• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.140-150
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• 2023

The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is an apex predator of the riparian ecosystem. It is a keystone and an indicator species; consequently, its presence suggests a sustainable water environment. Otter is a keystone species as a predator at the top of the food web in the aquatic environment and an indicator species representing the health of the aquatic environment. Although Eurasian otters disappeared from the Han River urban water system because of anthropogenic activities like habitat destruction, poaching, and environmental pollution in the 1980s, the species were sighted in the Cheonggye Stream, Jungrang Stream, and Seongnae Stream, which are urban sections of the Han River, in 2016 and 2021. Therefore, it is pertinent to assess the habitat potential in the area for conservation and management measures to ensure its permanent presence. However, existing studies on otter habitats focused on natural rivers and reservoirs, and there is a limit to applying them to habitats artificially confined habitats in narrow spaces such as tributaries in urban areas of the Han River. This study selected the Cheonggye Stream, an artificially restored urban stream, to evaluate its potential as a habitat for Eurasian otters in urban water environments using the habitat suitability index (HSI). The HSI was calculated with selected environment attributes, such as the cover, food, and threat, that best describe the L. lutra habitat. According to the results, the confluence area of Seongbuk Stream and Cheonggye Stream and the confluence area of Cheonggye Stream and Jungnang Stream were suitable otter habitats, requiring appropriate conservation efforts. The HSI model suggests a valuable method to assess the habitat quality of Eurasian otters in urban water environments. The study is crucial as it can help rehabilitate the species' populations by identifying and managing potential Eurasian otter habitats in highly urbanized areas of the Han River basin and its tributaries.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.178-188
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• 2024

The dynamics of suspended sediment (SS) in forested catchments vary depending upon human or natural disturbances, including land use change, forestry activity, forest fires, and landslides. Understanding the dynamics of SS originating from the potential sources within a forested catchment is crucial for establishing an effective water quality management strategy. Therefore, to suggest a systematic method for interpreting SS dynamics, we evaluated the performance and applicability of ten methods for calculating the hysteresis index based on observed hydrological data and two calculation models (Lawler's method and Lloyd's method) with five sampling intervals (50th, 25th, 10th, 5th, and 1st percentiles). Our results showed that Lloyd's method, which used a sampling interval at the 1st percentile, had the largest number of analyzable runoff events and exhibited the best performance. The results of this study can contribute to quantifying the hysteresis in the relationship between discharge and SS and provide useful information for interpreting SS dynamics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.35-50
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• 2023

As urbanization progresses, there is a growing and continuous demand for green spaces that provide ecosystem services. However, increasing the quantity of green spaces within major cities is challenging. Therefore, it is essential to pursue qualitative improvements that consider ecological characteristics of existing green spaces. In this study, we focus on local neighborhood parks in Seoul and present the following two questions through an evaluation utilizing ecological design indicators and land use data: 1. Which factor, design or location, has a greater influence on the ecological quality of neighborhood parks in Seoul? 2. Additionally, when evaluating ecological characteristics, is there similarity between assessments based on land-use data and those utilizing ecological design indicators? For this study, we conducted research on 30 neighborhood parks in Seoul and classified them into mountainous types (adjacent to mountains, natural terrain parks) and urban types (independently designed within 300m without existing forests) based on previous studies. Firstly, we conducted evaluations according to park location types. When comparing the evaluation scores of urban types (14 parks) and mountainous types (16 parks), significant differences were observed with scores of 16.86 and 35.94, respectively. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between park types. In terms of habitat quality, the average values for urban and mountainous parks were 0.33 and 0.53, respectively, and statistically significant differences were observed between park types indicating differences in ecological potential according to park location. Secondly, when comparing the results of ecological potential evaluations based on park design and external connectivity, a correlation was found between habitat quality and total scores according to evaluation indicators. The correlation analysis showed significant linear relationships between habitat quality and total scores, biodiversity scores, and ecosystem function scores, with high positive correlation coefficients of 0.829, 0.861, and 0.802, respectively. This study holds significance in analyzing the ecological aspects of urban parks through the lens of both park location characteristics and design indicators. The analysis results underscore the importance of planning and managing ecologically sound urban parks contingent upon their location. Moreover, the utilization of appropriate ecological design indicators can help alleviate environmental limitations surrounding parks. Integrating these considerations could enhance the ecological quality and ecosystem services of urban green spaces.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.4 s.105
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• pp.463-466
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• 2003

