• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.519-533
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• 2003

The U.S. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) resulted in the conversion of approximately 14.8 million ha(36.5 million acres) of cropland to grassland, woodland, and other conservation uses throughout the U.S. between 1986 and 1992. One of the major results of CRP has been the addition of millions of hectares of potential wildlife habitat. primarily as grassland. In this study, we examined regional changes in landscape structure caused by the introduction of CRP. Utilizing multi-seasonal Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, we produced maps of cropland and grassland for the pre- and post- CRP enrollment periods for a six-county region in southwest Kansas. We then applied post-classification differencing to identify regions of cropland that had been converted to CRP. Using the FRAGSTATS spatial pattern analysis program, we calculated a variety of spatial statistics to analyze changes in landscape structure due to CRP. The major impact of CRP in the six-county study area has been the reversal of an overall trend of grassland habitat fragmentation. From the standpoint of potential wildlife habitat, the introduction of CRP has greatly increased the number of patches, mean patch size, and the interior or core area of grassland patches. In addition, CRP has increased connectivity and aggregation between grassland patches, potentially important factors for species of conservation interest, particularly those that require larger expanses of unbroken habitat. Finally, the distance between neighboring patches of grassland has decreased, reducing travel distance between patches. Clearly, the introduction of CRP has substantially modified the spatial structure of the southwest Kansas landscape, with important implications for wildlife habitat.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.76 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 1987

Forestry as with all land matters, under the Constitution, is a State matter. Thus the States, numbering 14, have considerable autonomy in decisions on forestry and related matters. However, the Federal Government, having jurisdiction over such issues as defence, education and research, endeavours to coordinate, standardise and advise the States on matters where the States have jurisdiction. However, forestry being a major revenue earner, is jealously guarded by the States. Under such circumstances and recognising the interdependencies of impacts of decisions at the State level, the institutional organisations play an important role in coordinating state activities to ensure that the benefits to the country as a whole are not sacrificed in favour of interests of individual state. Various legislative mechanisms have been established to ensure this coordinated effort. A National Forestry Council forms the apex of national political coordination. The Federal Forestry Department is responsible for coordination of developmental activities at the State level, which are implemented be the State Forestry Departments within Peninsular Malaysia. Research is carried out centrally by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia(FRIM), a statutory body formed in 1985 from a research division of the Forestry Department. The Stares of Sabah and Sarawak have their own Forestry Departments, independent of the Federal Department, and each with its own research unit independent of FRIM. Tertiary education in forestry is the sole responsibility of the Agricultural University at Serdang with a campus for Diploma level training in Sarawak. In the developmental area in the State of Sabah, institutions have been formed to focus on specific areas of activities. The Sabah Foundation is responsible for the long term development of the State forests with a concession of about one million ha. Sabah Forest Development Authority(SAFODA) was formed to carry out reforestation of denuded areas. Sabah Forest Industries Ltd.(SFI) is responsible for the country's only integrated pulp and paper industry with its own afforestation program to support its resource supply. In Peninsular Malaysia various states have established State Corporations to manage large "sustained yield" concessions. While wildlife and state parks are managed by the respective forestry departments in Sabah and Sarawak, it is the responsibility of a separate department in Peninsula Malaysia called the Department of Wildlife and National Parks(under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment). Timber trade legislation and promotion in the Peninsular is the responsibility of the Malaysian Timber Industries Board(MTIB) for Peninsular Malaysia and the Sarawak Timber Industries Development Corporation(STIDC) in Sarawak. In the area of NGOs ; the Institute of Foresters Malaysia, is the professional body of forestry in the country. A Malaysian Forestry Society caters for the public participation and interest. Other environmentally related NGOs such as the Malayan Nature Society, the Environmental Protection Society, World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the Earth and the Consumers Associations also involve themselves in specific forestry activities. A number of timber trade associations are also formed by the private sector to assist the industries.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.196-203
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• 2019

