• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 2020

National parks and other protected areas often do not adequately protect national biodiversity because they were originally created for socio-economic and/or aesthetic values. The Korean government has committed to expanding the extent of protected areas to fulfill its commitments to the Aichi Biodiversity Convention. To do so, it is necessary to quantify the current levels of biodiversity representation within existing protected areas and to identify additional conservation needs for vulnerable species and ecological systems. In this study, we assess the proportion of species ranges found in South Korea's protected areas, for the species documented in the 3^rd National Ecosystem Survey. We modeled the range distribution of 3,645 species in the following taxonomic groups; plants (1,545 species), mammals (35), birds (132), herptiles (35), and insects (1,898) using the MaxEnt species distribution model and calculated how much of each species' range is within protected areas. On average, 17.4% of plant species' ranges are represented in protected areas, while for mammals and insects an average 12.0% is currently conserved. Conservation representation for herptiles averages 9.3%, while it is 8.6% for birds. Although large proportions of species that have restricted distributions should be represented in protected areas, 17 plant species, two insects (Parnassius bremeri and Lasioglossum occidens), and one bird species (Phylloscopus inornatus) with ranges smaller than 1,000 ㎢ have less than 10% of their ranges within protected areas. Establishing specific conservation goals such as the protection of endangered species or vulnerable taxonomic groups will increase the efficiency of the biodiversity conservation strategies. In addition, lowland coastal areas are critical for biodiversity conservation because the protected areas in South Korea are mainly composed of high mountainous areas.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.436-445
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• 2020

The number of protected areas has been steadily increased in Korea to achieve Aichi Target 11, and there are studies on potential protected areas that required additional designation. However, there has been an insufficient assessment of the complementarity of protected areas to conserve biodiversity effectively. This study identified the potential habitat areas using the species distribution model for plant species from the 3rd National Ecosystem Survey and compared the plant species abundance in the existing protected area and the potential protected areas using the similarity indices, such as the Jaccard index, Sorenson index, and Bray-Curtis index. As a result, we found that the complementarity of the existing protected areas and most potential protected areas were low, leading to the preservation of similar plant species. Only the buffer zone for Korea National Arboretum had high complementarity and thus is important to conserve some species with the other protected areas. This study confirmed that it was necessary to select additional protected areas outside the existing or potential protected areas to protect plant species with a low inclusion ratio of potential habitats within the protected area. This study is significant because it identified the ecological representativeness of each protected area to examine if the individual protected area can conserve unique and various species and proposed a method of finding candidate areas for additional conservation spatially. The findings of this study can be a valuable reference for the qualitative improvement of protected areas through the complementarity assessments, including animals and the effectiveness assessment study of protected areas using the National Ecosystem Survey data in the future.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.377-389
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• 2010

Understanding the factors relevant to endangerment and the patterns of habitat locations in relation to protected areas is critically important for the conservation of rare species. Although 64 plant species have recently been listed as endangered species in Korea, this information has, until now, not been available, making appropriate management and conservation strategies impossible to devise. Thus, we collected information on potentially threatening factors, as well as information on the locations in which these species were observed. The potentially threatening factors were classified into seven categories. National parks, provincial parks, ecosystem conservation areas, and wetland conservation areas were defined as protected conservation areas. Korean digital elevation model data, along with the maps of all protected areas were combined with the maps of endangered plant species, and analyzed via Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Excluding the category of "small population", endangered plant species in Korea were associated more frequently with extrinsic factors than intrinsic factors. Considering land surface only, all conservation areas in Korea totaled 4.9% of the land, far lower than International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)'s 10% coverage target. At the species level, 69% of the endangered plant species were detected in conservation areas, mostly in national parks. However, this result demonstrates that 31% of endangered species inhabit areas outside the conservation zones. Furthermore, at the habitat level, a large proportion of endangered species were found to reside in unprotected areas, revealing "gaps" in protected land. In the face of rapid environmental changes such as population increases, urbanization, and climate changes, converting these gap areas to endangered species' habitats, or at least including them in habitat networks, will help to perpetuate the existence of endangered species.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2016

