• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.34-43
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• 2017

The Naeseong Stream as a tributary of Nakdong River has conserved the unique structure and function of a typical sand-bed stream ecosystem. However, it is expected to change the stream bed environments and then the fish fauna in the downstream of the dam after the operation of the Yeongju Dam from 2016. We collected fishes and investigated their habitat environments from 2014 to 2016 in the downstream of the Yeongju Dam under construction in order to monitor changes in habitat environment, fauna and community structure of fishes in the Naeseong Stream. The size of the bed materials increased immediately downstream of the Yeongju Dam under construction. Before the operation of the Yeongju Dam, Zacco platypus was dominated and Opsarichthys uncirostris amurensis, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, Hemibarbus longirostris and Pseudogobio esocinus were sub-dominated according to the different sampling sites. Hemibarbus labeo, H. longirostris, Pseudogobio esocinus, Gobiobotia nakdongensis, Cobitis hankugensis and Leiocassis ussuriensis were found as a psammophilous fish specific to sand stream in the Naeseong Stream. At the downstream of the dam, the fish community was classified into a group of gravel-bed fishes such as Microphysogobio yaluensis, Coreoleuciscus splendidus and Coreoperca herzi and a group of sand-bed fishes such as Hemibarbus labeo, Cobitis hankugensis and Gobiobotia nakdongensis. These fish communities gradually tended to change from sand-bed fish community to gravel-bed fish community during the construction of the Yeongju Dam. Therefore, it is necessary to collect the baseline data for the stream ecosystem conservation in the sandy stream by continuously monitoring changes in the environment and fish in the downstream of the Youngju Dam.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2008

This study was conducted to provide basic information that can be used to restore habitats of Nannophya pygmaea. Nannophya pygmaea is an endangered species of wildlife fauna in Korea and its habitats are distributed very scarcely in Korea. Ten wetland sites throughout Korea, where N. pygmaea inhabited (2 sites in Incheon Muui-do, 1 site in Gokseong Singi-ri, 4 sites in Gokseong Wolbong-ri, and 3 sites in Mungyeong Yulsu-ri) were investigated from June 2006 to August 2007. Investigation was made on landscape properties, habitat sizes, vegetation types, water environments, and water sources. N. pygmaea was generally found in the abandoned paddy fields surrounded by mountains. The habitats ranged from $113.4m^2$ to $1,153.1m^2$ in area, and were mostly dominated by Juncus effusus and Persicaria thunbergii. The water level was $2.6\sim7.3cm$, and the water temperature ranged from $16^{\circ}C$ to $27.8^{\circ}C$. The elevation of the habitats ranged from 139 to 243 m above sea level, which was mostly lower than that of other high mountain wetland habitats. In conclusion, the habitats of N. pygmaea can be restored at wetlands, which have similar condition with field habitat such as abandoned paddy fields in the beginning stage of oligotrophy. Because N. pygmaea is sensitive to microtopography and other surrounding environments, the approach to restore the habitats for N. pygmaea should consider those microhabitat conditions shown in this study.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.127-140
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• 2021

At the estuaries of Bonggang and Miryong streams in the Korean southern coast, the spatiotemporal distribution and habitat environment of a nerite snail, Clithon retropictum (Gastropoda: Neritidae), which has been assigned as a legally protected species of Korea, were explored. Physicochemical environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity, tidal level distribution as well as biotic environments (chlorophyll-a concentration and epilithic microalgae composition) were monitored every month. The relationships between the environmental factors and spatiotemporal distribution of the nerite snail population were analyzed. Water temperature, salinity, and water level varied by season and lunar tidal rhythm. The spatiotemporal distribution of the nerite snail was mostly related to water salinity. Among epilithic algae which were the priority prey of snails, blue-green algae and green algae dominated in summer and autumn, while diatoms predominated during winter and spring. Chlorophyll-a concentration was highly and positively correlated with the population density of the nerite snail. The correlation coefficients were different depending on the taxon (Family) of epilithic algae. The mean population density was 302.2 inds m^-2 and 271.8 inds m^-2 in Bonggang Stream and Miryong Stream, respectively. The egg capsules of the nerite snail in the two habitats were observed from March (in Bonggang Stream) or April (in Miryong Stream) to August, and newly hatched juveniles recruited in the habitats from August were assessed with regard to frequency distributions of shell width. The occurrence of large-sized snails in upper stream reaches of both Bonggang and Miryong indicated the movement of spats from the mouth to the upper reaches during the whole life cycle.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2016

