• Title/Summary/Keyword: steppe

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Comparison of field- and satellite-based vegetation cover estimation methods

  • Ko, Dongwook W.;Kim, Dasom;Narantsetseg, Amartuvshin;Kang, Sinkyu
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.41 no.2
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    • pp.34-44
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    • 2017
  • Background: Monitoring terrestrial vegetation cover condition is important to evaluate its current condition and to identify potential vulnerabilities. Due to simplicity and low cost, point intercept method has been widely used in evaluating grassland surface and quantifying cover conditions. Field-based digital photography method is gaining popularity for the purpose of cover estimate, as it can reduce field time and enable additional analysis in the future. However, the caveats and uncertainty among field-based vegetation cover estimation methods is not well known, especially across a wide range of cover conditions. We compared cover estimates from point intercept and digital photography methods with varying sampling intensities (25, 49, and 100 points within an image), across 61 transects in typical steppe, forest steppe, and desert steppe in central Mongolia. We classified three photosynthetic groups of cover important to grassland ecosystem functioning: photosynthetic vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, and bare soil. We also acquired normalized difference vegetation index from satellite image comparison with the field-based cover. Results: Photosynthetic vegetation estimates by point intercept method were correlated with normalized difference vegetation index, with improvement when non-photosynthetic vegetation was combined. For digital photography method, photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic vegetation estimates showed no correlation with normalized difference vegetation index, but combining of both showed moderate and significant correlation, which slightly increased with greater sampling intensity. Conclusions: Results imply that varying greenness is playing an important role in classification accuracy confusion. We suggest adopting measures to reduce observer bias and better distinguishing greenness levels in combination with multispectral indices to improve estimates on dry matter.

Some Remarkable Earth Surface Processes under the Morpho-climatic regime of Mongolian Steppe Zone (기후지형학 관점에서 본 몽골 스텝지역의 지형형성작용 특색)

  • OH, Kyong-Seob;YANG, Jae-Hyuk;CHO, Heon
    • Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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    • v.18 no.3
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    • pp.121-129
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    • 2011
  • This work is to elucidate in typological aspect main geomorphological processes in the morphogenetic system of Mongolian steppe zone. Its morphogenesis manifest interaction of intense gelifraction and active erosion either by slope run-off or by wind. Intense gelifraction owes both to cold temperature regime with great amplitude, and to moisture associated with snow fall. Erosion of material produced by gelifraction is assured by surface run-off of summer rainfall and spring eolian activities. The geomorphological landscape sculptured by such morphogenetic processes manifest low-relief smooth slopes. This feature reveals that intense gelifraction keeps abreast with removal of weathering product by surface run-off and wind.

Burqanism from the Origin of the Pastoral Nomadic Koryo Region and the Vision of Korean Livestock Farming (고려의 원시영역 유목초지, 그 부르칸(불함)이즘과 한국축산의 비전)

