• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.450-463
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• 2023

The objective of this study is to derive the core habitat of the Kirengeshoma koreana Nakai utilizing Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) models. Expert-based models have been criticized for their subjective criteria, while statistical models face difficulties in on-site validation and integration of expert opinions. To address these limitations, both models were employed, and their outcomes were overlaid to derive the core habitat. Five variables were identified through a comprehensive literature review and spatial analysis based on appearance coordinates. The environmental variables encompass vegetation zone, forest type, crown density, annual precipitation, and effective soil depth. Through surveys involving six experts, importance rankings and SI (Suitability Index) scores were established for each variable, subsequently facilitating the creation of an HSI map. Using the same variables, the MaxEnt model was also executed, resulting in a corresponding map, which was merged to construct the definitive core habitat map. Out of 16 observed locations of K. koreana, 15 were situated within the identified core habitat. Furthermore, an area historically known to host K. koreana but not verified in the present, Mt. Yeongchwi, was found to lack a core habitat. These findings suggest that the developed models exhibit a high degree of accuracy and effectively reflect the current ecological landscape.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.377-390
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• 2020

URBAN ECOLOGICAL MAPS must be created by local governments by NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION ACT, and the maps are generally called biotope map. So far, biotope maps study was a tendency to focus on the type of vegetation, naturalness, land use, landscape ecology theories. However, biotope related studies have not reflected the concept of animal habitat, which is a component of biotope, and that is the limitation of biotope map research. This study suggest a methodology to predict potential habitats for fauna using machine learning to quantify habitat values. The potential habitats of fauna were predicted by spatial statistics using machine learning, and the results were converted into species richness. For biotope type assessments, we classified biotope values into vegetation value and habitat value and evaluated them using a matrix for value summation. The vegetation value was divided into 5 stages based on vegetation nature and land use, and the habitat value was classified into five stages by predicting the species richness predicted by machine learning. This is meaningful because our research can positively reflect the results of field surveys of fauna that were negatively reflected in the evaluation of biotope types in the past. Therefore, in the future, if the biotope map manual is revised, our methodology should be applied.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.395-405
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• 2013

The aim of this study is to suggest an optimal survey method for coastal habitat monitoring around Weno Island in Chuuk Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). This study was carried out to compare and analyze differences between in situ survey (PHOTS) and high spatial satellite imagery (Worldview-2) with regard to the coastal habitat distribution patterns of Weno Island. The in situ field data showed the following coverage of habitat types: sand 42.4%, seagrass 26.1%, algae 14.9%, rubble 8.9%, hard coral 3.5%, soft coral 2.6%, dead coral 1.5%, others 0.1%. The satellite imagery showed the following coverage of habitat types: sand 26.5%, seagrass 23.3%, sand + seagrass 12.3%, coral 18.1%, rubble 19.0%, rock 0.8% (Accuracy 65.2%). According to the visual interpretation of the habitat map by in situ survey, seagrass, sand, coral and rubble distribution were misaligned compared with the satellite imagery. While, the satellite imagery appear to be a plausible results to identify habitat types, it could not classify habitat types under one pixel in images, which in turn overestimated coral and rubble coverage, underestimated algae and sand. The differences appear to arise primarily because of habitat classification scheme, sampling scale and remote sensing reflectance. The implication of these results is that satellite imagery analysis needs to incorporate in situ survey data to accurately identify habitat. We suggest that satellite imagery must correspond with in situ survey in habitat classification and sampling scale. Subsequently habitat sub-segmentation based on the in situ survey data should be applied to satellite imagery.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.24-36
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• 2021

Countries around the world, including the Republic of Korea, are participating in efforts to preserve biodiversity. Concerning species, in particular, studies that aim to find potential habitats and establish conservation plans by conducting habitat suitability analysis for specific species are actively ongoing. However, few studies on mid- to long-term changes in suitable habitat areas are based on accumulated information. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the time-series changes in the habitat suitable area and examine the otters' changing pattern (Lutra lutra) designated as Level 1 endangered wildlife in Gangwon-do. The time-series change analysis used the data on otter species' presence points from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th national natural environment surveys conducted for about 20 years. Moreover, it utilized the land cover map consistent with the survey period to create environmental variables to reflect each survey period's habitat environment. The suitable habitat area analysis used the MaxEnt model that can run based only on the species presence information, and it has been proven to be reliable by previous studies. The study derived the habitat suitability map for otters in each survey period, and it showed a tendency that habitats were distributed around rivers. Comparing the response curves of the environmental variables derived from the modeling identified the characteristics of the habitat favored by otters. The examination of habitats' change by survey period showed that the habitats based on the 2nd National Natural Environment Survey had the widest distribution. The habitats of the 3rd and 4th surveys showed a tendency of decrease in area. Moreover, the study aggregated the analysis results of the three survey periods and analyzed and categorized the habitat's changing pattern. The type of change proposed different conservation plans, such as field surveys, monitoring, protected area establishment, and restoration plan. This study is significant because it produced a comprehensive analysis map that showed the time-series changes of the location and area of the otter habitat and proposed a conservation plan that is necessary according to the type of habitat change by region. We believe that the method proposed in this study and its results can be used as reference data for establishing a habitat conservation and management plan in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.39-60
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• 2018

