• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2010

The Cat Ba Islands in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam, consist of a large limestone island with a maximum height of 322 m above sea level and 366 small limestone islets with a total area of about $180\;km^2$. The islands are relicts of karst limestone mountains that became submerged during the Holocene transgression 7000 - 8000 year ago. The combination of the longtime karst process and recent marine processes in the monsoonal tropical zone has created a very diversity landscape on the Cat Ba Islands that can be divided into 3 habitat types with 16 forms. The first habitat type is the karst mountains and hills, including karst mountains and hills, karst valleys and dolines, karst lakes, karst caves, and old marine terraces. The second habitat type is the limestone island coast, including beaches, mangrove marshes, tidal flats, rocky coasts, marine notch caves, marine karst lakes, and bights. The third habitat type is karst plains submerged by the sea, including karst cones (fengcong) and towers (fengling), bedrock exposed on the seabed, sandy mud seabed, and submerged channels. Like the landscape, the biodiversity is also high in ecosystems composed of scrub cover - bare hills, rainy tropical forests, paddy fields and gardens, swamps, caves, beaches, mangrove forests, tidal flats, rocky coasts, marine krast lakes, coral reefs, hard bottoms, seagrass beds and soft bottoms. The ecosystems on the Cat Ba Islands that support very high species biodiversity include tropical evergreen rainforests, soft bottoms; coral reefs, mangrove forests, and marine karst lakes. A total of 2,380 species have been recorded in the Cat Ba Islands, included 741 species of terrestrial plants; 282 species of terrestrial animals; 30 species of mangrove plants; 287 species of phytoplankton; 79 species of seaweed; 79 species of zooplankton; 196 species of marine fishes; 154 species of corals; and 538 species of zoobenthos. Many of these species are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam as endangered species, included the white-headed or Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus), a famous endemic species. Human activities have resulted in significantly changes to the landscape end ecosytems of the Cat Ba islands; however, many natural aspects of the islandsd have been preserved. For this reason, the Cat Ba Islands were recognized as a Biological Reserved Area by UNESCO in 2004.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2012

Salt marsh is an important transitional zone among terrestrial, riverine, and marine ecosystems and is a productive habitat that interacts extensively with adjacent landscape elements of estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Nowadays, in addition to various human activities, a variety of natural processes induce changes in salt marshes. This study aims to provide background information to restore disturbed salt marshes and to propose their ecological restoration using seed banks. The study area is a prepared area for the Gwangyang Container Port located in the southern Korea. This area was formed by accumulating mud soils dredged from the bottom of the forward sea. This land was created in a serial process of preparing the Gwangyang container port and the salt marsh was passively restored by seeds buried in mud soil dredged from seabed. As a result of stand ordination based on vegetation data collected from the land, stands were arranged according to tolerance to salinity in the order of $Suaeda$ $maritima$, $Salicornia$ $europaea$, and $Phragmites$ $communis$ communities on the Axis 1. Landscape structure of the projected area was analyzed as well. Edges of the projected area were divided from the marginal waterway by the dike. Four types of vegetation appeared on the dike: $Alnus$ $firma$ plantation, $Robinia$ $pseudoacacia$ plantation, $Lespedeza$ $cyrtobotrya$ plantation, and grassland. In the more internal areas, two types of vegetation sequences appeared: $Aster$ $tripolium$ community-$Suaeda$ $glauca$ community-$Salicornia$ $europaea$ community sequence and $Aster$ $tripolium$ community-$Suaeda$ $maritima$ community-$S.$ $europaea$ community sequence. Mixed community showed the highest species diversity (H' = 0.86) and $S.$ $europaea$ community showed the lowest (H' = 0.0). Evenness is the highest in Mixed community (J' = 2.26) and the lowest in $S.$ $maritime-S.$ $europaea$ community (J' = 0.0). Several plant communities were successfully established on the land created by mud soil dredged from the bottom of Gwangyang Bay. Moreover, community diversity in this area approached a similar level with those from other studies involving natural salt marshes. Therefore, restoration effect based on community diversity obtained in our study can be evaluated as a successful achievement. In this respect, although most salt marshes in Korea and other places worldwide have been destroyed or disturbed by excessive land use, feasibility of seed bank as a restoration tool is greatly expected.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.253-262
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• 2014

