• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.54-65
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• 2017

Background: "Igune," a traditional agricultural landscape in the Tohoku region of Japan, is characterized by small-scale artificial woodlots surrounding a farmer's house that are interspersed with paddy fields. During the rapid economic growth of Japan over recent decades, some igune woodlots have been abandoned or logged. Biodiversity conservation is an important issue worldwide, and traditional agricultural landscapes are of particular interest. To elucidate the role of igune landscapes in conserving biodiversity, we examined the effects of environmental factors on avian communities. Results: The study was conducted in the suburban areas of Oshu and Hanamaki cities, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, at eight sites that varied in the density and area of igune woodlots within the landscape. Bird surveys were conducted from the middle to late breeding season, and several environmental factors of the igune landscape were also measured. The results of canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the characteristics of avian communities were mainly determined by the total forested area in the landscape. Increased total forested area and shrubs layer of igune woodlots did not cause a reduction in number of bird species of any habitat and foraging types, while increased both in species number and abundance of insectivores and forest species. The number of raptor species increased in igune sites without shrubs. Conclusions: Our results suggest that maintaining igune landscapes may enhance avian diversity within this landscape, although the effects of shrubs within igune varied; developed bush communities increased the evenness of the avian community, whereas some raptor species preferred an open forest understory.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.33 no.4 s.111
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• pp.11-21
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to analyze and evaluate landscape characteristics by classification of landscapes in Chuncheon. A system was developed to convert images taken with a fish-eye lens to panoramic pictures. Landscape characteristics were analyzed by appearance rate and area distribution rate of landscape elements on panorama picture. Landscape characteristics were analyzed according to the number of times landscape elements appeared and the amount of area that each element occupied in the panoramic picture. Each panoramic picture was classified into five types based on these landscape element factors. Landscape evaluation was carried out using dynamic images converted from picture by fish-eye lens. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. The urban landscape can be characterized by four essential factors: interconnectedness, nature, urban centrality and landscape scale. Five types of landscapes were determined: detached residential building landscape (type 1), street landscape with various elements (type 2), street landscape in the center of a city (type 3), landscape of housing complex (type 4), and landscape of green space (type 5). Type 5 had the highest degree of landscape satisfaction and the landscape satisfaction increased with the number of appearances of natural elements. The amount of peen space had a high relation with a landscape satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.149-162
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• 2012

Habitat loss and fragmentation are ongoing major anthropogenic impacts on landscapes, which can strongly affect ecosystems, populations and species. The studies on forest fragmentation have been progressed, but the studies on definition of forest fragmentation and their synthetic trend in South Korea still leaves much to be desired. Therefore we set the definition of forest fragmentation and reviewed the related papers. We can give a definition that forest fragmentation is not only a process of spatial landscape transformation, but also a process of ecosystem change by it. The trend of studies on forest fragmentation divided into two fields, landscape and ecosystem changes. Forest fragmentation caused by land change altered the composition and configuration of forest patches. Most studies related on that analyzed the change using landscape index. The effects of forest fragmentation on ecosystem subdivided into three fields : biodiversity, edge effects, and invasive species, but the studies in South Korea is short. The study on relations between forest fragmentation and ecosystem change is necessary to face the Convention on Biological Diversity in South Korea. In addition, the fundamental studies on biodiversity is important to mitigate against forest fragmentation.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2012

There is little information about appropriate greenspace structures to satisfy aesthetic function in Korea. The purpose of this study was to analyze Korean's aesthetic preferences for greenspace structures concerned with urban tree plantings of an areal type to explore desirable greenspace landscapes. The study considered 5 structural variables of greenspace which were species composition, tree density, tree size, vertical and horizontal structure, and tree layout pattern. A photo-questionnaire was prepared through color simulations of different landscape types for each structural variable. Preference responses of an interval-scale rating from 214 respondents were statistically analyzed between landscape types and between respondent groups. Respondents preferred greenspace landscapes with diverse tree species to single species, higher tree density to lower density, larger trees to many smaller trees, multilayered and grouped plantings to single-layered and sparse plantings, and informal pattern to formal pattern. These preferences tended to be relatively higher for educated specialist and student groups than for other generalist group. Thus, multilayered and dense plantings in natural pattern including larger trees of diverse species, which are similar to ecological plantings, are recommended to increase aesthetic function of greenspace.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.505-513
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• 2019

As the number of foreign workers increases in Korea, people's interest in their adaptation to this society has also increased. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a forest-healing program on foreign workers' cultural adaptation stress and psychological wellbeing. The experiment was conducted in a recreation forest located in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do. The subjects who participated in this study included 40 foreign workers (16 males, 24 females). The experiment was conducted for three days and two nights from June 26 to 28, 2019. The forest healing program was composed of activities that can enhance immunity and restore physical and mental health by utilizing various healing environmental factors such as landscapes, sunlight, anion and oxygen in forest. The independent sample t-test was conducted to examine changes in cultural adaptation stress and psychological well-being before and after the program. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. As a result, cultural adaptation stress was statistically significantly reduced in sub-factors including discrimination experience, language conflict and legal status. Psychological wellbeing improved in all the surveyed sub-factors such as self-confidence, ego, immersion, and joy. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for reducing the stress foreign workers experience from cultural adaptation and restoring their psychological wellbeing in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture Conference
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• 2007.10b
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• pp.19-29
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• 2007