Roads are widely accepted to be as a major cause of habitat fragmentation. The wildlife road-crossing structure is one of the most acceptable alternatives among the solutions to provide connectivity between patches isolated by roads. We investigated noise disturbance, vegetation structure and wildlife crossing and habitation at a wildlife road-crossing structure located at the Jingmaei-Pass in Incheon, Korea, to monitor and evaluate its conservation value and ecological performance and to propose measures for their adaptive management. From the result of noise measurement, the noise disturbance from the road traffic was not properly blocked out at the wildlife crossing structure. The survey results of vegetation structure showed that the early-successional plant species such as Ambrosia trifida, Erigeron annuus, Pueraria lobata, Rosa multiflora invaded widely on the crossing structure. An efficient management of the vegetation should be necessarily considered for the facilitation of vegetation succession and the improvement of animal habitat. The crossing structure was used by limited mammal species: Apodemus agrarius, Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mogera wogura and Sciurus vulgaris coreae as the results of the monitoring using footprints and closed-circuit television. In conclusion, The Jingmaei-Pass wildlife crossing structure is unable to function properly as a biological corridor because of the interference of noise and flourishing disturbed vegetation. Therefore, proper alternatives are required for improving animal habitats and mobile environments to enhance the ecological function of a wildlife corridor.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.401-412
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• 2016

The sustainable operation and development of ports is a key industry for Korea's national economy. It is increasingly more important to resolve conflicts with local communities due to port environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, noise and ecosystem destruction while securing port competitiveness through infrastructure expansion. In case of the Busan New Port development project in Korea, construction has been temporally suspended due to conflict with local fishermen over marine sand mining for construction. A primary reason for this is the absence and limitation of qualitative port environmental impact assessment methodologies in Korea. This includes the current investigation of fisheries damaged by ports. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to propose economic valuation methods for assessing environmental impacts that are essential for efficient port environmental management and for sustainable port operation and development in Korea. To do this, this study examines the overall port environmental problems and their effects (damages) through the analysis of environmental policies and case studies of domestic and overseas ports. Then economic valuation methods are suggested for total economic values (TEV) of damaged environmental goods and services. Among the proposed methods, Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA), as a more scientific data based method, was applied to estimate marine ecosystem service damages from the designation of Busan New Port Anchorages. Finally, based on the study results, more efficient port environmental management will be achieved through the institutional adoption of the proposed economic impact assessment methods for port environmental damages.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2018

This study was performed to analyze the dynamics and distributional condition of biological community and to support the basic information about the estuarine ecosystem management by using the intensively surveyed results by each taxon experts around Tamjin river. We analyzed the biological diversity, abundance, correlation among species, and ecological characteristics about 11 taxa groups including vegetation, fish, birds, mammals, etc. in the Tamjin river estuarine ecosystem. We classified vegetation types into 7 physiognomic types and 18 communities according to habitat conditions with the physical environments and salinity. In total, 1125 species including 9 species of endangered species were identified in research area. The species composition and distributional characteristics of each taxon were corresponded to the environmental characteristics of the estuarine ecosystem. Especially, the species diversity and distribution were clearly distinguished in the river according to the difference of the environmental factors such as flow rate, salinity, and soil. Despite the disturbance factors such as barrage and levees, the biodiversity and its distribution were evaluated to be high level under the current environmental conditions. However, loss or reduction of wildlife habitat due to reclamation, embankment, barrage installation and expansion of farmland has been identified as a major threat to the diversity and health of the local ecosystem. The results of this study can be used as a basic data to cope with various development pressure and damage crisis of the whole estuaries including Tamjin river.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.241-249
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• 2022

