• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2016

Roads are widely accepted to be as a major cause of habitat fragmentation. The wildlife road-crossing structure is one of the most acceptable alternatives among the solutions to provide connectivity between patches isolated by roads. We investigated noise disturbance, vegetation structure and wildlife crossing and habitation at a wildlife road-crossing structure located at the Jingmaei-Pass in Incheon, Korea, to monitor and evaluate its conservation value and ecological performance and to propose measures for their adaptive management. From the result of noise measurement, the noise disturbance from the road traffic was not properly blocked out at the wildlife crossing structure. The survey results of vegetation structure showed that the early-successional plant species such as Ambrosia trifida, Erigeron annuus, Pueraria lobata, Rosa multiflora invaded widely on the crossing structure. An efficient management of the vegetation should be necessarily considered for the facilitation of vegetation succession and the improvement of animal habitat. The crossing structure was used by limited mammal species: Apodemus agrarius, Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mogera wogura and Sciurus vulgaris coreae as the results of the monitoring using footprints and closed-circuit television. In conclusion, The Jingmaei-Pass wildlife crossing structure is unable to function properly as a biological corridor because of the interference of noise and flourishing disturbed vegetation. Therefore, proper alternatives are required for improving animal habitats and mobile environments to enhance the ecological function of a wildlife corridor.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.24 no.2 s.62
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• pp.160-165
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prey composition and utilization of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, in the ecosystem conservation region of the Seomjin River. The study was conducted for a 12-month period from March 2003 to February 2004 by spraints analysis and an investigation using artificial holts. We found seasonal variation in the number of spraints and composition of prey items. Fish were the main prey items throughout the period (82%), and other prey items included birds (14%), amphibians (2%) and arthropods (1%). In addition to prey identification, we investigated habitat utilization by otters through spraints distribution. The traces of otters were discovered in five of the six total artificial holts. However, the utilization of the artificial holts in the study area seemed to be limited as evidenced by the low frequency of traces in the holts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2013

This study was carried out to make a plan and design the substitute habitat for Kaloula borealis by pre-proposed planning model for wildlife based on wetlands. The habitat characteristics and distribution status in study area, Shingi village in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, were surveyed and restoration strategies of habitats including conservation, enhancement were established by conservation value assessment, and the substitute habitat needed to replace was selected. One of three potential substitute habitats in the same watershed to the original habitat was selected by suitable site assessment. And finally the substitute habitat for Kaloula borealis was planned by the planning indices, and some adults and tadpoles were captured and released into built substitute.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2010

The Russian ratsnake, Elaphe schrenckii, is found in Russia, China, and Korea, and is considered to be an endangered species by the Ministry of Environment in South Korea. Due to habitat loss and use in oriental medicine, their population has been severely decimated. In South Korea, two subspecies of E. schrenckii has been defined according to body color: E. s. schrenckii (blackish) and E. s. anomala (yellow-brownish). Molecular genetic studies on Elaphe schrenckii are very scarce and the taxonomy of Elaphe schrenckii subspecies is uncertain. From the present study, we attempted to identify the genetic differences of these two subspecies using species-specific microsatellites developed from the genomic library of E. schrenckii. Nine polymorphic loci were tested on 19 individuals from E. s. schrenckii (n=10) and E. s. anomala (n=9) in South Korea. The mean number of alleles was 3.78 in E. s. schrenckii and 4.11 in E. s. anomala. The average expected heterozygosity was 0.542 and 0.511 in E. s. schrenckii and E. s. anomala, respectively. We found a lack of genetic structure between two subspecies ($F_{ST}=0.016$) and no genetic discrimination between two subspecies was found. Based on the present findings by microsatellites, two subspecies can be considered as one species, E. schrenckii. However, further investigations on taxonomical status using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences need to be performed and morphological & ecological data should be revised. The genetic markers should benefit future studies of the endangered species of other Elaphe species for the study of genetic diversity and potential conservation management.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.36-45
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• 2001

Natural disturbances and human development can cause habitat fragmentation. Plant and wildlife can become isolated, and habitat fragmentation and shrinkage have been recognized as a key issue facing the conservation of biological diversity. However, eco-corridors can alleviate the problem by providing linkages between isolated patches. The purpose of this study is to plan the eco-corridor for connecting urban forest via the urban stream with low cost and to restore the ecosystem. The results were as follows (1) Falco subbuteo, and Dryocopus martius inhabit in the study site. They are protected species designated by Korean Ministry of Environment. Thus the study site should be preserved as urban wildlife habitat species biodiversity (2) If the biodiversity of the study site is maintained properly, the eco-corridor can be constructed with low cost.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.211-218
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• 2023