  • Chu Chae Hyok
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.71-82
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    • 2005
  • Khori(高麗) refers to the Chaabog(reindeer) that live on lichens(蘚) on Mt. Soyon(鮮) in which pastures are the cold and dry plateau of North Eurasia. Thus, the origin region of the Khori or Koguryo that are the ancestors of the reindeer-herding pastoral nomads(馴鹿 遊牧民) can be said to be the Steppe-Taiga-Tundra pastoral areas of North Eurasia and North America. When the pastoral nomads moved on to the great mountain(大山) zone of the Jangbaek(長白) to the Baekdu(白頭) Mountains, they could have been in contact with pastoral farmers or agricultural farmers living there and they became the farmers remaining on agricultural farms. They were the Koryo people, the ancestors of Korea. Staying in one place, they gradually forgot the origin of their reindeer-herding pastoral nomadic history in the Northwest area of Mt. Soyon, the small mountain(小山) zone of the Steppe-Taiga-Tundra pastoral areas. In other words, they lost their identity as reindeer-herding pastoral nomads when they entered the agricultural area after leaving the pastoral area. However, since their basic genes had already formed when they lived on the cold and dry plateau of North Eurasia, it is possible to study their pastoral nomadic history focusing on 'the minority living in the broad area(廣域少數)', by utilizing highly advanced biotechnological science and focusing on genes and information technology innovation, and removing various past hindrances in research. Therefore, it is not so difficult to restore the reindeerherding pastoral nomadic history of the Koguryo(高句麗) people and secure their pastoral nomadic identity, of which the first steps have already been taken into their historical stages. The Eurasian continent and the Korean peninsula, especially the cold and dry plateau of North Eurasia and the Korean peninsula have been closely related to each other ecologically and historically. They can never be a separate space at all. The Eurasian continent lies horizontally east to west and thus, the continent forms an isothermal zone. Also, since the time of producing their own foods, it was relatively easy for people with their technology to move to other places owing to the pastoral nomadic characteristic of mobility. Unlike the Chungyen(中原) region, western Asia and the regions covering the Siberia-Manchu-Korean peninsula where food production revolution was first made were connected to the Mongolian lichens route(蘚苔之路: Ni, ukinii jam) and steppe roads. Although the ecological conditions of nature have changed a bit throughout a long history, it was natural for the many tribes in North Asia living on the largest Steppe-Taiga-Tundra area in the world to have believed 'the legends related to animals in relation to their founders and ancestors(獸祖傳說)'. Assuming that Siberian tigers and the tigers living on Mt. Baekdu were connected ecologically and genetically because of the ecological characteristics of the animals, and their migration from plateau to plateau, we would suspect that the Chosun(朝鮮) tribe living on Mt. Baekdu were ethnically and culturally more closely connected to the farther removed Ural-Altai tribes that lived on the cold and dry plateau region than to the Han(i14;) tribe who lived in Chungyen(中原) that was close to Mt. Baekdu. More evidence is the structure of the Korean language which has the form of 'Subject + Object + Verb', which is assumed to have originated from the speedy lifestyle of the reindeer-herding pastoral nomads. The structure is quite different from that of the Han(漢) language, which is based on agricultural life. Also, it is natural for reindeer riding reindeerherding pastoral nomads or horse-riding sheep-herding pastoral nomads(騎馬, 羊遊牧民) to have held military and political power over the region and eventually to have established an ancient pastoral nomadic empire in the process of their conquest of agricultural regions. The stages for founding global empires in the history of mankind maybe largely divided into two, in terms of ecological conditions and occupations. They are the steppes and the oceans. Of course, the steppe-based empires were established based on the skills to deal with horses and the ability to shoot arrows while riding horses, along with the use of iron ware in the 8th century BC. The steppe-based empires became the foundation for an oceanic empire, which could have been established by the use of warships and warship guns since the 15th Century. Based on those facts, we know that Chosun, Puyo(夫餘), and Koguryo are the products of a developmental process of pastoral nomadic empires on the steppes. Maybe we can easily find the pastoral nomadic identity of the Koguryo more than we expected when we trace the origins and history of the Korean tribe living in the pastures located in the northwest area of Mt. Jangbaek by focusing on pastoral nomadic mobility and organization just as we have investigated the historic origins of Anglo-Saxons in America by focusing on the times before the 15th Century. In the process, we should keep in mind that English culture originated from the Industrial Revolution and was directly delivered to the American continent, although America was far from England and was not an intermediate point on long sojourns either. Further, American culture came back to England in a more advanced form later. The most important thing currently to be resolved is to cause Koreans to look back on their own history in a freer way of thinking and with diverse, profound, and sharp insight, taking away the old and existing conventional recognition that is entangled with complicated interests with Korean people and other countries. The meanings of Chosun, Khori, and Solongos have been interpreted arbitrarily without any historic evidence by the scholars who followed conventional tradition of fixed-minded aristocrats in an agricultural society. If the Siberian cultural properties of the stone age, the earthenware age, the bronze age, and the iron age are analyzed in such a way, archaeological discovery will never be able to contribute to the restoration of the Koguryo's pastoral nomadic identity. One should transcend the errors that tend to interpret the cultural properties discovered in the pastoral nomadic regions as not being differentiated from those of agricultural regions and just interpret them altogether from the agricultural point of view. A more careful intention is required in the interpretation of cultural properties of ancient Korean empires that seem to have been formed due to mutual interactions of pastoral nomadic and agricultural cultures. Also, it is required that the conventional recognition chain of 'reverse-genes' be severed, which has placed more weight on agricultural properties than pastoral nomadic ones, since their settlement on agricultural farms was made after the establishment of their ancient pastoral nomadic empires. There is no reason at all to place priority on stoneware, earthenware, bronze ware, and iron ware than on wooden ware(木器) and other ware which were made of animal skins(皮器), bones and horns(骨角器), in analyzing the history in the regions of reindeer or sheep pastures. Reading ancient Korean history from the perspective of pastoral nomadic history, one feels strongly the instinctive emotions to return to the natural 'mother place'. The reindeer-herding pastoral nomadic identity of the Koguryo people that has been accumulated in volumes in their genes and hidden deep inside and have interacted organically could be reborn with Burqanism(Burqan refers to 不咸 in Chinese), which was their religion by birth and symbolized as the red willow(紅柳=不咸). The mother place of the Koguryo's people is the endless vast green pastures of North Eurasia and North America, where we anticipated the development of Korean livestock farming following the inherent properties in the genes of the reindeer-herding pastoral nomads with Korean ancestors. We anticipate that the place would be the core resource that could contribute to the development of life of living creatures following the inherent properties of their genes and biotechnological factors. In other words, biotechnology used for a search for clues on the well-being of humans could be the fruit brought by Burqanism of the Koguryo people and the fruit of the globalization of Korean livestock farming. It is the Chosun farmer in China come from the vast nomadic reindeer pastures of North Eurasia that resolved the food problem of a billion Chinese people with lowland paddy rice seeds (水稻) by transforming Heilongjiang Province(黑龍江省) into an oceanic lowland paddy rice field(水田). Even Mao Tse-tung(毛擇東) could not resolve the food problem by his revolution campaigns for tens of years. Today is the very time that requires the development of special livestock farming following the inherent properties of the ancient Korean reindeer-herding pastoral nomads that respected the dignity of life on the cold and dry plateau of North Eurasia and the America continent. I suggest that research should be started from the pastures of the Dariganga Steppe in East Mongolia that was the homeland of Hanwoo(韓牛) and the central horse-herding steppe place(牧馬場) of Chingis Khan's Mongolia. The Dariganga Steppe is awash with an affluent natural environment for pastoral nomadic living however, the quality of life of the pastoral nomads there is still low. I suggest we Koreans, the descendents of the Koguryo, should take our first steps for our livestock farming business project and develop the Northern nomadic pastures, here at the pastures of the Dariganga Steppe, which is the Mongolian core place of state-of-the-art technology for military weapons.