This study was conducted to find methods of qualitative landscape assessment for vegetational landscapes using ecological analysis. The study site was Seoraksan National Park in Korea. For this study, differing unique landscape resources were categorized and identified according to ecosystems. After identifying the study areas, the relationship between trail visitor preference and the amount of visible overexposure caused by people to the resources was examined. Landscape resources chosen for ecological analysis at Seoraksan National Park were subalpine vegetation community, high mountain rocks, ombrogenous deciduous broadleaf forest in the valley area, edaphic climax community, big tree community, flowering tree dominant community, autumnal tree dominant community and needle-leaf forest in the subalpine area. As a result of the study, it was found that the landscape resources with the highest correlation to visitor trail preference were big tree community area, flowering tree dominant community area, and needle-leaf forest in the subalpine area. As a result of overlapping the analysis of the amount of visible overexposure to the landscape resources and the analysis of preferential use of trails by visitors, guidance for the appropriate season for each trail can be provided. Since a positive correlation exists between certain sections of the natural landscapes and visitor preference, ecological impact on landscape resource ecosystems did not appear to cover wide areas of the trails, but was limited to certain areas preferred by visitors.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2012

Worldwide development of harmful algal blooms causes serious problem for public health and fisheries industries. To evaluate the algicidal impact on the harmful algae bloom species in aquatic ecosystems of coast, a new algicide thiazolidinedione derivative (TD49) were tentatively examined in the growth stages (i.e., lag, logarithmic and stationary phase) of rapidophyceae $Heterosigma$ $akashiwo$, $Chattonella$ $marina$ and $Chattonella$ sp..Three strains could easily destroy in the lag phase due to relatively weak cell walls than those of the logarithmic and stationary phase. It is thought that inoculation of TD49 substances into initial or developmental natural blooms with a threshold concentration ($2{\mu}M$) can maximize the algicidal activity. Also, bio-chemical assays revealed that the algicidal substances from all culture strains were likely to be extracellular substances because those cells have easily destroyed in cell walls. On the other hand, natural zooplankton communities were influenced within the exposure experiments of $2{\mu}M$, which is showed the maximum algcidal activity of tested organisms. These results indicate that although the TD49 substance is potential agents for the control of $H.$ $akashiwo$, $C.$ $marina$ and $Chattonella$ sp. in the enclosed eutrophic bay and coastal water, more detailed research of acute toxicity effect on high trophic organism in marine ecosystems need to be conducted.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.385-403
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• 2017

This study showed the national ecosystem classification for the spatial standards of ecosystems-based approaches to the risk assessments and adaptation plan. The characteristics of climate change risk assessment, implement national adaptation plans, and ecosystem/habitat classification status was evaluated. Focusing on the land cover classification widely utilized as spatial data for the assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the UK and other countries in Europe, the applicability of the national land cover classification for climate change risk assessments was reviewed. Considering the ecosystem classification for climate change risk assessment and establishing adaptation measures, it is difficult to apply rough classification method to the land cover system because of lack of information on habitat trend by categorization. The results indicated that forest ecosystems and agro-ecosystem occupied 62.3% and 25.0% of land cover, respectively, of the entire country. Although the area is small compared with the land area, wetland ecosystem (2.9%), marine ecosystem (0.4%), coastal ecosystem (0.6%), and urban ecosystem (6.1%) can be included in the risk assessments. Therefore, it is necessary to subdivide below the medium classification for the forest and agricultural land, as well as Inland wetland, which has a higher proportion of habitat preference of taxa than land area, marine/coastal habitat, and transition areas such as urban and natural ecosystem.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.103-110
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• 2023

Invasive species are organisms that are introduced into places outside of their natural distribution range. The global pet trade is facilitating the introduction of invasive species into new countries and areas. Among the introduced alien species, turtles are one of the most common animal groups whether lives in wetland ecosystems, such as wetlands or reservoirs. Like other countries around the world, exotic turtles is becoming a growing concern for the wetland ecosystem in South Korea. In this study, we report new reports of subspecies of Painted turtle (Chrysemysspp.): Chrysemys picta marginata, C. p. bellii and C. dorsalis, from the reservoirs in downtown Cheongju and Gwangju, South Korea. We used morphological features, such as the characteristics of the legs, plastron, and carapace, to identify the turtles. It is assumed that all turtles were artificially released into nature. Considering the increasing number of reports on the introduction of alien invasive turtles in Korean wetlands, we recommend the formulation of an immediate and systematic management plan for pet trades and organized continuous monitoring programs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.32-42
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• 2004

This study aims at establishing an ecological planning for road construction. which is considered to be a main cause of damage to the natural environment in Korea. This study focuses on the Pyungtak-Eumsung Highway development project. It considers the ecological factors and status of the site and its surrounding area. The study site is a four-way highway with a width of 23.4m and a length of 5.7km that spans from Hyungok-ri, Anseong City, Kyeonggi Province to Jukhyun-ri, Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk Province. The objective of the plan is "the establishment of an eco-road in harmony with nature." The plan is divided into five detailed goals: 1) restoration of river morphology and ecosystem through ecological planning; 2) establishment of wet biotopes; 3) construction of ecological corridors; 4) restoration of damaged forest ecosystems; and 5) ecological restoration of the roadside slopes that are linked with the surrounding forest. A master plan has been developed based on the detailed goals. The master plan involves: 1) establishment of a natural river, wet biotopes, and ecological corridors that facilitate the movement of amphibians, wild fowls, mammalians and fish; 2) development of a planting plan for the visitor center, the tunnel entrance, and soundproof banks; and 3) the presentation of a planting model for restoring roadside slopes that are connected to the surrounding forest. The eco-road plan needs to entail ecological conservation and restoration plans. In addition, a monitoring plan for ecological corridors and habitats should be included in the comprehensive plans, along with the continuous development of environmentally friendly technologies.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2017