Background: Traditional wildlife monitoring has often relied on invasive techniques posing risks to species and demanding substantial resources. To address this, camera traps emerged as non-invasive alternatives, albeit primarily tailored for larger mammals, posing limitations for small mammal research. Thus, the Mostela, an innovative tool designed to overcome these challenges, was introduced to monitor small mammals in South Korea. Results: The Mostela was deployed at two study sites in South Korea, yielding compelling evidence of its efficiency in capturing small mammal species. By analyzing the collected data, we calculated the relative abundance of each species and elucidated their activity patterns. Conclusions: In summary, the Mostela system demonstrates substantial potential for advancing small mammal monitoring, offering valuable insights into diversity, community dynamics, activity patterns, and habitat preferences. Its application extends to the detection of endangered and rare species, further contributing to wildlife conservation efforts in South Korea. Consequently, the Mostela system stands as a valuable addition to the toolkit of conservationists and researchers, fostering ethical and non-invasive research practices while advancing our understanding of small mammal populations and ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.185-198
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• 2016

Korea has put in significant efforts to increase the number of wildlife crossings between fragmented habitats to prevent loss of biodiversity and to encourage the habitat connectivity in Korea. However, there is a lack of biological data on the effect of vegetation structure in these wildlife crossings and guidelines for design and management of wildlife crossing structures in Korea. Therefore, we selected ground beetle assemblages as model organisms to compare the effect of vegetation structure in wildlife crossings, i.e. bare ground- and shrub-type corridors, in agro-forested landscapes. For this study, 4,207 ground beetles belonging to 33 species were collected through pitfall trapping along the northern forest-corridor-southern forest transects from late April to early September in 2015. Dominant species, abundance, and species richness of ground beetles were significantly higher in the shrub-type corridors than the bare ground-type corridors. Also, the species composition of bare ground-type corridor was significantly different compared to the other habitats such as shrub-type corridor and forests. Similarly, environmental variables were also influenced by vegetation management regimes or trap locations. Collectively, our study clearly indicates that the movement of forest associated ground beetles between forest patches can increase as the vegetation in wildlife crossings becomes complex. Although further studies are needed to verify this, there are indications that the current wildlife crossings that comply with the guidelines may be unfriendly to the movement of ground dwelling arthropods as well as ground beetles. To enhance the ecological function of wildlife crossings, the guidelines need to be rectified as follows: 1) Shrubs or trees should be planted along the corridor verges to provide refuge or movement paths for small mammals and ground dwelling arthropods, and 2) Open spaces should be provided in the middle of the corridors to be used as a path for the movement of large mammals.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2009

Corylopsis coreana Uyeki is endemic species in the Korean peninsula and is designated a Category Endangered Plant Species by the Wildlife Protection Act of South Korea. We developed the plan and cooperative model within the local community for the species conservation. In order to carry out this plan we first investigated the ecological characteristics of the species. The species shows patterns of discontinuous distribution and is coupled with the unusual feature of only growing on northern exposed slopes. Although Corylopsis coreana is cut the stem every year, many new sprouts are still grown from the root. Natural germination of the seed occurs only on north-facing slopes, but not on south-facing slopes at spring. That is, the species is highly influenced by soil moisture until the seedling stage has been reached. This factor limits the distribution of the species. When saplings are planted on south-facing slopes, they grow well. The information we gathered greatly helped with efforts to draw up conservation plans. In addition, when the information was shared with the local community, builders and residents showed great interest and displayed a will to help with conservation efforts. Therefore, a cooperative model within the local community was drawn up for the conservation of the species. Accordingly this model could be applied at mitigation measure at environment impact assessment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.56-62
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• 2002

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) considers the western/lowland bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus to be a threatened species, and the eastern/mountain bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci an endangered species［1］. Although extinction is considered by many biologists to be a natural process during evolution, the exponential growth of the human population has drastically and prematurely reduced the numbers and genetic diversity of many species［2］. Species have evolved to adapt to a specific habitat or environment that meet their survival needs. Alteration or destruction of their habitat results in a species becoming incapable of adapting and hence becoming threatened with extinction. A widespread scientific and public consensus has emerged suggesting that governments should assign high priority to the maintenance of biological diversity via habitat preservation and management far species conservation［3］. Unfortunately, the loss of biological diversity far surpasses the available conservation resources and species are lost forever on a daily basis［4］. Notwithstanding the focus on habitat preservation and wildlife management, conservation biologists have also become increasingly interested in using the technologies of reproductive and developmental biology to help manage or rescue endangered species［5］.

• 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.