• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.45-76
• /
• 2000

The purposes of this study were to investigate and understand the present status of various types of "deserts", such as sand desert, gravel desert, rock desert, earth desert, salt desert, desert, rocky desert, gobi desert, sandy desert, clay desert, etc., and the general countermeasures for the combating "desertification" "desertization", and to develop the technologies on the revegetation and restoration for the combating desertification in China. The methods of this study were mainly composed of field surveys on the several experimental sites and research institutes related to combating desertification in China, and examinations on the various technologies for the combating desertification at the Daxing Experimental Station of Beijing Forestry University. The conclusion from this study may be summarized as follows; 1. Status and tendency of desertification in China : China is one of the countries seriously threatened by desertification. Desertification affected areas in China are mainly distributed in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas in China, covering the most regions of the Northeast China (eastern region of Inner-Mongolia), the northern part of the North China (middle and western region of Inner-Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningsha, Gansu) and the western part of the Northwest China (Xinzang, Qinghai, Xizang). The total area affected by desertification in China is approximately 2.622 million $km^2$. It covers 27.3% of the total territory of China. Until recently, it is estimated that the annual spreading ratio of desertification in China is 2,460 $km^2$. Therefore, desertification is mostly serious problems facing to the Chinese people. 2. The causes and environmental effect of desertification : The desertification in China is mainly caused by compound factors, including natural condition and human activities. In China, the desertification is started by the decrease of precipitation, continuous dry and drought, strong wind, wind and water erosion, land degradation and loss of natural vegetation caused by climate variation, and accelerated by the human activities, such as over-cultivating, over-grazing, over-cutting of woods, irrational use of water resources. Because desertification has affected the geographical features, soil nutrients contents, salinity, vegetation coverage and the functions of ecosystem, the environmental deteriorations in the desertification affected areas are very seriously. 3. The fundamental strategies of combating desertification in China are the increase of education and awareness of people through various mass media, the revision of laws to guarantee operation of Desertification Combating Law and to improve many relating laws and regulations, the application of advanced technologies and training of experts, the establishment of discriminative policies, and increasing arrangement of budget-investment, and so on. China, as a signed country in UNCCD, has made efforts for the combating desertification. Korea is also signed country in UNCCD, so we should play an important role in the desertification combating projects of China for the northest asia and global environmental conservation as well as environmental conservation of Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.103-115
• /
• 2016

This study aims to analyze the properties of cold air production and its flow of Nakdong-Jeongmaek(mountain ranges), and to suggest management strategies for Nakdong-Jeongmaek in order to enhance the green air conditioning functions of Jeongmaek. For this purpose, three study sites including Gudeoksan Mountain and the vicinity in Busan, Goheonsan Mountain and the vicinity in Ulsan, and Unjusan Mountain and the vicinity in Pohang were selected. The results found that cold air flow and its height of the three study sites were analyzed based on topographic properties and land use. Management strategies for preserving and enhancing their temperature reduction functions were suggested. The cold air produced in the vicinity of Gudeoksan was not fully developed and spread because of the high-density development at the border of Jeongmaek. Since high pressures of development are expected at the border, high conservation policies are required. In the vicinity of Goheonsan, where the agricultural complex and industrial park are located, cold air flows well throughout the entire study site thanks to fully developed cold air in the wide, flat valley. Hence, plans to maintain the current cold air flow are required, and conservation plans to mitigate future developments are also needed in the flat valley. The cold air in Unjusan and the vicinity with its complex and narrow mountain valleys gradually develops into valley bottoms. In order to take advantage of the terrain, the valley near the cold air production areas are preserved. In particular, special plans are required to prevent damage to the cold air layer near Youngcheonho Lake, where the highest height of cold air was recorded due to the closed and lower terrain feature. This study could support the establishment of systematic management plans of Nakdong-Jeongmaek to preserve and enhance its green air conditioning functions.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.263-270
• /
• 2012