The making of mountains and waters are recognized as essential to traditional Chinese landscapes and it is this concept that guided the Beijing Olympic Landscape, "Axis to Nature". The Olympic landscape extends the central axis of Beijing north until it is punctuated by the Forest Park Hill and dissipated by Forest Park Lake. Traditional landscape gardens, paintings, and poetry were researched and the plan assessed by eminent scholars and experts to conceive and construct an ecological park that features unique design and traditional Chinese landscape art.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.40-53
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• 2021

The level of soil organic carbon (SOC) fluctuates in different types of forest stands: this variation can be attributed to differences in tree species, and the variables associated with soil, climate, and topographical features. The present review evaluates the level of SOC in different types of forest stands to determine the factors responsible for the observed variation. Mixed stands have the highest amount of SOC, while coniferous (both deciduous-coniferous and evergreen-coniferous) stands have greater SOC concentrations than deciduous (broadleaved) and evergreen (broadleaved) tree stands. There was a significant negative correlation between SOC and mean annual temperature (MAT) and sand composition, in all types of forest stands. In contrast, the silt fraction has a positive correlation with SOC, in all types of tree stands. Variation in SOC under different types of forest stands in different landscapes can be due to differences in MAT, and the sand and silt fraction of soil apart from the type of forests.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.25-45
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• 2008

This review was made to discuss the issues of ecological restoration and environmental impact assessment (EIA) related to the preservation of natural environment, the central theme expressed in the National Anthem of Korea. The authors notice that the key word or the central philosophy contained in the verses of the National Anthem of Korea is the preservation of national land and eternal identity for future generations, which is thought to be pursued through the attainment of ecological sustainability. A conceptual model for the sustainable management of natural ecosystems was suggested for the efficient utilization and the preservation of them, whose activities should be promoted by those of conservation and restoration instead of destructive development and negligence, respectively. Here, the preservation of natural environment can be directly pursued through the restoration of degraded ecosystems and landscapes and the utilization of natural environment can be directly pursued through the conservation of natural resources and wise management of natural ecosystems and landscapes. After reviewing the major characteristics and activities of the restoration of degraded ecosystems and landscapes, discussion was further extended to points for the promotion of the EIA activities. To point out some of them, it is needed for the public to better understand the nature of sustainable management of natural environment, for the society to put extensive energy and resources in the restoration of degraded ecosystems and landscapes, and for the government to install higher levels of ministries than that of the Ministry of Environment in dealing with the issues related to the 'preservation' of national land, people, culture and the security of the sustainability for future generations, where EIA and strategic environment assessment (SEA) can directly contribute to the sustainability of the country and future generations.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.19-27
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• 2002

When we research a landscape or make a Landscape Impact Assessment, we use the image of a specific season like summer or fall. Since there are four distinct seasons, each with a different landscape, researchers need to understand viewers′visual preferences for individual seasonal landscapes. The purpose of this study is to investigate viewers′visual preferences according to seasonal change and the respondent′s age, gender and profession. In this research, the independent variable is season: suing, summer, fall, winter and snowy winter. Three landscape types used in the experiment: forest, street and agriculture. Each landscape type has two sites for reliability. The assessment media for this research are pictures featuring landscapes taken in each of the four seasons. The study used the "paired comparison" method for taking the score of visual preference. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The summer landscape has the highest visual preference score. However, spring and fall landscapes should also be considered for visual landscape evaluation. 2. The visual preference of winter landscape covered with snow is very high, but since snow is temporal and irregular, it is difficult to consider this factor for visual landscape evaluation. 3. The visual preference score of winter is the lowest of four seasons. The attractive factors of spring are flowers, summer is greenery and fall is autumnal tints. But these are not present in winter. 4. The result of visual preferences according to age groups, gender and profession have no serious differences. 5. Visual preference to scenery of 4 seasons by age group was not different from general preference and thus was concluded to have no connection with age. 6. As a result from the research of visual preference to scenery of 4 seasons by sex, women were shown to like snow-scene more than men. This study presents an indication of general preferences of seasonal landscapes. It is expected that more advanced study will proceed after this one.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.289-300
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• 2008

This study aims to discriminate differences in natural landscapes between the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland and the Jirisan National Park in Korea, using functions of content-based image retrieval such as texture, shape, and color. Digital photographs of each National Park were taken and selected. The low-level functions of photographic images were reduced to orthogonally rotated five factors. Based on the reduced factors, a linear decision boundary was obtained between Cairngorms landscapes and Jirisan landscapes. As a result, the discriminant function significantly delineated two groups, resulting in $x^2=63.40$ with df=5(p<0.001). Both the eigenvalue 2.417 and the value of wilks' lambda 0.29 supported that the most proportion of total variability came from the differences between the means of discriminant function of groups. It was estimated that four independent variables explained about 70.7% of total variance of dependent variable. The variable with the largest effect on landscapes was far region-related factor(r=1.07), followed by near region-related factor (r=0.90). A total of 90.7% of cross-validated grouped cases were correctly classified. It was interpreted that far distant regions, as well as near distant regions, had sufficient discrimination power for landscape classification between the Cairngorms National Park and the Jirisan National Park, so that landscape identity of the National Park over cultures was revealed by skylines in a most effective way. Relatively fewer factors making visual landscapes were effectively used to classify natural landscapes of the National Parks which had different semantics.