• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.499-511
• /
• 2008

The major focus of this study is to evaluate a newly developed stream naturalness index system 'Habitat-riparian Indexing System (HIS).' There have been many studies that have assessed stream naturalness in order to provide information required for restoration. The results of these studies were enough for the purpose of the studies; however, the methodologies were limited especially with respect to rapid measurement and the representation of ecological habitats. Therefore, we derived crucial variables from a popularly utilized method and merged them with other criteria obtained from overseas approaches, resulting in the development of the HIS method. The stability of HIS was evaluated by comparing the results with the Stream Naturalness Index (SNI) of Cho (1997). We monitored 100 stream sites in the Nakdong River system using the two different methods for two sampling periods (spring and autumn), and the results were compared using statistical analyses. The determination coefficients between the index values from two methods were c.a. 0.6 for both seasons, and statistics revealed that HIS had a relatively higher stability, providing index values for stream environments. The results of this work suggest a possibility of the utility of HIS for other stream habitats.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.55 no.12
• /
• pp.1155-1163
• /
• 2022

Since the introduction of the eco-friendly concepts in river management more than 40 years ago, many efforts have been made, such as the improvement of laws and systems, and research and development, and now river environment management is becoming the main issue of river management along with the flood damage reduction. This paper reviewed the history of improvement in relevant laws, and the current river plans prescribed by law. And as a way to improve the effectiveness of river environment management, the importance and implementation method of the level of naturalness survey of physical habitats in rivers were proposed.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2004.05b
• /
• pp.516-520
• /
• 2004

Stream Naturalness means the index of natural state in stream's ecosystem. The evaluation of stream naturalness can evaluate relatively the effect of environmental damages by human and to show how significantly current stream has been apart from its natural state. And it could be show what is the meaning of importance in stream's ecosystem by such distinctions and it Is done by showing the need how a large scale of action for restoration to be restored to natural state of stream system. In this study, a set of index for Stream Naturalness evaluation is proposed, which is referred to and modified problems with domestic and foreign study cases. This methodology is supposed to show well the characteristics of stream in Korea. A case study of Hong-Chun River shows how this methodology is applied to the Stream Naturalness evaluation. For improving the function of river which are water use and flood control and for preserving the function of inhabitation, the proposed methodology is expected to be used a index of direction for a environmental project related stream improvement by evaluation of ecologically sound function in streams.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.61-69
• /
• 2011

Integrated stream naturalness based on abiotic and biotic factors were developed. Abiotic factors considered in this study were types of land use in the riparian area, river bank and high water bed streamside, revetment, bed substrate and artificial construction of streamside. Biotic factors included types of vegetation, assemblages of fish, macroinvertebrate, bird and mammal(Otter) in streams. The presence/absence of legal species and biological assessment index were also weighted as important parameters in this study. Scoring criteria selected for each matrix was five rating system; 1=poor, 2=moderate, 3=fair, 4=good, 5=excellent. Numerical ratings for the matrix were then summed. This resulted in a minimum score of 13 if all matrix at a site were poor, and a maximum score of 65 if all matrix were excellent. Five grade system from poor(I) to excellent condition(V) was employed. To verify its validity in natural environment, the evaluation system was applied to the Gapchun stream which is a test bed selected. Our result showed that stream naturalness of each reach was clearly distinguished by biotic and abiotic characteristics. Determination of correlation coefficient between abiotic and biotic factors was also high ($R^2=0.96$, p<0.05). In conclusion, assessment for stream naturalness reflecting abiotic and biotic factors was useful method representing stream integrated.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.647-657
• /
• 2018

This study was carried out to review as criteria for zoning at management plan for river restoration, in case of naturalness of river environment and suitability of water friendly activity suggested at assessment system of river environment in Korea. As a result of reviewing law and guidelines concerned, historic & cultural resources used as criteria for preservation zone, it was judged that the historical and cultural value as the preservation zone needs to be examined in connection with waterfriendly activity zone. In this study, we propose a sequential evaluation method to distinguish the waterfriendly activity zone by applying suitability of waterfriendly activity reflecting land use social characteristics, followed division of preservation and restoration zone at the first stage by the naturalness of river environment reflecting the natural environmental characteristics as a result of application to the test bed, Gap and Yudeung streams. In particular, it was concluded that the results of the present study provided more clear criteria for the problem that the last criteria for zoning did not reflect the difference between the left and the right side of stream, or the designation of the excessive water friendly zone. On the other hand, the criteria for designation in this study reflect the characteristics of various river environments as well as the setting of assessment unit based on the physical characteristics of rivers, and other legal regulations and local situations should be adjusted and supplemented in administrative procedures.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.359-369
• /
• 2007

