• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2023

The endangered species of Cyathea spinulosa (tree ferns) are among the least concerned ferns of Nepal that bring threats to them and their habitat. A way to reduce such threats is by maintaining a database of species' whereabouts and generating a scientific understanding the habitat preferences. This will eventually help in the formulation of conservation plans for the species. This research aimed to characterize the suitable habitat of C. spinulosa by enumerating the location of species in the Panchase Forests of central Nepal. The statistical index method was applied to relate the occurrence locations of species with various environmental factors for the development of indices. The suitable habitat of C. spinulosa (more and most suitable categories) covered 119 km² and accounted for 43% of the total area studied. 74.4% of occurrence locations of C. spinulosa were recorded from these habitats. The habitat characteristics suitable for C. spinulosa were: proximity to streams (high moisture), land covered by forested area (shady area), mid-elevations of hills about 1,000 m to 2,000 m (sub-tropical climate), slope gradient of 20° to 40° (steep slopes), and northern to eastern aspects. These habitat characteristics could be considered for in-situ protection of tree ferns and designating the conservation plots.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.277-290
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• 2013

This study was carried out to propose the new procedure to apply Habitat Evaluation Procedure(HEP) of target species using delphi technique, which is suitable to develop endangered species with few researches and ecological knowledges. To identify habitat quality of specific species in development project site, we can develop habitat model and create habitat suitability maps. In this study, we select the Common Kestrel(Falco tinnunculus) as target species in four areas(Paju, Siheung, Ansan, Hwaseong) which is located near the Seoul metropolitan area. The Delphi technique was selected to get the reliable information on the species and habitats requirements. Through the delphi approach, seven habitat components were determined as suitable variables for the Common Kestrel: density($n/km^2$) of small mammals, area($km^2$) of bare-grounds, pasturelands and riparian, and open area(%), spatial distribution and area of croplands, landscape diversity, breeding sites(tall trees, cliffs, high-rise buildings), and the length of shelf. Habitat variables used in this model were classified into two categories: % of suitable land-cover type(open areas, croplands, pasturelands, wetlands, and baregrounds) and the quality of feeding sites(within 250m from edges of woodlands). Habitat quality of the Common Kestrel was assessed against occurred sites derived from the nationwide survey. Predicted habitat suitability map were closely related to the observed sites of the endangered avian species in the study areas. With the habitat suitability map of the Common Kestrel, we assess the environmental impacts with habitat loss after development project in environmental impact assessment.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.316-323
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• 2022

Background: We developed a habitat suitability index (HSI) model for Pedicularis hallaisanensis, a Grade II Endangered Species in South Korea. To determine the habitat variables, we conducted a literature review on P. hallaisanensis with a specific focus on the associated spatial factors, climate, topography, threats, and soil factors to derive five environmental factors that influence P. hallaisanensis habitats. The specific variables were defined based on the collected data and consultations with experts in the field, with the validity of each variable tested through field studies. Results: Mt. Seorak had a suitable habitat area of 2.48 km² for sites with a score of 1 (0.62% of total area) and 0.01 km² for sites with a score of 0.9. Mt. Bangtae had a suitable habitat area of 0.03 km² for sites with a score of 1 (0.02% of total area) and 0 km² for sites with a score of 0.9. Mt. Gaya showed 0.13 km² of suitable habitat for sites with a score of 1 (0.17% of total area) and 0 km² for sites with a score of 0.9. Lastly, Mt. Halla showed 3.12 km² of suitable habitat related to sites with a score of 1 (2.04% of total area) and 4.08 km² of sites with a score of 0.9 (2.66% of total area). Mt. Halla accounts for 73.1% of the total core habitat area. Considering the climatic, soil, and forest conditions together with standardized collection sites, our results indicate that Mt. Halla should be viewed as a core habitat of P. hallaisanensis. Conclusions: The findings in this study provide useful data for the identification of core habitat areas and potential alternative habitats to prevent the extinction of the endangered species, P. hallaisanensis. Furthermore, the developed HSI model allows for the prediction of suitable habitats based on the ecological niche of a given species to identify its unique distribution and causal factors.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.894-905
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• 2010