Habitat loss by industrialization, urbanization, and poaching reduced the population of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetabus ussuricus) population in South Korea in the late 20^th Century. In the early 2000s, the Korean Government had begun a restoration project of Asiatic black bear. In 2017, a bear was found in Mt. Sudosan, Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, approximately 80 km from Mt. Jirisan where the bear was first released. Genetic analysis confirmed that this bear was one of the Jirisan bear population, estimating that this bear escaped from its habitat. After trapping this bear in Mt. Sudosan, it was rereleased again in Mt. Jirisan, but this bear moved again to Mt. Sudosan. After 2^nd trapping and releasing, this bear came back to Mt. Sudosan. In Mt. Sudosan, this bear covered a greater distance and moved more as compared to other Asiatic black bear in Mt. Jirisan. Today, this bear has its home range within Mt. Sudosan area after the third release, estimating that this bear is stable and active in this area. Our findings are the first case showing the interesting pattern of repetitive disperse activities and habitat expansion of Asiatic black bear. The results of this case are valuable information that can be used for wildlife conservation and restoration of endangered wildlife.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.11-23
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to identify the ecological characteristics and biological interactions between species of the abandoned rice paddy field in mountainous areas and to suggest a management strategy for stable food chain formation and biodiversity enhancement. The study site is located in Uldae wetland of Songchu district Bukhansan National Park, site characteristics and biological habitat characteristics were identified through site survey and literature survey. With regard to physical environment, among geographical features, the Uldae Wetland and the neighborhood inside the basin was a gently sloping area($5{\sim}15^{\circ}$). And 64.0% of basin faced the north. With regard to water environment, the Uldae Wetland was wetland of rainfed paddy field depending on precipitation and the system of stream flowing into the wetland from valley. According to the results of examining flora in plant ecology, in general, they were herbaceous wetland species. 88.6% of existing plants inside the Uldae Wetland basin was a forest in the mountain. And Quercus spp. community and Pinus densiflora community accounted for 64.6% of that, and was dominant. Except for that, Salix koreensis community was distributed. The existing vegetation of Uldae Wetland inhabited wetland species and terrestrialization indicator species, and it was thought that partial terrestrialization inside the Uldae Wetland was in progress after the discontinuation of paddy cultivation, such as the expansion of Salix koreensis distribution area. In the status of appearing faunae in the Uldae Wetland with regard to wildbirds of appearing principal species, The Uldae wetland was based on a abandoned rice paddy field various wildlife, and was a wildlife feeding, spawning, and resting place. The water environment was an important factor in maintaining the wetland living creatures function, habitat of waterbirds and benthic macroinvertebrates, amphibians and odonate are spawning ground and habitat, it was affecting the vegetation ecosystem based on wetlands. In order to maintain the diversity of wildlife, it was important to maintain smooth water supply and water level. A stable food chain will be formed and the Uldae wetland biodiversity will be abundant by establishing the relationship between the species of Uldae wetland, which is abandoned rice paddy field, and the habitat environment favored by species belonging to the ecosystem stepwise linkage. The ecological characteristics of the Uldae wetlands and the relation between the species were analyzed and the environmental conditions were reflected in the planning and management plan of Uldae wetland ecology.

• 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.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2012

A major concern regarding the collection and storage of biodiversity information is the inefficiency of conventional taxonomic approaches in dealing with a large number of species. This inefficiency has increased the demand for automated, rapid, and reliable molecular identification systems and large-scale biological databases. DNA-based taxonomic approaches are now arguably a necessity in biodiversity studies. In particular, DNA barcoding using short DNA sequences provides an effective molecular tool for species identification. We constructed a large-scale database system that holds a collection of 5531 barcode sequences from 2429 Korean species. The Korea Barcode of Life database (KBOL, http://koreabarcode.org) is a web-based database system that is used for compiling a high volume of DNA barcode data and identifying unknown biological specimens. With the KBOL system, users can not only link DNA barcodes and biological information but can also undertake conservation activities, including environmental management, monitoring, and detecting significant organisms.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.150-161
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• 2005