In this study the evaluation method for riverine naturalness proposed previously by other researcher has been modified to assess stream naturalness of small scaled streams. Two evaluation items have been added to the previously proposed method. That is, the modified method for evaluating naturalness of small scaled streams contains 16 evaluation items with two categories - river morphology and river environments. The three evaluation items have been improved based on the results of stream configuration and characteristics investigation. To prepare evaluation index for channel configuration of small scaled stream, 55 small scaled streams have been selected to analyze sinuosity, wavelength, etc. It has been shown that the values of sinuosity are around 1.2 and one wavelength appears approximately every 500 m in the sample streams. An equation implied diversity for width of normal flow has been proposed to add the evaluation index for diversity of channel width. The every 500 m 1,000 m along small scaled stream is also recommended through the investigation as the interval of evaluation unit. The modified method has been applied to the DangWang stream to estimate the effect of stream rectification project. It has shown that the proposed method would appropriately reflect channel morphology and environments before and after the rectification project.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.52 no.spc2
• /
• pp.765-776
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study is to provide the legal and institutional guidelines and standards that can be used in the whole river restoration project and to analyze and evaluate the performance of the river project. We constructed an assessment system of four biological taxa that can represent the river environments, namely, evaluation indexes and standards of vegetation and birds, benthic invertebrates and fishes. Specifically, the assessment indicator and criteria of biological characteristics are summarized, so that in case of vegetation community, vegetation diversity, vegetation complexity, and vegetation naturalness can be quantitatively assessed through the combination of three indices. Based on the scientific basis of the advanced techniques, benthic invertebrates, fishes, and birds were proposed to quantitatively evaluate assessment grades according to the classification of biological data. In order to evaluate biological characteristics, which are a part of river environmental naturalness, we proposed a comprehensive biological index and evaluation grade applying the weight of these four biological taxa, and it clearly reflects the characteristics of river environment in test bed.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.21-37
• /
• 2010

The abiotic factors and the vegetation naturalness of the 13 tributary wetlands around Namgang-River were assessed to investigate the present state and to present the conservation counter plan for the wetland ecosystem of the tributaries. Assessment indices for the abiotic factors were estimated based on the dominant land use types of the riparian zone, ecological function of the upper levee, levee slope structure, artificiality and utilization intensity of the waterfront, artificiality of the revetment structure, diversity of the substrate, and severance of the transverse. The assessment index of Omi-cheon is the highest among 13 tributaries. The second was Banseong-cheon and third was Hyangyang-cheon, followed by Nabul-cheon and Yeongcheon-gang and Sugok-cheon, Jungchon- cheon, and Daegok-cheon in their order and Munsan-cheon got the lowest assessment index. Assessment indices for the vegetation naturalness were estimated based on the vegetation diversity, exotic species dominance, annual herb dominance, naturalness and peculiarity of the vegetation, and species diversity. The assessment index of Omi-cheon is the highest among 13 tributaries. The second was Sugok-cheon and third was Banseong-cheon, followed by Yeongcheon-gang, Jungchon- cheon, Jinae-cheon, Nabul-cheon, and Jisu-cheon in their order, and Yonga-cheon got the lowest assessment index. The grades of the stream naturalness were estimated based on the the naturalness indices for the abiotic factors and the vegetation naturalness. The grades of Omi-cheon is the highest among 13 tributaries as the grade I. Those of Banseong-cheon, Sugok-cheon, Yeongcheon-gang, Nabul-cheon and Jungchon-cheon, Hyangyang-cheon, Jinae-cheon, Jisu-cheon, Daegok-cheone, and Munsan-cheon and Doksan-cheon were grade II in their order, and Yonga-cheon got the lowest as the grade III. It was suggested that restoration of the simple and flat substrate, create the natural vegetation on the levee slope constructed with concrete or stone wall, and rehabilitation of the eco-bridge were demanded to improve the grades of the stream naturalness through the restoration of the tributaries for the diverse aquatic wildlife, high vegetation diversity and species diversity with the vegetation consisted of perennial herbs and trees.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.535-545
• /
• 2011

This study was carried out to suggest the baseline data necessary for vegetation restoration by naturalness assessment of riverine wetland within stream corridor. We selected stream reach both of near nature and urbanized by Nonsan stream and Hongchun river as experimental site. Composition of vegetation community and land use pattern between two sites indicated considerable difference, which imply for many different watershed property and process disturbed each other at river ecosystem. Naturalness of the sampled reaches showed that near nature is in better condition for riverine wetland than urbanized of all two sites. However, the prevalence index of Hongchun river within its natural state was lower than that of Nonsan stream, because the index included some vegetation communities occurred at upland fringe and bank slope. In conclusion assessment system using prevalence index would be considered an effective method for evaluating of natural states of riverine wetland.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
• /
• 2009.10a
• /
• pp.243-246
• /
• 2009