A habitat evaluation method was used to estimate the optimum suitability of the study area for the target algae. Habitat evaluation was carried out using an habitat evaluation procedure (HEP) so that the optimum suitability was quantitatively estimated for carrying out marine afforestation in the study area. According to the results of the suitability analysis, the variation of light and wave conditions according to depth showed the factors with the largest impact to involve the spatial distribution of suitable locations within the area. The total suitable area selected was calculated to be 18ha. The quality of the target algae (Ecklonia cava Kjellman) habitat was analyzed using an habitat suitability index (HSI) model of the HEP, which showed 0.55-0.907 (the maximum value being 1.0). This indicated that artificial reefs for afforestation should be installed to zonation type because the suitable area selected (The HSI value was 0.55~0.907) was distributed within the same depth line.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.3-14
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• 2000

The primary objective of this study is to estimate the suitable flow in need for conservation and restoration of the fish habitat in running water ecosystem, which has very important status in the instream flow for stream environment. Year, monthly low flows are estimated to properly maintain the fish habitat. Water depth and velocity are simulated, and also water temperature and Dissolved Oxygen(DO) are predicted at gradually varied flow using estimated low flows. These simulated conditions for each low flow are graphically compared with the requirements to maintain fish habitat at each life stage. These processes were applied to 3 riffle transects located at Dalcheon(Dal stream) in the South Han river. Pirami (Zacco platypus) was selected as a representative fish species in Dalcheon. It was shown that the suitable flow for maintaining the representative fish habitat at each life stage depends on hydraulic conditions rather than water quality conditions, and the flow ranges from the 10-year minimum low flow to consecutive 7-day 2.33-year low flow.w flow.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.28-38
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• 2008

The purpose of this study are to compare existing presence-absence predictive models and to predict suitable habitat for Goral (Nemorhaedus caudatus raddeanus) that is an endangered and protected species in Seoraksan national park using the best model among existing predictive models. The methods of this study are as follows. First, 375 location data and 9 environmental data layers were implemented to build a model. Secondly, 4 existing presence-absence models : Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Generalized Addictive Model (GAM), Classification and Regression Tree (CART), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) were tested to predict the Goal habitat. Thirdly, ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) and Kappa statistics were used to calculate a model performance. Lastly, we verified models and created habitat suitability maps. The ROC AUC (Area Under the Curve) and Kappa values were 0.697/0.266 (GLM), 0.729/0.313 (GAM), 0.776/0.453 (CART), and 0.858/0.559 (ANN). Therefore, ANN was selected as the best model among 4 models. The models showed that elevation, slope, and distance to stream were the significant factors for Goal habitat. The ratio of predicted area of ANN using a threshold was 31.29%, but the area decreased when human effect was considered. We need to investigate the difference of various models to build a suitable wildlife habitat model under a given condition.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.324-333
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• 2022

Background: The Korean scarlet dwarf, Nannophya koreana Bae (Odonata: Libellulidae), is anendangered dragonfly with an increasing risk of extinction owing to rapid climate changes and human activities. To prevent extinction, the N. koreana population and their habitat should be protected. Therefore, suitable habitat evaluation is important to build the N. koreana restoration project. The habitat suitability index model (HSI) has been widely used for habitat evaluation in diverse organisms. Results: To build a suitable HSI model for N. koreana, 16 factors were examined by seven experienced researchers. A field survey for N. koreana observed sites and spatial analysis were conducted to improve the model. Five factors were finally selected by this procedure (crown density, open water surface, water depth, pioneer plant cover, and type of water source). Finally, the N. koreana HSI model was generated with the five adjusted factors based on interview, field survey, and spatial analysis. This model was validated by a current N. koreana habitat in 2021. With this model, 46 sites in Uljin-gun, Korea, were surveyed for N. koreana habitats; five sites were identified as core habitats and seven as potential core habitats. Conclusions: This model will serve as a strong foundation for the N. koreana restoration project and as a reference for future studies on N. koreana and other endangered insect populations. Further analysis and long-term data will improve the efficacy of this model and restore endangered wildlife.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.764-772
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• 2018