This study was carried out in the Boin and Miryousef regions in Baneh of Kordestan province, west of Iran. Both areas were divided into two parts including protected and unprotected areas. In each area, 20 $1000-m^2$ circular plots were established following a selective method. Tree and shrub species were identified and the number of these species was counted in each sampling plot. The results indicated that 7 trees, 4 shrubs and 109 herbaceous species were found in the studied areas, 40 herbaceous, 7 tree and 3 shrub species were present in protected area, while unprotected area had 16 herbaceous and 3 tree species. The highest value of diversity indices belonged to protected areas in all vegetation layers. In tree layer, Quercus brantii had the greatest value of SIV, whereas the lowest value belonged to Pistacia atlantica. In shrub layer, the highest and lowest values of SIV belonged to Daphne mezereum and Cerasus microcarpa, respectively. Finally, in herbaceous layer, Luzula spicata had highest value of SIV, and lowest value was belonged to Galium sp.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.57-67
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• 2018

We examined the impact of paddy wetland's avian-diversity on the development of the protected horticulture complex. The results of this study were made to propose ecological protected horticulture complex and development direction suitable for avian habitat. The total number of species surveyed was analyzed as 1168 individuals in 11 orders 26 families and 36 generic 48 species. Type average was analyzed as paddy $17.25{\pm}4.83$ species and $74.50{\pm}38.08$ individuals, glass $10.00{\pm}0.82$ species and $46.75{\pm}2.06$ individuals, single $13.75{\pm}7.27$ species and $59.50{\pm}35.34$ individuals, multi $8.75{\pm}0.96$ species and $36.75{\pm}9.29$ individuals. Paddy showed higher species diversity than protected horticulture complex. The average number of species surveyed for one year was glass $14{\pm}2.83$, multi $12{\pm}1.41$, single $18{\pm}11.31$, and paddy $26{\pm}11.31$. The diversity difference was identified as paddy> single> glass and multi. Statistical analysis showed statistical difference of Ciconiiformes. Development of protected horticulture complex causes loss of avian habitat. The diversity index was glass $1.73{\pm}0.07$, multi $1.68{\pm}0.14$, single $1.91{\pm}0.47$, and paddy $2.29{\pm}0.17$. Paddy has a higher species diversity than the protected horticulture complex. For the purpose of ecological protected horticulture complex, detention ponds, artificial wetlands and habitats should be reflected in the design. This should be applied to reclamation areas or large-scale protected horticulture complexes.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.42-52
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• 2021

In order to secure basic data on biodiversity for wetland conservation and management used the data from Wetland Protected Area surveys conducted in South Korea (2015-2019) to analyze the distribution of fish from a total of 15 orders, 45 families, 134 species, and 12,972 individuals. The predominant species identified were Zacco platypus (Temminck and Schlegel) (19.47%) and Zacco koreanus (Kim, Oh and Hosoya) (8.16%). Of all emergent species, 52.9% (n=71 species) were freshwater species, 26.9% (n=36) were brackish species, 3.0% (n=4) were migratory species, 27% (n=36) were marine species, and 9.0% (n=12) were riffle benthic species. Overall, 5.2% (n=7 species) were endangered species, 3.0% (n=4) were exotic species, and 23.1% (n=31) were Korean endemic species. The eight identified Wetland Protected Areas (WPA) were classified based on their habitat characteristics and on the analysis of their emergent fish communities, as estuarine (n=2), coastal dune (n=1), marsh (n=2), stream (n=2), and stream-marsh (n=1) types. The environmental factors revealed to have the greatest influence on the species diversity of emergent fish were maintenance and repair, installation of reservoirs, and construction of artificial wetlands around them. The present study offers basic information on the diversity of fish species in different Wetland Protected Area types that can be used to inform conservation and management decisions for WPA.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.231-239
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• 2021

There are six species of pinnipeds in Korean waters. Because of the lack of research on pinnipeds, it has been difficult to obtain ecological information on each species. All six species have been designated as endangered species, marine protected species, or national monuments by the government, depending on historical records. In this study, the current status of pinnipeds in Korea was investigated through reviewing the literature, and sighting and bycatch records, with the intention of providing new information for the review of the six species. Spotted seals and northern fur seals are well known inhabitants of Korea. The southern part of the East Sea is thought to be the margin of the distribution of Steller sea lions. Sightings of ribbon seals and ringed seals were not confirmed in Korean waters. Sea lions have not been seen since their last sighting on Dokdo in 1951 and are thought to have become extinct after that. It is necessary to delist undistributed or extinct species in Korea from the marine protected species list.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.132-144
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• 2015

