• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.47-60
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• 2022

This study is based on crane fly specimens collected during more than 80 years, from 1937 through 2019, and are in collections maintained at the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA; at Korea University collection, Seoul, South Korea, and the National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon, South Korea. Three species belonging to genus Phylidorea Bigot, 1854 originally were described from North Korea and in total four species were known from the Peninsula. Phylidorea (Phylidorea) multidentata (Alexander, 1938) is a Korean endemic. We are adding P. (P.) melanommata (Alexander, 1921) to the list of Korean species, which was previously recorded from Japan and Far East of Russia. We present general information on genus and subgenera, redescriptions of species based on Korean specimens, illustrations of both sexes, elevation range, period of activity, habitat information, general distribution, and a distribution map for the Korean Peninsula (including North Korea) for each species.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2022

This study is based on crane fly specimens collected more than 80 years ago in 1938-1939 and preserved at the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA. Despite many attempts with a variety of methods, no additional specimens of this genus were captured. This likely means that that this genus is extinct on the Korean Peninsula, or its distribution is restricted to the northern areas of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The genus Prionolabis Osten Sacken, 1860 with four species, one of them Prionolabis dis(Alexander, 1950) endemic to North Korea, was recorded by Ch. P. Alexander (Alexander, 1938, 1940, 1950). All succeeding papers listing these species were based on these original works without study based on actual specimens. For each species, we present general information on genus, redescriptions of species based on Korean specimens, illustrations of important taxonomical structures, elevation range, period of activity, habitat information, general distribution, and a distribution map for the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.359-367
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: As natural wetlands are decreased by increment of human demand, the importance of rice fields as an alternative habitat for waterbirds is well documented. However, the relationship between waterbirds use and management practice of rice fields has not been fully understood. The present study attempted to understand the changes in temporal abundance of waterbirds and their preference for habitat types in rice fields all year round. METHODS AND RESULTS: Waterbirds census were conducted in rice fields around Asan bay in Korea during April 2009-March 2010 and April 2011-March 2012. In the bird counts, the locations of the observed birds on a 1/2,500 map were recorded along with the local habitat type (paddy, ditch, levee, road). Thirty five species of waterbirds recorded in the rice fields during the survey period and three major groups (shorebirds, herons, and waterfowls) were characterized according to season and micro-habitat use. Shorebirds visited a flooded paddy for feeding during their spring migration season (April-May), and herons used the rice field as feeding sites during their breeding periods (April-October). Most waterfowls were observed in a dry paddy to feed a fallen rice seed and stubs during the winter season (September-March). Waterbird groups selectively used micro-habitats in rice field. Shorebirds and waterfowls mainly preferred at rice paddies, while herons were attracted to most habitat types. CONCLUSION(S): Rice fields supported various waterbirds all year round and waterbird communities using the rice fields were dramatically changed according to seasonal change of rice field condition.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.242-257
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• 2019

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) stretches two kilometers north and south from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) of South and North Korea. This area was established as a weapons-free buffer zone when an armistice agreement was signed in 1953. However, there have been several very high-tension military standoffss over the past 65 years. On the South Korean side, civilian access to the Civilian Control Line (CCL) and beyond to the north has been restricted, and natural heritage has been well maintained. Natural heritage is defined as living things, their habitat and non-living things of the ecosystem which deserve to be protected. Research shows that a variety of flora and fauna, their habitat, marshes and geographical structures are found across the DMZ region. Although the DMZ region has not been such a good place for habitat conservation, we can say that this area may be the best location for restoration in terms of its variety of ecosystems and considerable land size. Restoration of course depends on future plans and management policies. This area, including the DMZ and the well-protected north of the CCL, will be the best habitat for endangered species of wild fauna and flora if we classify the various habitat types and create a habitat map. In doing this project, we need to include the estuary of the Han River and the lagoon (brackish water lake) of the East Sea coast. In addition, we must establish long-term plans for conservation and sustainable use and do international scientific research across the DMZ region in collaboration with scientists of South and North Korea and international experts. Mutual cooperation between the two Koreas for investigation and conservation efforts is paramount.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.366-373
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• 2020

This study investigated habitat diversity changes by conducting weir operations at the Sejongbo site in the Geum River basin. High-resolution aerial photographs taken before and after the weir-opening operation were used for habitat analyses. We classified water and bar areas into 17 types, such as lotic habitats, including riffles, runs, and glides, and lentic habitats, including reservoirs, pools, bar-head backwaters, and bar ponds. Then, we estimated each habitat area quantitatively, calculated a habitat diversity index, and established a habitat diversity map. Our results indicated that after the weir-opening operation, lotic habitats and new types of shallow lentic habitats increased in the water area. In addition, for the bar area, bare lands without cultivation increased distinctively. Finally, we observed that the habitat diversity index drastically increased after the weir-opening operation, which could provide a relatively simple channel of diverse habitats.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.67-84
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• 2023