This study was conducted to introduce the characteristics of the freshwater environment of Mulkol, considering that it is less known area about the ecosystem of the Tok Island. The salinity of freshwater in the Mulkol was less than 2.0 psu, while its periphytic algal biomass was thriving with 25.9 ${\mu}g\;chl-a/cm^2$. As for the nutrients in water, the content of $NH_4$ was higher than the rest of inorganic nitrogen components, and SRP and SRSi were much higher as 117.3 ${\mu}$g P/l and 4,104.6 ${\mu}$g Si/l respectively, than nitrogen components. Also, the ratio of N/P was found less than 1.0, revealing the condition that N was greatly limited. The high level of nutrient concentration and periphytic algal biomass at the Mulkol ecosystem could be explained as a result of natural pollution, but no full explanation was made in this study. It is a question that needs additional research in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 1999

Secondary vegetation. the holistically integrated system of nature and human being, is the complicated ecosystem that is composed of natural and man-created factors. Understanding the ecological function of secondary vegetation supplies us many important informations for sustainable landscape management and ecological restoration planning. In this research, we tried to examine the shape effect of vegetation patch on early structure of populations of pine and oaks. Moreover. we also tried to clarify the ecological functions of patch edge by exploring the patch effect on germination using patch index. In addition, we present the landscape structure of man -made vegetation of our study area, and setting experimental design of research. Vegetation landscape of study area is typical human disturbed landscape mainly composed of disturbance patches. Vegetation types of graveyard and managed pine forest were controlled by periodically repeated management. However, current seedlings of pine occurred well at both vegetation types. Presence of both saplings were more controlled in managed pine forest (PDM) and graveyard (G) than those of undergrowth (PD) and forest edge (FE) with canopy trees. The number of pine seedlings increased with patch size and patch perimeter. That of oak seedlings was, however, not significantly different. Larger graveyards provided higher light availability for germination of pine seedlings. We think, however, most seedlings of both species in the large sized graveyards without shade will die more easily than that of small sized ones before rainy summer. Relationships between patch shape and germination of two woody species cannot be exactly explained enough yet in these results. More informations on spatial interaction of the total species with differently sized patches are necessary to solve the concept of patch effect on species colonization.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.65-69
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• 2018

Mushrooms growing spontaneously in the Juwangsan National Park were surveyed from April to October 2017 for supporting management of higher fungi and creating a bio-diversity database of the park. In total, two divisions, eight classes, 21 orders, 85 families, 225 genera, and 503 species were detected. Among them, 247 species belonged to order Agaricales, which occupied 48.8% of the population, followed by members of orders Polyporales and Russulales. The mushrooms were abundant in August, and an altitude of 300-400 m above sea level was optimal for their growth, such as those found at Sanguijigu, Deajeonsa, and Geodaeri semgoal areas. Furthermore, Macrolepiota procera and Sarcodon aspratus, which belong to criteria of climate change, were detected in this survey.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1523-1536
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• 2014

Restoration is the process of reducing or reversing damage to an ecosystem so that it can function in its original manner. However, many restoration programs do not achieve this. In the Nakdong Estuary, the largest migratory nesting site in the center of the East Asian-Australasian flyway, an estuarine barrage was constructed in the 1980s that required site restoration following its completion in 1987 and the expansion of several large industrial complexes(Noksan and Jangrim) and a residential development(Myeongji). The goal of the restoration was to restore the function of the wetland to its pre-disturbance state. To achieve this, a restoration program was designed consisting of three stages. The first stage(1993-1995), saw the construction of three artificial wetlands(Shinhori, Daemadeung, and Eulsuk), the second(2003-2005) involved the dredging and returning of farmed lands to their natural state, and the third(2008-2012) focused on the rehabilitation and vegetation development of the wetlands. However, the project has not achieved all of the desired goals, and it is an example of the lapses in ecological restoration following anthropogenic disturbance. Issues that resulted in an incomplete restoration included the timing of the stages, noncompliance with the restoration plan, not directly monitoring the restoration or continuing the monitoring following completion of the development project, and the political subversion of the restoration plan. For the success of the restoration plan, it is necessary to avoid mistakes such as inconsistent monitoring, unequal levels of stakeholder involvement, and political interference.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.281-291
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• 2015