Humans and wild birds coexist in cities, where habitat fragmentation due to urbanization threatens the habitat and movement of birds. In this study, in order to identify landscape features associated with wild bird collide, we characterized landscape composition within a 500 m radius and points of wild bird carcasses in Suwon-city, South Korea. Dead birds were identified as having a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of 0.3, Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) of -0.05, and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) of -0.16 at the points of collide. And there were NDVI of 0.34, NDBI of -0.01, NDWI of -0.18, building height of 13.8 m, and soundproof wall length of 227.3 m within a radius of 500 m. Land cover type was dominated by grassland, used area, and bare land. In particular, the edges of urbanized areas, where apartments bordered forests, reservoirs, and golf courses, were identified as high-risk spaces. In order to minimize bird mortality risk in urban environments, the impact of changes to a vertical landscape should be reviewed from an environmental impact assessment approach. In addition, a preventive management plan that considers the temporal and spatial features that wild animals can safely avoid and adapt to in urbanized spaces should be prepared.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.30-32
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• 1998

Growth environments of Cypripedium macranthum Sw. habitats distributed in mountains and highland plains of northern part of Kyunggi-do and Kangwon-do in Korea, were studied in order to obtain basic data. Mean temperature in habitats of Cypripedium macranthum was $14^{\circ}C$ and minimum value was recorded $-7^{\circ}C$ in January, and maximum value was $28^{\circ}C$ in August. Mean soil temperature of the orchid sites was $11^{\circ}C$ and minimum value was $-4^{\circ}C$ in January. The light intensity from March to May was 48,000~51,400 lux and the lowest value was 11,500 lux in July. Light intensity in shade habitat sites from July to August was dropped to 470~865 lux, and the SPAD value was 34.3 in July, which was the highest of the year. The range of soil acidity was pH 5.6~5.8 and soil moisture was 16.4%~36.2%. The highest soil moisture was 36.2% on June. The Cypripedium habitats were correlated with temperature (especially high temperature), light intensit, and soil moisture. However, critical factor seems to be soil moisture in distribution of Cypripedium macranthum in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.25-56
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• 2006

We reviewed and compared nationwide surveys conducted in advanced countries (i.e., Japan, Germany, USA, and UK) with those in Korea, including the third Nationwide Survey of Natural Environments, which began in 2006 and will proceed until 2010. Based on this comparative analysis, we suggest alternatives to the nationwide survey of natural environments that are suited to Korea. Given the focus on species abundances and distributions in previous nationwide surveys in Korea, surveys of habitats, ecosystems, and ecoregions are required to more effectively protect biological resources in Korea. Furthermore, their spatial distributions should be mapped using periodical satellite images and aerial photographs. In particular, satellite images can be used to survey species, habitats, and ecosystems. Natural resources monitoring and management specialists are needed to collect various data and improve survey results. The participation of community volunteers is also important to develop an awareness in local residents of natural environment conservation. Independent survey institute (i.e., a 'National Ecosystem Institute') should be established to develop a database and survey scheme for species, habitats, and ecosystems throughout Korea. Moreover, the survey institute could develop natural environmental policy through the data analysis to meet the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The establishment of a survey institute will allow the completion of a natural environment survey that considers various factors, including physical habitat conditions. This will allow us to detect subtle changes in species abundance and spatial distributions and provide accurate and timely information on natural environments.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.14-28
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• 2001

This study is to discuss the problems due to the maldevelopment occurred at the reserved areas of natural environments of the Ulleung Island, Gyeongsangbuk-do province, and it also suggests the ways of solving them The types of the maldevelopment practiced on the Ulleung Island consist of the change of land use, the opening of a round road, the destruction of mountains for the construction of harbor, the development of tourist areas, and the construction of military facilities. The decreased habitat of animals and the pollution of drinking water are occurred by the change of land use. The destruction of ecological system is due to the opening of a round road. The damage of natural landscape and the change of ocean eco-system is closely related to the construction of harbor and the destruction of mountains. Finally, the damage of rare plants and the pollution of drinking water are due to the development of tourist areas and the construction of military facilities. In the followings, the ways of solving the problems occurred by the various types of maldevelopment are suggested. First, the planning of pro-environmental development has to be established and practiced to preserve rare plants which are damaged due to the change of land use. Second, the destruction of natural landscape and resources has to be minimized by the implementation of environmental impact assesment when road and harbor are constructed. Third, the stones needed for the development of islands ought to be imported from mainland. Fourth, the established tourist areas are needed to rationally manage and the potential tourist areas has to be transferred to the reserved areas of natural environments. Fifth, military facilities should be constructed though the cooperation of autonomous local government. Finally, government officers' and residents' conscience of protecting and reserving natural environments is needed, and government has to give residents financial supports.