In some areas of the Republic of Korea, the designation and management of conservation areas do not adequately reflect regional characteristics and often impose behavioral regulations without considering the local context. One prominent example is the Busan EDC area. As a result, conflicts may arise, including large-scale civil complaints, regarding the conservation and utilization of these areas. Therefore, for the efficient designation and management of protected areas, it is necessary to consider various ecosystem factors, changes in land use, and regional characteristics. In this study, we specifically focused on the Busan EDC area and applied machine learning techniques to analyze the habitat of regional species. Additionally, we employed Explainable Artificial Intelligence techniques to interpret the results of our analysis. To analyze the regional characteristics of the waterfront area in the Busan EDC district and the habitat of migratory birds, we used bird observations as dependent variables, distinguishing between presence and absence. The independent variables were constructed using land cover, elevation, slope, bridges, and river depth data. We utilized the XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) model, known for its excellent performance in various fields, to predict the habitat probabilities of 11 bird species. Furthermore, we employed the SHapley Additive exPlanations technique, one of the representative methodologies of XAI, to analyze the relative importance and impact of the variables used in the model. The analysis results showed that in the EDC business district, as one moves closer to the river from the waterfront, the likelihood of bird habitat increases based on the overlapping habitat probabilities of the analyzed bird species. By synthesizing the major variables influencing the habitat of each species, key variables such as rivers, rice fields, fields, pastures, inland wetlands, tidal flats, orchards, cultivated lands, cliffs & rocks, elevation, lakes, and deciduous forests were identified as areas that can serve as habitats, shelters, resting places, and feeding grounds for birds. On the other hand, artificial structures such as bridges, railways, and other public facilities were found to have a negative impact on bird habitat. The development of a management plan for conservation areas based on the objective analysis presented in this study is expected to be extensively utilized in the future. It will provide diverse evidential materials for establishing effective conservation area management strategies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.19-32
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• 2023

The fragmentation of habitats resulting from human activities leads to the isolation of wildlife and it also causes wildlife-vehicle collisions (i.e. Road-kill). In that sense, it is important to predict potential habitats of specific wildlife that causes wildlife-vehicle collisions by considering geographic, environmental and transportation variables. Road-kill, especially by large mammals, threatens human safety as well as financial losses. Therefore, we conducted this study on roe deer (Capreolus pygargus tianschanicus), a large mammal that causes frequently Road-kill in Jeju Island. So, to predict potential wildlife habitats by considering geographic, environmental, and transportation variables for a specific species this study was conducted to identify high-priority restoration sites with both characteristics of potential habitats and road-kill hotspot. we identified high-priority restoration sites that is likely to be potential habitats, and also identified the known location of a Road-kill records. For this purpose, first, we defined the environmental variables and collect the occurrence records of roe deer. After that, the potential habitat map was generated by using Random Forest model. Second, to analyze roadkill hotspots, a kernel density estimation was used to generate a hotspot map. Third, to define high-priority restoration sites, each map was normalized and overlaid. As a result, three northern regions roads and two southern regions roads of Jeju Island were defined as high-priority restoration sites. Regarding Random Forest modeling, in the case of environmental variables, The importace was found to be a lot in the order of distance from the Oreum, elevation, distance from forest edge(outside) and distance from waterbody. The AUC(Area under the curve) value, which means discrimination capacity, was found to be 0.973 and support the statistical accuracy of prediction result. As a result of predicting the habitat of C. pygargus, it was found to be mainly distributed in forests, agricultural lands, and grasslands, indicating that it supported the results of previous studies.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2016

This study aims at providing basic data to objectively evaluate the areas suitable for reintroduction of the species of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in order to effectively preserve the Asiatic black bears in the Korean protection areas including national parks, and for the species restoration success. To this end, this study predicted the potential habitats in East Asia, Southeast Asia and India, where there are the records of Asiatic black bears' appearances using the Maxent model and environmental variables related with climate, topography, road and land use. In addition, this study evaluated the effects of the relevant climate and environmental variables. This study also analyzed inhabitation range area suitable for Asiatic black and geographic change according to future climate change. As for the judgment accuracy of the Maxent model widely utilized for habitat distribution research of wildlife for preservation, AUC value was calculated as 0.893 (sd=0.121). This was useful in predicting Asiatic black bears' potential habitat and evaluate the habitat change characteristics according to future climate change. Compare to the distribution map of Asiatic black bears evaluated by IUCN, Habitat suitability by the Maxent model were regionally diverse in extant areas and low in the extinct areas from IUCN map. This can be the result reflecting the regional difference in the environmental conditions where Asiatic black bears inhabit. As for the environment affecting the potential habitat distribution of Asiatic black bears, inhabitation rate was the highest, according to land coverage type, compared to climate, topography and artificial factors like distance from road. Especially, the area of deciduous broadleaf forest was predicted to be preferred, in comparison with other land coverage types. Annual mean precipitation and the precipitation during the driest period were projected to affect more than temperature's annual range, and the inhabitation possibility was higher, as distance was farther from road. The reason is that Asiatic black bears are conjectured to prefer more stable area without human's intervention, as well as prey resource. The inhabitation range was predicted to be expanded gradually to the southern part of India, China's southeast coast and adjacent inland area, and Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia in the eastern coastal areas of Southeast Asia. The following areas are forecast to be the core areas, where Asiatic black bears can inhabit in the Asian region: Jeonnam, Jeonbuk and Gangwon areas in South Korea, Kyushu, Chugoku, Shikoku, Chubu, Kanto and Tohoku's border area in Japan, and Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian border area in China. This study is expected to be used as basic data for the preservation and efficient management of Asiatic black bear's habitat, artificially introduced individual bear's release area selection, and the management of collision zones with humans.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.130-137
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• 2000

New Seoul Town is a new town in Seoul Mapo-Gu, Which is planed by Seoul metropolitan government. There are Nanji Waste reclaimed land and Seoul world-cup stadium, which is under construction in the new town. This study is executed for urban nature conservation by assessing the biotope in the new town. The biotope map is mae by the selective mapping method, and assessing the biotope is executed by a quick method, which is originated with R. Wittig and Scheriber(1983). The assessment criteria include the period of development, area, rarity and variety of habitat condition. In the result from this study, biotope type of the new town is classified eight types, and all biotope type is valuable for nature conservation. The reason of this result is because of little natural area which is rice field, farm field, forest, swampy land, etc, except New Seoul Town, in Seoul Mapo-Gu. And so, Biotope in New A Seoul Town, must be conserved and restored in new town urban planning.