Yongneup wetland protected area, the only high moor in Korea, is a core area to conserve biodiversity. Even though the Yongneup wetland protected area is relatively small, various plant species are distributed in the Yongneup wetland protected area because it includes various habitats showing different environmental gradients. Vascular plants distributed in the Yongneup wetland protected area were identified as a total of 376 taxa that is composed of 73 families, 217 genera, 322 species, 3 subspecies, 44 varieties and 7 forms. For endangered plants designated by the Ministry of Environment, 5 species including Trientalis europaea var. arctica, Lilium dauricum, Halenia corniculata, Lychnis wilfordii and Menyanthes trifoliata were found and 34 taxa were confirmed to be distributed only in the mountainous wetland habitats. Regarding naturalized plants, a total of 11 taxa were distributed, but most of them were distributed in the areas where artificial interference has occurred. And in areas inside the wetlands that are relatively well preserved, 2 species of Bidens frondosa and Erigeron annuus were observed. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of Pseudostellaria baekdusanensis M. Kim, which was recently found in Mt. Baekdu and reported as a new species, were identified in the Yongneup wetland protected area. A wetland is a very vulnerable area to drastic environmental changes and damages to its ecosystem could cause the extinction of rare plant species which are distributed only in the wetlands. Therefore, it is mandatory that current status of the Yongneup wetland protected area is evaluated and actions to prevent rapid environmental changes are taken. Fourteen separate investigations were conducted in 2013 and another four in 2014, to evaluate current status of the Yongneup wetland protected area. These investigations have provided us the basic information for future actions of conservation and restoration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.171-184
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• 2016

Suncheonman-Bay and its surrounding areas play important roles as habitats for migratory birds. However, sustainable management of these areas is difficult because of the development pressure of private lands. Therefore, the areas surrounding Suncheonman-Bay must be classified as additional protected areas; for this, it is necessary to gather concrete and objective evidence and ensure protected area management. Further, compensation measures must be considered when acquiring a private property as an additional protected area. In this study, we distinguish protected areas, such as core, buffer, and transition areas, within a private area by using data from the Winter Waterbird Census of Korea and MARXAN software, a spatial conservation prioritization tool. We applied ecosystem services to apply Payment for Ecosystem services (PES) as compensation measures. Watershed conservation (supply), climate control (regulation), supporting habitats (support), and recreation (culture) etc. were evaluated by calculating the economic value of these ecosystem services. Eastern, western, and northern forests and rice fields of Suncheonman-Bay were shown to have a number of core areas for the preservation of endangered species. The ecosystem service value of the additional protected areas was estimated at 17.5 million KRW/ha/year. We believe that our study result could be used to establish protected areas to preserve major habitats, as well as include areas adjacent to such major habitats that play a vital role in endangered species conservation. In addition, through this study, we highlight the need for an objective basis to establish protected areas.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.12-26
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate current states and management of the protected trees in Gangwon-do. There were 701 protected trees in 42 species designated by 2008, which were distributed at 425 places. Major species were Zelkova serrata(29%), Pinus densiflora(24%), Ulmus davidiana var. japonica(11%), and Ginkgo biloba(5%). The protected trees played various roles in the villages, mostly as sacred trees(43%). The 51% of protected trees were 300 years or more in age, the 53% were more than 20 m in height, and the 57% were more than 300 cm in girth at breast height. The 69% of the protected trees have been designated for protection in 1982 and the rest have been designated by the local cities by 2008. The species number of the protected trees in Youngseo region was greater than that of the Youngdong region. The major species were Zelkova serrata (33%) and Pinus densiflora(17%) in Youngseo region, and were Pinus densiflora (38%) and Zelkova serrata(19%) in Youngdong region. The ratio of native species to exotic species was 33:1 in Youngseo region, and were 25:6 in Youngdong region. The 29% of protected trees were located in the field, 28% in the mountain, and 25% in the villages. The 45% of the ground were covered by herbaceous plants, 39% exposed, and 10% gravel mulch. Most of the protected trees had good growing conditions. The 70% of the protected trees were under good maintenance, and the rest were under undesirable conditions. The soil characteristics of the protected tree areas in Gangwon-do were not much different from those of Korean average. It seemed to be necessary to increase designation of protected trees based on the tradition, history, local value and academic application in Gangwon-do. In addition, it is desirable to suggest plans to utilize and manage protected tree areas for enhancing the value of natural heritages in Gangwon-do.