In flight particulate matter particularly emissions generated by incomplete combustion processes has become a subject of global concern due to the health problems and environmental impacts associated with them. This has compelled most countries to set standards for coarse and fine particles due to their conspicuous impacts on environment and public health. This contribution therefore explores forest fire emissions and how its particulates affects air quality, damage to vegetation, water bodies and biological functions as architects for lung diseases and other degenerative illnesses such as oxidative stress and aging. Soot was collected from simulated forest fire using a clean glass surface and carefully transferred into amber vials for analysis. Volatile components of soot were collected over 10 mL dichloromethane and analyzed using a QTOF Premier-Water Corp Liquid Chromatography hyphenated to a mass selective detector (MSD), and Gas Chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). To characterize the size and surface morphology of soot, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used. The characterization of molecular volatiles from simulated forest fire emissions revealed long chain compounds including octadec-9-enoic acid, octadec-6-enoic acid, cyclotetracosane, cyclotetradecane, and a few aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene and naphthalene). Special classes of organics (dibenzo-p-dioxin and 2H-benzopyran) were also detected as minor products. Dibenzo-p-dioxin for instance in chlorinated form is one of the deadliest environmental organic toxins. The average particulate size of emissions using SEM was found to be $11.51{\pm}4.91{\mu}m$. This study has shown that most of the emissions from simulated forest fire fall within $PM_{10}$ particulate size. The molecular by-products of forest fire and particulate emissions may be toxic to both human and natural ecosystems, and are possible precursors for various respiratory ailments and cancers. The burning of a forest by natural disasters or man-made fires results in the destruction of natural habitats and serious air pollution.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.98-106
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• 2002

This study was designed to present a river model with the aim of restoring the ecosystem and improving the landscape along the urban rivers on the basin of the Namhanl river, a core life channel for the National Capital regin. The revelation of botanical status, transition trend and correlation of plants might lead to providing the urban river restoration projects and ecological river formation projects with basic data for a model of ideal aquatic ecology and landscape. The outcomes of this study could be summed up as follows: 1. The plant communities of river flora found on the basin of the Namhan river could be categorized largely into 39 plant communities 2. Most diverse plants were distributed in the rivers lower reaches such as Unsim-ri where the protected zone of Paldang reservoir for city water borders the body of Jodae swamp where natural streams flow nearby. 3. One of the greatest threats to the biomass of the River Namhan is that the communities of such invasive alien plants as Panicum dichotomiflorum and Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior dominate most parts of the area, a fact that has resulted in a reduced variety of plants and will, sooner or later, be likely to cause an ecological imbalance in the hitherto healthy Aquatic plant life. It is highly advisable to gradually diversify the species of trees and to return the plants bark to their original state since, besides the naturalized plants, plantations afforested with Erigeron canadensis and Erigeron annuus stocks in buckwheat field, Robinia Pseudo-accacia in riverside forest, Pinus rigida in terrestrial forest on the river basin and Larix leptolepis are anticipated to act as interceptors of normal migrations of the fluvial and terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, it seems also desirable to continue to explore the relationship between fluvial and terrestrial ecologies with the purpose of building up a model of natural streams in urban areas based on the surveyed factors for plant life, soil and landscape and, moreover, on the forecasting for overall influences derived from the rotation upon the ecosystem.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.199-208
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• 2011

Scarcity of water worldwide, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy consumption due to the Earth is threatened. Existing in the process of urban planning and development of forests, rivers and other natural ecosystems have been destroyed and that there was increased impervious pavement. Impervious pavement increase water circulation system to destroy the natural and urban water retention, infiltration and decreased evaporation. Nonpoint source pollution(NPS) occurs when rainfall impervious pavement and appeal directly to the river water inflow is adversely impacts of the situation. In this study, rainfall occurs impervious pavement NPS pollution reduction and temperature increase due to the increase in urban areas, and to solve heat island phenomenon is to develop small HSSF constructed wetland technology. The small HSSF constructed wetland sedimentation, filtration, adsorption, absorption by vegetation, including such mechanisms. Techniques for verification of the pilot-scale test was conducted. In the future domestic urban heat island phenomenon and restore the natural water cycle for the facilities will be used as a basis to develop.