The objectives of the study were to determine fish fauna and compositions during 2010~2011 in Walpyung Conservation Park along with analysis of fish community structures and trophic and tolerance guilds. Total number of species and individuals sampled were 31 and 2667, respectively and dominant species was Zacco platypus (46.6%) and subdominant species was Acheilognathus lanceolatus (8.7%), which were composed of >50% of the total. Total number of Korean endemic species including Microphysogobio yaluensis was 10 and the proportion of the individuals was 8.7%. Also, natural monument No. 454 of Iksookimia choii, which is endangered species and legal protected species, was sampled and the total number of individuals was only three. According to the analysis of fish community structures, species richness index in the mid-stream reach ($M_r$) was 3.145, which is higher than any other stream reaches ($U_r$ and $D_r$). In contrast, the richness index was 2.180 in the up-stream reach ($U_r$), which is minimum among the sampling sites. Species diversity index was 1.785 and 1.975, respectively in the headwater ($U_r$) and mid-stream reach ($M_r$) and the low values in the down-stream reach ($D_r$, 1.660) were due to the influences of pointsource (i.e., road construction) and non-point sources (sporadic agricultural spots). According to analysis of tolerance guilds, the proportion of tolerant species (TS), based on the number of individuals, was composed of 64.2% and sensitive species (SS) was only 3.3%, indicating a predominance of tolerant fishes in the compositions. The proportion of omnivore species (OS), however, was composed of 64.0% and insectivore species (IS) was 29.3%, indicating a predominance of omnivore fishes in the stream. The high proportions of tolerant and omnivore species in this stream indicates that the water quality and physical habitat environments were degradated in this system. For these reasons, especially natural monument and endemic fish species in this region should be protected from the massive constructions and required to provide efficient stream management strategies.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.70-78
• /
• 2018

Recently, the conservation of mountainous landscape and compensation for diverse demands for mountain areas such as leisure, recreation and welfare are under discussion. The purpose of this study is to investigation the perception of mountainous landscapes by those who view and recognize the landscapes and to estimate economic value by estimating the willingness to pay for the management of mountainous landscapes. This study will provide data for the management of mountainous landscapes. As a result of comparing the perception between the territorial landscape and the mountain landscape, the mountain scenery was 3.96, the management level satisfaction was 3.28, and the management necessity was 4.38, which was higher than the national landscape, while the national landscape was satisfactory but the management level was insufficient. Jeju Island (39.0%) and Gangwon (38.6%) were chosen as the most scenic areas with beautiful forest and mountainous landscape resources. The aesthetic characteristics of the vast skyline of mountain scenery, the background of the area, and the mountainous landscape that forms the landmark were evaluated highly. And, it is considered that consciousness of mountainous landscape management is heightened by 86.8% of respondents, who positively answered the Mountainous Landscape Visual Impact Assessment before the development project. The per capita payment amount for mountainous landscape management was calculated to be 3,742 won and, based on the number of visitors to the mountain National Parks in 2016, it is estimated to have an economic value of about 169.5 billion won. Policymakers have limitations in the mountainous landscape management policies of the administrative subject. Establishing a consensus on the importance and necessity of landscape management by diagnosing the status of public perception is expected to help create more effective policy direction and implement strategies for the management of these areas.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.102 no.1
• /
• pp.38-58
• /
• 2013