The Contemporary Researches of the Xiongnu Archaeology (고고학으로 본 흉노(匈奴)의 발생과 분포)

  • Kang, In-Uk
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.36
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    • pp.105-156
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    • 2003
  • Archaeological research on the Xiongnu began in the late 19th century by a Russian archaeologist Talko-Grinchevich. The Xiongnu culture has been reported in the northern steppe of China and eastern part of Eurasian steppe. Mainly, Xiongnu sites, dated from the late 2nd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D., are reported on the east side of Baikal Lake(Zabaikal), east Mongolia, and the Inner Mongolia of China. Based on the historical records and the archaeological remains, the North Xiongnu culture is defined to be the remains of Zabaikal, and the South Xiongnu culture the archaeological remains of Nothern China. The expelled North Xiongnu, while fleeing to the western part of Eurasia, left traces of their own archaeological remains in the Southern Kazakhstan, Xinjiang of China, Altai, and finally appeared in the Europe as Huns. The most characteristic archaeological materials of the Xiongnu are bronze plaques and ceramics made by handicraft, and highly developed iron weapons. After the power of the Xiongnu was dissolved in 1st c. A.D., previously subordinated peoples such as Xianbi, Wuhuan, Wusun rised in the Eurasia steppes and opened medieval age in Eurasia. The "northern type" materials found in Korea are dated to the period of Xiongnu or slightly later, we need to pay more attention to the contemporary Xiongnu. research.

A Study on the Mongolia's Ger and Food in Pastoral Nomadic Way of Life (몽골 유목민의 겔(gel)과 음식문화에 관한 연구)

  • Chang, Bo-Woong
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.155-163
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    • 1997
  • The Mongolian ger is ideally suited to the mongol's steppe climate and the nomadic way of life. This is a multipurpose dwelling which can be easily collapsed, transported to another place and put up again fully preserving its original shape. The pastoral nomadic ger has two key components: the wooden framework and the felt cover. The wooden parts are the walls(khana), the long poles(un), the smoke escape(toono) and its supports(bagana). One wall consists of 10-15 branches of willow tree. each about 1.5m high bound together in a way making it possible to fold it for transportation and then unfold it like an accordion. The unfolded walls are connected to form a circle. The long poles(un) are fastened to the upper part of the walls, with the other end passed through the toono hole, the only sky window and smoke escape through it from the ger. The toono is propped up by two posts, called bagana. All this forms the wooden framework of the ger, which is covered with felt. When the herders fire up their metal stoves, the temperature inside the ger becomes quite comfortable. Because the nomads live in a climate where there is only one growing season in a year, they do not make long migrations to new pastures. Livestock subsist on standing vegetation for eight months of the year. The basic pasture migration strategy is to leave enough standing vegetation at the end of the growing season in September to suffice until the new growth appears the following May. Mongolians use a type of compressed tea leaf that is called "brick" tea in English because it is rock solid and roughly the shape of a brick. And they consume a larger percent(88%) of fat from animal products such as meat, milk, butter, and cheese than any other people in the world. Milk products made from the milk of sheep, yak, and goats are major foods in the nomad's diet, but they are produced mainly in summer when all the animals are lactating. Mongolians made their special nomadic food culture on the steppe.

