• 2018

The tolerance of Korean benthic macroinvertebrates to organic pollution has been analyzed since the early 1990s. However, considering the fact that there have been related studies carried out in some European countries since the early 20th century, the history of the research in Korea is very short and there is still much knowledge to supplement. We revised the saprobic valency, the saprobic value and the indicator weight value of 190 benthic macroinvertebrates taxa through the data of water quality and individual abundance collected from 7,086 sampling units in Korea from 2008 to 2014. The individual abundance of Uracanthella (Ephemeroptera) as a representative, one of the most common and abundant taxa in Korea, showed a typical lognormal distribution to 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) concentration, and a normal distribution to the class interval of BOD5 concentration according to saprobic series. The value combining the mean individual abundance and the relative frequency of occurrence was a more efficient indicator value than that of each property alone. Benthic Macroinertebrates Index (BMI) was newly proposed as a modification of the saprobic index of Zelinka and Marvan (1961). BMI showed extremely significant correlation (determination coefficient $r^2$ > 0.6, n = 569 sites) with the concentration of BOD5, and the coefficient was a little higher than those of the previous indices. Until now, there has been very little research on the assessment of biological integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates community in Korea. While continuing researches into improve the reliability of BMI, it is necessary to develop multimetric indices for evaluating the integrity, including the composition of species and functional guilds, and the richness and diversity of the community.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.12-23
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to develop and study an experiential natural education program that could emphasize the importance of the natural environment by providing natural experience opportunities using the natural resources of the urban forest parks using Youngheung Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province as a target site. The research target was limited to Suwon Yeongheung Park, which had the potential to become a place for education, where urban forest conservation and sustainable use already coexist. The natural education resources derived by surveying and analyzing the basic environment and the ecology of plants and animals in Suwon Yeongheung Park were organized to establish program goals, directions, and themes. Suwon Yeongheung Park is a water-rich forest that forms an ecological system of wetlands, including rice paddies, muknon wetlands, and dungbun, near a valley area. The U-shaped walkway was smoothly formed along the ridge and includes Doran-gil, which is among the Palochrome Road, designated by the city of Suwon. The soil is acidic, with a pH 4.40, due to urban pollution and acid rain, and is not good for plant growth. Most of the artificial forests, natural forests, and arable land were found using land use and extant life surveys. Old trees were distributed in artificial forests, the oak clusters in natural forests, and the fields and darrinones were distributed in the arable areas. As the forest vegetation declined, the cedar forest was underway, and the cedar trees and red bean pear trees were cultivated due to their adaptability to the urban environment. There are 13 large of 180 sacks, one being 109 centimeters in diameter, the largest silvery tree, and 105 oak trees, provide food and shelter for animals. Six species of waterfowl that used the 22 kinds of forest wetlands, while four species of amphibians and two species of reptiles reside in the wetlands. Natural Monument No. 327, Mauryuk, Class II Endangered Wildlife, was also observed in the wetlands. Eight other species of surface dragonflies and three species of butterflies were observed. By systemizing the resources, members, and characteristics of the forest ecosystems in Suwon Yeongheung Park based on five criteria, the program for a hands-on natural education was presented with the aim of understanding the urban forest ecosystem in Suwon Yeongheung Park, having an affinity with the city, and recognizing its relationship with the community and society. However, further research is needed as there are limitations of research on programs characterized by different ages and classes.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.31-55
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• 2005

Dangsan forests and Rural Community Forests(RCF) have been historical assets for the rural communities of more than 40,000 in Korea and they have provided an identity through the cultural heritage. The Dangsan forests and the RCF are parts of a unique cultural landscape in the rural areas as components of stream landscape. In many cases, the Dangsan forests and the RCF are located close to stream corridors. The objective of this study was to understand the function of the Dangsan forests and the RCF on stream water quality and to evaluate its ecological landscape values. Through the consideration of international concensus and domestic government policy for close-to-nature stream, we could find out that Dangsan forests and RCF's have close relationship with the close-to-nature streams. The water quality of the streams close to the Dangsan forests and the RCF are maintained with local culture. It is also compared to the streams located where Dangsan forests and the RCF are absent. Eight study sites were selected. Water samples were collected at three different locations at each study site. Water samples were analyzed for temperature, pH, total P, total N, dissolved oxygen, EC, BOD, COD and SS. Aquatic invertebrates were observed as water quality indicator species. The results showed that the number of aquatic invertebrate species, GPI, DO, EC, BOD, and SS were significantly improved in stream water due to the presence of the Dangsan forests and the RCF. The role of Dangsan forests and the RCF was evident in the conservation of stream landscape and rural culture as well as in maintaining stream water quality. The management schemes of the streams with Dangsan forests and the RCF's are also suggested.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.779-788
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• 2014

This study, as a case where the environmental conflict and dispute arose between the use and the conservation as in the other protected areas in Korea, took the first step to build ecological citizenship to solve various and complicated issues in a fundamental level by providing a basic information on differentiated environmental perceptions of the locality and the visitors of Seoraksan National Park. The questionnaire survey was employed on September 6th and 7th with 150 residents of the park area and 200 visitors of Osaek-Daechungbong trail. Total number of 13 survey questions was introduced using Dunlap and Liere's NEP index. The result shows that the perception of 'balance of nature' was more dominant to the perception of 'humans over nature' and the perception to the 'limits to growth' was also somewhat positive in both groups. The differences in environmental perceptions between the groups exist; the visitor group tended to have more positive level of acceptance of NEP views. Such differences in perceptions suggest that a different normative approach should be taken to the residents of the national park with less pro-environment in their perceptions when policy making. It thus seemed possible that ecological citizenship could be realized since the younger and the higher education level are, the more pro-environment. The findings of the research may cause some concerns however, because the study has been confined as a case study with basic understanding of environmental perceptions and its differences between the interest groups. More extensive research is required to confirm if this is generalized.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2011

The importance of forests and plants are appreciated by all of us, but it is often overlooked because we are surrounded by it. The arboretum is one of facilities which provide users with education on the environment, knowledge about plants, and recreation, playing a role as a nature school by exhibiting and collecting plants of various ecosystems. Anyone can enjoy fresh air, a pleasant environment, and knowledge about a wide variety of plants on the condition that they aactually visit it and pay the entrance fee. However, it has not been measured whether the expense which users pay to enjoy an arboretum is a true value of arboretums. The environment that arboretums offer is extra-market goods, or public goods. A variety of ideas and methods to measure the value of public goods have been researched among economists, statisticians, and mathematicians. The Contingent Valuation Method(CVM) is most widely used a s an assessment method on environment goods and adopted as an estimation method for compensation for restoration of the environment by the American Supreme Court. The purpose of this study is to suggest a current monetary value correspondingent to the value of arboretums by applying the CVM. The survey suggested that when an arboretum provides a high educational value and when the respondents have a higher income, it is more likely that they would be willing to pay for entrance into the arboretum. The quantified value in monetary terms for the environmental value of Gyeongnam Arboretum is WTP mean \15,648; WTP median \13,648; and WTP truncated \15,449 per visitor. In annual terms, the amounts are calculated at WTP mean \8,408,265,024; WTP median \7,333,589,024; and WTP truncated \8,301,334,762. These quantified amounts can be thought to represent the value of conservation of arboretums and awaken users to the precious value of nature. Also, they are helpful to let the general public have proper knowledge about and recognize the value of arboretums and forests.