National parks are designated for the purpose of maintenance, conservation and utilization of different habitats. Therefore, it is necessary to select habitats of a high value as a protected area in order to balance conservation and development. However, the existing national park boundary adjustment and new designation criteria only focused on the endangered species and protected area, without proper evaluation of the habitat value of actual species. Therefore, this study aims to quantitatively evaluate habitat function in terms of biodiversity and habitat value, so that it can be referred to for the designation and boundary adjustment of national parks. We assessed species diversity and habitat values for each of the habitat types, for mammals only, as they are able to choose preferred habitats. In order to evaluate biodiversity, we used Maxent to derive species richness map and used InVEST's Habitat quality model to evaluate habitat value. As a result of evaluation, species richness was high in the national park boundary area. Also, even if the same edge is adjacent to the development area depending on the land cover, the species richness is low. Compared with Wolaksan and Sobaeksan National Park, the species richness and habitat value of the northern area, which is connected with other forests, were higher than those of the southern area where roads were developed. Therefore, it is expected that the use of the result of this study for the national park boundary adjustment and management will enhance the function of the national park as a habitat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.19-32
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• 2015

In Korea, significant riparian areas have been developed due to river maintenance projects. Introduction of new riparian facilities can negatively affect wildlife in the riparian areas. This study focuses on selecting core conservation areas for Eurasian Otter(Lutra lutra) to support decision making process for development of riparian areas. For the study, first of all, field data of study site were collected by field surveys. Secondly, stream naturalness was assessed to understand physical environments of the study sites. Thirdly, habitat suitability was assessed using occurrence data of Eurasian Otter and environmental data. Lastly, core areas for conservation was selected by comparing and synthesizing stream naturalness map and habitat suitability map. The selected core areas showed several characteristics. The number of artificial facilities is low in the core areas. Rocks which are preferred by Eurasian Otter to eat and excrete are plentiful in the core areas. Also, the ratio of adjacent farmland is high. Based on the analyses, it is expected that this study can contribute to decision making process for environmental spatial plans to better conserve habitats of Eurasian Otter.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.133-143
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• 2015

Freshwater macrophytes improve the structural heterogeneity of microhabitats in water, often providing an important habitat for zooplankton. Some studies have focused on the overall influence of macrophytes on zooplankton, but the effects of macrophyte in relation to different habitat characteristics of zooplankton (e.g., epiphytic and pelagic) have not been intensively studied. We hypothesized that different habitat structures (i.e., macrophyte habitat) would strongly affect zooplankton distribution. We investigated zooplankton density and diversity, macrophyte characteristics (dry weight and species number), and environmental parameters in 40 shallow wetlands in South Korea. Patterns in the data were analyzed using a self-organizing map (SOM), which extracts information through competitive and adaptive properties. A total of 20 variables (11 environmental parameters and 9 zooplankton groups) were patterned onto the SOM. Based on a U-matrix, 3 clusters were identified from the model. Zooplankton assemblages were positively related to macrophyte characteristics (i.e., dry weight and species number). In particular, epiphytic species (i.e., epiphytic rotifers and cladocerans) exhibited a clear relationship with macrophyte characteristics, while large biomass and greater numbers of macrophyte species supported high zooplankton assemblages. Consequently, habitat heterogeneity in the macrophyte bed was recognized as an important factor to determine zooplankton distribution, particularly in epiphytic species. The results indicate that macrophytes are critical for heterogeneity in lentic freshwater ecosystems, and the inclusion of diverse plant species in wetland construction or restoration schemes is expected to generate ecologically healthy food webs.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2012

Dipterocarps (Dipterocarpaceae) is a dominant tree family of tropical rainforest in Southeast Asia. Dipterocarps have been exploited for its timber and disappearing fast in East Kalimantan. In this study, we predicted the distribution of dipterocarpus, one of the main dipterocarps genera, by evaluating its habitat suitability using logistic regression analysis with specimen collection points and environmental factors from GIS data. Current distribution of dipterocarpus was generated by combining the habitat suitability classes with an updated forest cover map. Rainfall, soil type, followed by elevation was the main factors that influence the distribution of dipterocarpus in East Kalimantan. Dipterocarpus can be found in a quarter of the current forest cover, which is highly suitable as habitat of Dipterocarpus.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.74-82
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• 2020

Predictions of suitable habitat areas can provide important information pertaining to the risk assessment and management of alien plants at early stage of their establishment. Here, we predict the invasion potential of Muhlenbergia capillaris (pink muhly) in South Korea using five bioclimatic variables. We adopt four models (generalized linear model, generalized additive model, random forest (RF), and artificial neural network) for projection based on 630 presence and 600 pseudo-absence data points. The RF model yielded the highest performance. The presence probability of M. capillaris was highest within an annual temperature range of 12 to 24℃ and with precipitation from 800 to 1,300 mm. The occurrence of M. capillaris was positively associated with the precipitation of the driest quarter. The projection map showed that suitable areas for M. capillaris are mainly concentrated in the southern coastal regions of South Korea, where temperatures and precipitation are higher than in other regions, especially in the winter season. We can conclude that M. capillaris is not considered to be invasive based on a habitat suitability map. However, there is a possibility that rising temperatures and increasing precipitation levels in winter can accelerate the expansion of this plant on the Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.894-905
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• 2010

A habitat evaluation method was used to estimate the optimum suitability of the study area for the target algae. Habitat evaluation was carried out using an habitat evaluation procedure (HEP) so that the optimum suitability was quantitatively estimated for carrying out marine afforestation in the study area. According to the results of the suitability analysis, the variation of light and wave conditions according to depth showed the factors with the largest impact to involve the spatial distribution of suitable locations within the area. The total suitable area selected was calculated to be 18ha. The quality of the target algae (Ecklonia cava Kjellman) habitat was analyzed using an habitat suitability index (HSI) model of the HEP, which showed 0.55-0.907 (the maximum value being 1.0). This indicated that artificial reefs for afforestation should be installed to zonation type because the suitable area selected (The HSI value was 0.55~0.907) was distributed within the same depth line.