Soraksan National Park and Odaesan National Park, that are 20.7 km apart, should play an important role as habitats and corridors for wildlife because they are located in the center of Baekdudaegan. However, landscape features such as small area, fragmentation, and geographic isolation seem to impede the proper ecological functions of these two national parks. Using GIS technique, we examined the pattern of fragmentation in these two national parks and adjacent regions (Sokcho-si, Goseong-gun, Inje-gun, Yangyang-gun, and Hongcheon-gun) encompassing a total of $4573.5km^2$ in area. We then selected the patches suitable for an endangered carnivorous species, leopard cat, based on habitat conditions, and identified the network and stepping stone among patches to enable leopard cats to migrate. Diverse roads and artificial facilities in the study area generated a total of 24,701 patches: 39 patches among these were selected as potential habitats upon considering the habitat condition such as vegetation types and minimum area for leopard cat. Three patches nearby Gyebangsan and Bangtaesan were identified as a potential network center to relieve the effects of fragmentation and isolation of the two national parks. Our results also showed that patches containing Jombongsan and Bangtaesan would act as a source patch from there leopard cats can disperse to both national parks. It is an urgent task to identify the pattern of fragmentation and the connectivity between patches in national parks and adjacent areas for wildlife conservation because almost all national parks confront land- scape problems similar to the two national parks examined in this study.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.639-645
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• 2019

In the present study, a Spirometra species of Tanzania origin obtained from an African leopard (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) was identified based on molecular analysis of cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit I (nad1) as well as by morphological observations of an adult tapeworm. One strobila and several segments of a Spirometra species were obtained from the intestine of an African male leopard (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in the Maswa Game Reserve of Tanzania. The morphological characteristics of S. theileri observed comprised 3 uterine loops on one side and 4 on the other side of the mid-line, a uterine pore situated posterior to the vagina and alternating irregularly either to the right or left of the latter, and vesicular seminis that were much smaller than other Spirometra species. Sequence differences in the cox1 and nad1 genes between S. theileri (Tanzania origin) and S. erinaceieuropaei were 10.1% (cox1) and 12.0% (nad1), while those of S. decipiens and S. ranarum were 9.6%, 9.8% (cox1) and 13.0%, 12.6% (nad1), respectively. The morphological features of the Tanzania-origin Spirometra specimens coincided with those of S. theileri, and the molecular data was also consistent with that of S. theileri, thereby demonstrating the distribution of S. theileri in Tanzania. This places the leopard (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) as new definitive hosts of this spirometrid tapeworm.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.292-302
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• 2019

This study conducted a hierarchy analysis based on a questionnaire survey of experts in park management, ecosystem survey, and ecological environment planning to establish evaluation items and a weighing value of each item to develop ecological connectivity in Baekdudaegan mountain range neighboring the Taebaeksan National Park using the AHP approach. We selected four high-level evaluation indexes and 13 low-level evaluation indexes through literature review and interview with the people in the field and calculated weights for each question through the consistency analysis. The analysis showed that increasing the ecological value was the most important item with the index of 0.474 among the high-level evaluation items, followed by the mitigation of human-nature conflict at 0.247, participation by local residents at 0.165, and the economic perspective at 0.114. Among the low-level evaluation indexes, the movement route of wildlife was the highest at 0.116, followed by the connectivity of landscape ecological patch at 0.112, and functional habitat at 0.099. The comparison of the evaluation items in each working group and the weight factors showed that the movement route of wildlife was the most important at 0.116 in ecosystem survey, the functional habitat was the most important at 0.110 in park management, and the regional preservation and distribution of resources was the most important at 0.123 in ecological environment planning. The results of this study is useful to identify evaluation items for developing ecological network with a diverse source of the actual environmental data in the Taebaeksan National Park.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.1
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• pp.22-34
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• 2021

The implementation of the sunset provision of unexecuted urban parks in Seoul has been postponed; however, the mentioned parks still remain vulnerable since they can be subject to development under certain circumstances. Local governments may purchase the parks to prevent their loss but are constrained due to limited resources. The purpose of this study is to prioritize the purchase of unexecuted urban parks in Seoul based on landscape connectivity, which represents the important role of allowing the movement of wildlife and providing biodiversity in urban environments. In this study, we used four potential scenarios (PB100, PB1, PA100, PA1), which reflects the degree of land cover change resulting from the implementation of the sunset provision, and the role of Han River as a conduit or barrier for wildlife movement. Landscape connectivity was evaluated by calculating current flow betweenness centrality (CFBC). This was used to rank the importance of the unexecuted urban parks in Seoul. The results demonstrated that the implementation of the sunset provision will greatly decrease the connectivity of all parks in Seoul and particularly more so for parks in the southern part of the city. In addition, the results suggested that the low connectivity of Han river will diminish the connectivity around Bukhansan Mountain in the northern part of Seoul. Our study can be used for the prioritization of purchase, since it has the ability to evaluate the anticipated vulnerability of each park's connectivity after the sunset provision.