It is necessary to explore the possibility of alternative habitats and research the characteristics of basic habitats due to seeding, culturing and harvesting of blood clams (Tegillarca granosa) in tidal flats. Currently, dependence on naturally occurring spat is much higher than in other species, which may lead to a reduction in biological resources. In this study, we selected a total of 5 sites (Changgi, Hopo in Cheonsu Bay and Dangsan, Sachang, Wangsan in Garolim Bay) and examined habitat suitability factors for suitable site selection. Also, we considered the relationship of habitat suitability factors (Environment: water content, organic content; survival: mud content, mean size; growth: chlorophyll a). As a result, Wangsan had the highest score of the main habitat of blood clams (Habitat suitability score, Wangsan: 87; Dangsan: 86; Sachang: 81; Hopo: 78; and Changgi: 73). The sediment in Garolim Bay was fine-grained and the seasonal variation was lower than Cheonsu Bay. Therefore, it is considered that Garolim Bay is more suitable as a potential area and easy to utilize the space. In the future, search and selection of potential suitable sites could be considered to solve problems caused by the reduction of biological resources and the production for blood clams.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.567-578
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• 2022

Various social and environmental problems have recently emerged due to global climate change. In South Korea, coniferous forests in the highlands are decreasing due to climate change whereas the distribution of subtropical species is gradually increasing. This study aims to respond to changes in the distribution of forest species in South Korea due to climate change. This study predicts changes in future suitable areas for Pinus koraiensis, Cryptomeria japonica, and Chamaecyparis obtusa cultivated as timber species based on climate, topography, and environment. Appearance coordinates were collected only for natural forests in consideration of climate suitability in the National Forest Inventory. Future climate data used the SSP scenario by KMA. Species distribution models were ensembled to predict future suitable habitat areas for the base year(2000-2019), near future(2041-2060), and distant future(2081-2100). In the baseline period, the highly suitable habitat for Pinus koraiensis accounted for approximately 13.87% of the country. However, in the distant future(2081-2100), it decreased to approximately 0.11% under SSP5-8.5. For Cryptomeria japonica, the habitat for the base year was approximately 7.08%. It increased to approximately 18.21% under SSP5-8.5 in the distant future. In the case of Chamaecyparis obtusa, the habitat for the base year was approximately 19.32%. It increased to approximately 90.93% under SSP5-8.5 in the distant future. Pinus koraiensis, which had been planted nationwide, gradually moved north due to climate change with suitable habitats in South Korea decreased significantly. After the near future, Pinus koraiensis was not suitable for the afforestation as timber species in South Korea. Chamaecyparis obtusa can be replaced in most areas. In the case of Cryptomeria japonica, it was assessed that it could replace part of the south and central region.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.1134-1136
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• 2003

In this research, GIS based evaluation methods were applied to habitats of Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus Schlegel) in northern Honshu. The study area was divided into 828 small watershed units , and five GIS indexes, Vegetation Type（V.T.）, Extent of Forest Cover (E.F.C.) Slope Incline (S.I), Average Altitude (A.A.) and Road Density(R.D.), were used to evaluate each watershed unit in terms of suitability as black bear habitat. In addition, Interspersion and Juxtaposition spatial indices were calculated for each watershed unit. The results clearly identified the regions with the most suitable habitats, indicating that this methodology is suitable for application to various environmental planning efforts, such as regional development master plans, project-specific environmental impact assessments, species management plans and biodiversity conservation plans.