The existence of endemism in many parts of the world is an important factor for conservationists. Conservation can only be carried out under national legislation, and national endemics, which have very limited ranges, fully depend on the effort and success of conservation. A total of 523 vascular plant taxa were listed in the latest national checklist by Ministry of Environment in 2005, while the 'Creation and Furtherance of Arboretums Act' including a national endemic list (appendix 4-1) was established by Korea Forest Service and was legislated as a law in late 2011. This legislation by Korea Forest Service on endemism of Korean vascular plants have required much attention because of discrepancies of nomenclature, taxonomic bias and inflation. Examining data for both lists proposed by Ministry of Environment and Korea Forest Service, of the total of 360 legislated taxa, around 286 taxa are shared with the list of Ministry of Environment, of which about 80% have been found as common taxa. Around 67(18.7%) are typographic errors, and 14 taxa (3.9%) are recorded as illegitimate and invalidly published names. Through this analysis 12 taxa (3.4%) were found in China as well as in Korea and these are thought to be non Korean endemic taxa. Taken together, the legislated list displayed 1/4 (24.9%) errors out of the total list. Only 59 taxa (16.5%) are identified as national endemic species. The remainder are either unresolved candidates (73 taxa, 20.4%) or synonyms (196 taxa, 54.7%) status. It must be noted, that the concept of endemism very much depends on the knowledge of the species concept, taxonomic bias and geographical range of a species. Also, the most major nomenclatural problem tend to be more stable if the information on database about Korea Plant Name, which is managed by Korea National Arboretum are well updated year to year. These exaggerated numbers underscore the urgency for regional conservation planning and implementing effective strategies to preserve these real endemic taxa into the future.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.51 no.1
• /
• pp.32-47
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the vegetation maintenance project that was conducted as a part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) project for the historic site of Angkor, to analyze the aspects and characteristics of the project, and to derive implications for the establishment of future policies and strategies. First, the key words used in the vegetation maintenance project at the historic site of Angkor do not only refer to the concept of plants (and more specifically to 'trees') but also to the concept of heritage. In other words, the concept of heritage is not limited to architectural structures but is also intended to mean the vegetation and surroundings that form the historic site. Second, the expansion of the value of vegetation has contributed to the establishment of the basic principles of conservation based on the 'coexistence' between architectural structures and vegetation; here, vegetation has come to be recognized as an 'essential' element in the conservation of historic sites. Third, the range of vegetation maintenance has expanded from each tree to the surroundings of the temples, and vegetation maintenance came to adopt 'integrative' and 'active' directions to improve not only the growth environment of the vegetation but also the viewing environment experienced by visitors. This change means that it is necessary for the historic site maintenance project to comprehensively deal with the temples and their surrounding areas. Fourth, for the effective performance of the ODA project, the role of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), under the influence of UNESCO, was expanded from an examination of the problems with the existing projects to a search for solutions to technical consultation and supervision. This implies that, in order to perform the ODA project in a way that is appropriate to the local conditions, it is important to reach gradual and phased agreements with ICC-Angkor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.111 no.1
• /
• pp.61-71
• /
• 2022

Data from an investigation of vulnerable conifer species in the subalpine zone in Korea obtained by the Korea Forest Service in 2017-2018 and monitoring research conducted by the National Institute of Forest Science since 2014 were used to analyze the status of distribution and growing condition of three major conifer species (Abies nephrolepis, Abies koreana, and Picea jezoensis) in the subalpine zone in the Baekdudaegan protected area. The distribution area of the studied species in the Baekdudaegan protected area was ca. 74% (8,035 ha) of the total distribution area in Korea, indicating that Baekdudaegan is a core area for conservation and restoration of subalpine conifer species. From decline index [A. nephrolepis in Mt. Taebaeksan and Mt. Deogyusan increased by 77.3% and 29.6%, respectively; A. koreana in Mt. Jirisan (Chunwangbong Peak) increased by 45.2% in four years; and P. jezoensis in Mt. Jirisan (Chunwangbong Peak) increased by 47.8% in two years] and seedling frequency (lower frequency of newly recruited seedlings than dead seedlings) results, the studied species are expected to face difficulties in sustainability. In contrast, at Mt. Seseoksan and Chunwangbong Peak in Mt. Jirisan, the health of trees and seedling frequency showed a partial tendency to recover and increase. In addition, we identified the relationship between the decline index and seedling frequency. These results will support the implementation of conservation strategies for vulnerable conifer species in the subalpine zone.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.207-220
• /
• 2008

Tourism in the natural environment grows significantly and in many tropical countries it becomesthe important earning of the nations. Nevertheless, tourism impact to environment and cultural values has become the threats to the sustainability and competitiveness of such industry. Therefore, the appropriate planning and management of tourism destination sites where environmentally and culturally fragile are needed in order to increase economic benefits, sustain local culture and conserve environment in balance. The aims of the paper are to examine tourism practices, to determine socio-cultural and natural resources, and to assess local people perception to cultural landscape and its future tourism development in order to formulate the appropriate strategies to achieve sustainable tourism. A case study was carried out at Tengger highland, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park(BTSNP) East Java. Official documents were gathered and interviews with several key persons had conducted to determine recent status of tourism, resources capital and the existence of local people. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were carried out at Tenggerese villages to explore local people perspectives to tourism development, culture preservation, and cultural landscape conservation issues. It is followed by descriptive analysis of vegetation to assess the recent status of environments based on vegetation information. Our findings reveals that tourism grows significantly at BTSNP, and Tengger Caldera as spiritual and cultural sites for local people become the centre for tourism activities. The abundance cultural and natural resources are the significant capital for sustainable tourism. Tenggerese argues that tourism should be planned to provide benefits to local people, preserve tradition and able to conserve nature in order to ensure the living sustainability of Tenggerese. The overall result of the study provide general feature of recent status of the cultural and natural resources as well as positive society perception in order to establish a strategy for sustainable tourism in cultural landscape.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.12
• /
• pp.1896-1904
• /
• 2020