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New Perspectives on the Xiongnu Iron Works based on Archaeological Study (고고학 자료로 본 흉노의 철기문화 -중국 중원계 철기와의 비교를 중심으로-)

  • Moon, Jea-beom
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.46 no.4
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    • pp.64-77
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    • 2013
  • In China, archaeological research on Xiongnu started later than in foreign countries. In the late $19^{th}$ century, several Russian archaeologists started to study Xiongnu's archaeological culture. However, since the late $20^{th}$ century, archaeological research of the Xiongnu in China quickly gained speed. The Xiongnu culture has been reported in Mongolia, northern steppe of China and eastern part of Eurasian steppe. Mainly, Xiongnu sites, dated from the late 2nd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D., are reported on the west side of Baikal Lake(Zabaikal), Mongolia and the Inner Mongolia of China. Based on the historical records and the archaeological remains, the North Xiongnu culture is defined to be the remains of Zabaikal, and the South Xiongnu culture the archaeological remains of Northern China. The expelled North Xiongnu, while fleeing to the western part of Eurasia, left traces of their own archaeological remains in southern Kazakhstan, Xinjiang of China, Altai, and finally appeared in the Europe as Huns. In order to adapt to the environment of northern steppe of China, Xiongnu used a nomadic economic system, giving uniqueness to its iron works. The most characteristic iron works of the Xiongnu is the highly-sophisticated iron weapons. Compared with the iron works of agricultural economic society, Xiongnu iron-works are short of production tools and various vessels. The "Nomadic type" iron works found in Xiongnu area date back to the Warring Country period or slightly later. Further research need to be conducted on "Nomadic type" Xiongnu iron works.

Grazing Effects on Floristic Composition and Above Ground Plant Biomass of the Grasslands in the Northeastern Mongolian Steppes

  • Hayashi, Ichiroku;Kawada, Kiyokazu;Kurosu, Mayu;Batjargal, Amgaa;Tsundeekhuu, Tsagaanbandi;Nakamura, Toru
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.115-123
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    • 2008
  • We describe plant biomass in the grasslands of the Mongolian steppe obtained using a quadrat sampling technique. Four sites were studied in the northeastern Mongolia located between $47^{\circ}12'N$ and $47^{\circ}40'N$ and $102^{\circ}22'E$ and $112^{\circ}24'E$, which were typical grasslands of the steppe. Biomass, carbon and nitrogen content were determined for the plants collected from the grazed and ungarazed stands. With the measurements above, we expect to obtain information on grazing effects on the grasslands and carbon sequestration of the grassland from the air. In order to estimate the biomass without destroying the stands, we derived an equation to describe the relationship between plant biomass and v-value using plant height and species coverage within the stand. Estimated plant biomass in the ungrazed and grazed stands ranged between $108.0\;g\;m^{-2}$ and $13.4\;g\;m^{-2}$ and between $97.5\;g\;m^{-2}$ and $14.1\;g\;m^{-2}$ in late June 2005, respectively. Litter in the ungrazed and grazed stands ranged from $330.3\;g\;m^{-2}$ to $78.4\;g\;m^{-2}$ and from $188.0\;g\;m^{-2}$ to $20.3\;g\;m^{-2}$, similarly. Average carbon and nitrogen contents in plants and in litter were 43.0% and 1.9% and 33.7% and 1.4%, respectively. In study sites at Baganuur, the carbon and nitrogen content of plant materials (plant plus litter) was $118.4\;g\;m^{-2}$ and $4.7\;g\;m^{-2}$ on 30 June 2005.