To clarify the effects of forest fire on the carbon budget of a forest ecosystem, this study compared the seasonal variation of soil respiration, net primary production and net ecosystem production (NEP) over the year in unburned and burned Pinus densiflora forest areas. The annual net carbon storage (i.e., NPP) was $5.75t\;C\;ha^{-1}$ in the unburned site and $2.14t\;C\;ha^{-1}$ in the burned site in 2012. The temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (i.e., $Q_{10}$ value) was higher in the unburned site than in the burned site. The annual soil respiration rate was estimated by the exponential regression equation with the soil temperatures continuously measured at the soil depth of 10 cm. The estimated annual soil respiration and heterotrophic respiration (HR) rates were 8.66 and $4.50t\;C\;ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$ in the unburned site and 4.08 and $2.12t\;C\;ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$ in the burned site, respectively. The estimated annual NEP in the unburned and burned forest areas was found to be 1.25 and $0.02t\;C\;ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$, respectively. Our results indicate that the differences of carbon budget and cycling between both study sites are considerably correlated with the losses of living plant biomass, insufficient nutrients and low organic materials in the forest soil due to severe damages caused by the forest fire. The burned Pinus densiflora forest area requires at least 50 years to attain the natural conditions of the forest ecosystem prior to the forest fire.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

Beginning of the human ecology in 1920s, the efforts for applying the environmental values to a policy have been embodied by the enactments of international agreement and relevant laws. The government has been struggling to adopt the environmental values for the policy by enacting the relevant laws and establishing the environmental value evaluation information (environmental conservation value assessment map, eco-natural map, biotope map). In spite of the efforts to apply the environmental value assessment information for the habitat potential of wildlife, the application is being challenged by the discrepancy in methods and criteria. Thus this study intends to measure the potential of wildlife habitat and apply it to the spatial value classification for the application plan of wildlife habitat potential in policy. Maxent was used for the habitat potential and the land types were classified depending on the surface and land use pattern of cadastral map. As a result, the policy matrix including conservation strategy(CS), restoration strategy(RS), practical use strategy(PS) and development strategy(DS) has been deduced as CS $13.05km^2$(2.38%), RS $1.64km^2$(0.30%), PS $162.42km^2$(29.57%) and DS $8.56km^2$(1.56%). CS was emerged mostly on forest valleys and farmlands, and RS was appeared in the road area near the conservation strategy areas. Boryung downtown and Daecheon Beach were the center of DS, while the forest and farmlands were presented as PS. It is significant that this study suggest the new approaching method by comparing the wildlife habitat potential with the land type. Since this study evaluated the environmental value by one species of leopard cat (Prionailurusbengalensis) with Maxent model, it is necessary to apply the habitat potential measuring method for various target species as further research.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.359-368
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• 2000

Landscape change is the modification and replacement of landscape elements in accordance with human management and natural disturbance on land mosaics. During landscape change, changes in patterns such as heterogeneity, diversity and shape, and juxtaposition of spatial elements are also accompanied. For the sustainable landscape system, therefore, spatial characteristics of the landscape should be considered in implementation of landscape conservation and restoration planning. Short-term changes of land-use and landscape pattern during the 10 years of 1980s and 1990s were investigated in the agriculture-forestry dominated landscape system through the statistics and the analysis of landscape-vegetation map. Study area is Yangdong-myon, Yangpyung-gun (37°27′30"N, 127°46′50"E), Kyonggi-do, in central Korea. Landscape change of this region was significantly related to the recent industrialization according to socio-economic development. Analyses of landscape pattern show that the area of secondary forest sustained by human activity decreased and it was replaced with large exotic plantations during this period. Area of paddy field was also extended. Fractal dimension of the total landscape increased, but that of paddy field area decreased due to rearrangement for mechanized farming. Moreover, the area of landscape management regimes such as plantation and cultivation increased in land mosaics during this period.