Objective: Estimating the genetic diversity and structures, both within and among chicken breeds, is critical for the identification and conservation of valuable genetic resources. In chickens, microsatellite (MS) marker polymorphisms have previously been widely used to evaluate these distinctions. Our objective was to analyze the genetic diversity and relationships among 22 chicken breeds in Asia based on allelic frequencies. Methods: We used 469 genomic DNA samples from 22 chicken breeds from eight Asian countries (South Korea, KNG, KNB, KNR, KNW, KNY, KNO; Laos, LYO, LCH, LBB, LOU; Indonesia, INK, INS, ING; Vietnam, VTN, VNH; Mongolia, MGN; Kyrgyzstan, KGPS; Nepal, NPS; Sri Lanka, SBC) and three imported breeds (RIR, Rhode Island Red; WLG, White Leghorn; CON, Cornish). Their genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed using 20 MS markers. Results: In total, 193 alleles were observed across all 20 MS markers, and the number of alleles ranged from 3 (MCW0103) to 20 (LEI0192) with a mean of 9.7 overall. The NPS breed had the highest expected heterozygosity (H_exp, 0.718±0.027) and polymorphism information content (PIC, 0.663±0.030). Additionally, the observed heterozygosity (H_obs) was highest in LCH (0.690±0.039), whereas WLG showed the lowest H_exp (0.372±0.055), H_obs (0.384±0.019), and PIC (0.325±0.049). Nei's DA genetic distance was the closest between VTN and VNH (0.086), and farthest between KNG and MGN (0.503). Principal coordinate analysis showed similar results to the phylogenetic analysis, and three axes explained 56.2% of the variance (axis 1, 19.17%; 2, 18.92%; 3, 18.11%). STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the 22 chicken breeds should be divided into 20 clusters, based on the highest ΔK value (46.92). Conclusion: This study provides a basis for future genetic variation studies and the development of conservation strategies for 22 chicken breeds in Asia.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.396-418
• /
• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the flora and the vegetation of Samusan mountain on Jecheon-si, located in the middle part of the Korean peninsula. The vascular plants which were collected in 9 times from June 2014 to October 2015 were identified as 502 taxa in total, including 102 families, 314 genera, 445 species, 6 subspecies, 49 varieties, 1 form and 1 hybrid. The largest families were as follows; Asteraceae (70 taxa), Poaceae (52 taxa), Rosaceae (30 taxa), Fabaceae (28 taxa), and Cyperaceae (20 taxa). Of them, Korean endemic plants numbered 10 taxa, and vascular plants listed in the red data according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) numbered 14 taxa. The floristic regional indicator plants found in this area were 61 taxa in total. Among them, 5 taxa revealed the floristic grade V, 11 for floristic grade IV, 14 for floristic grade III, 10 for floristic grade II, and 21 for floristic grade I. The alien plants were identified as 43 taxa and the percentage of naturalized index (NI) was 8.6%, and urbanization index (UI) was 13.4%, respectively. Samples of the forest vegetation on the Samusan Mt. were mainly classified as Pinus densiflora, Quercus variabilis, Q. acutissima, Q. mongolica, Zelkova serrata and Robinia pseudoacacia forest. The vertical structures of the forest were stable and the DBH-Class analyses showed that the dominant tree species would be maintained. In the surveyed areas, high plant diversity was shown, and a number of endemic, rare, calcicole plants and phytogeographically important plants were found. Nonetheless, numerous and diverse biological resources native have been consistently disturbed or damaged by human activities without some form of protection. Therefore, it is needed to set up strategies for conservation forest vegetation in this study area.