Survey on the distribution of Macrofungi in Mongolia

  • Nyamsuren, Kherlenchimeg;Magsar, Urgamal;Batsumber, Solongo;Myagmardorj, Tseveendari;Tsogtbaatar, Enkhsaikhan;Cho, Youngho;Kwon, Ohseok
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.39 no.1
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    • pp.91-97
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    • 2016
  • This paper reports the species of macromycetes collected in Mongolia: all the species are new to the area. Brief notes on taxonomy, ecology and distribution of the species are added. A total of 30 species of macromycetes were registered, 1 belonging to the division Ascomycota and 29 to the division Basidiomycota. It has been registered that 30 species belong to 25 genera, 17 families and occur in the flora fungus of Mongolia, until now. Specimen for 150 of samples macromycetes collected from June to August, 2015 in Tuv, Arkhangai and Huvsgul were enveloped. Macromycetes have been occured in 9 of 16 geographic regions. According to our studies 2 species in Khubsgul region, 2 species in Khangai region, 3 species in Khingan, 3 species in Dornod Mongol, 1 species in Khentei regions newly registered respectively. As a result of this work, determined 7 species (23%) of macromycetes in forest steppe and steppe regions and 23 species (77%) of them in forest region. The trophic structure for the fungal species is as follows: 2 species lignophite (7%), 4 species moss saprophyte (13%), 5 species soil saprophyte (17%), 15 species mycorrhiz (50%) of all species were respectively.

CHANGE DETECTION ANALYSIS OF FORESTED AREA IN THE TRANSITION ZONE AT HUSTAI NATIONAL PARK, CENTRAL MONGOLIA

  • Bayarsaikhan, Uudus;Boldgiv, Bazartseren;Kim, Kyung-Ryul;Park, Kyeng-Ae
    • Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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    • 2007.10a
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    • pp.426-429
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    • 2007
  • One of the widely used applications of remote sensing studies is environmental change detection and biodiversity conservation. The study area Hustai Mountain is situated in the transition zone between the Siberian taiga forest and Central Mongolian arid steppe. Hustai National Park carries out one of several reintroduction programs of takhi (wild horse or Equus ferus przewalskii) from various zoos in the world and it represents one of a few textbook examples of successful reintroduction of an animal extinct in the wild. In this paper we describe the results of an analysis on the change of remaining forest area over the 7-year period since Hustai Mountain was designated as a protected area for reintroduction to wild horses. Today the forested area covers approximately 5% of the Hustai National Park, mostly the north-facing slopes above 1400 m altitude. Birch (Betula platyphylla) and aspen (Populus tremula) trees are predominant in the forest. We used Landsat ETM+ images from two different years and multi temporal MODIS NDVI data. Land types were determined by supervised classification methods (Maximum Likelihood algorithm) verified with ground-truthing data and the Land Change Modeler (LCM) which was developed by Clark Labs. Forested area was classified into three different land types, namely the forest land, mountain meadow and mountain steppe. The study results illustrate that the remaining birch forest has rapidly changed to fragmented forest land and to open areas. Underlying causes for such a rapid change during the 15-year period may be manifold. However, the responsible factors appear to be the drying off and outbreak of forest pest species (such as gypsy moth or Lymantria dispar) in the area.

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Detection of forest Free - South Slope Features from Land Cover Classification in Mongolia

  • Bayarsaikhan, Uudus;Boldgiv, Bazartseren;Kim, Kyung-Ryul;Park, Kyung-Ae;Lee, Don-Koo
    • Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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    • 2009.03a
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    • pp.354-359
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    • 2009
  • Land cover types of Hustai National Park (HNP) in Mongolia, a hotspot area with rare species, were classified and their temporal changes were evaluated using Landsat MSS TM/ETM data between 1994 and 2000. Maximum likelihood classification analysis showed an overall accuracy of 88.0% and 85.0% for the 1994 and 2000 images, respectively. Kappa coefficients associated with the classification were resulted to 0.85 for 1994 and 0.82 for 2000 image. Land cover types revealed significant temporal changes in the classification maps between 1994 and 2000. The area has increased considerably by $166.5km^2$ for mountain steppe. By contrast, agricultural areas and degraded areas affected by human being activity were decreased by $46.1km^2$ and $194.8km^2$ over the six year span, respectively. These areas were replaced by mountain steppe area. Specifically, forest area was noticeably fragmented, accompanied by the decrease of $\sim400$ ha. The forest area revealed a pattern with systematic gain and loss associated with the specific phenomenon called as forest free-south slope. We discussed the potential environmental conditions responsible for the systematic pattern and addressed other biological impacts by outbreaks of forest pests and ungulates.

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