• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2015

Hyla suweonensis is an endemic species and is designated as the only endangered species I among amphibians in 2012 by the Ministry of Environment, however studies about its habitat are lacking. This study was carried out to analyze habitat of H. suweonensis based on the spatial information using Maxent (Maximum entropy model as a species distribution model. We detected 45 present points until 2013 and 10 environmental variables by literature review for the model. The results showed that $429km^2$ (0.95%) of the study area, which was about 7.75% of the total agricultural area, was high possible habitats of H. suweonensis. The habitat of H. suweonensis was analyzed by over $1km^2$ rice paddy fields that were lower elevations, flat slopes, and not fragmented. The distance from forests and rivers was identified as a factor that affects its habitat possibilities. In order to conserve H. suweonensis, a large area of rice paddy fields should be preserved, and especially the area around forests and rivers would be required more intensive management. In addition, to compensate for degraded habitats of H. suweonensis in urban areas like as Suwon city, considering integrated watershed management strategy could be effective in the perspective of ecological habitat network of H. suweonensis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

Beginning of the human ecology in 1920s, the efforts for applying the environmental values to a policy have been embodied by the enactments of international agreement and relevant laws. The government has been struggling to adopt the environmental values for the policy by enacting the relevant laws and establishing the environmental value evaluation information (environmental conservation value assessment map, eco-natural map, biotope map). In spite of the efforts to apply the environmental value assessment information for the habitat potential of wildlife, the application is being challenged by the discrepancy in methods and criteria. Thus this study intends to measure the potential of wildlife habitat and apply it to the spatial value classification for the application plan of wildlife habitat potential in policy. Maxent was used for the habitat potential and the land types were classified depending on the surface and land use pattern of cadastral map. As a result, the policy matrix including conservation strategy(CS), restoration strategy(RS), practical use strategy(PS) and development strategy(DS) has been deduced as CS $13.05km^2$(2.38%), RS $1.64km^2$(0.30%), PS $162.42km^2$(29.57%) and DS $8.56km^2$(1.56%). CS was emerged mostly on forest valleys and farmlands, and RS was appeared in the road area near the conservation strategy areas. Boryung downtown and Daecheon Beach were the center of DS, while the forest and farmlands were presented as PS. It is significant that this study suggest the new approaching method by comparing the wildlife habitat potential with the land type. Since this study evaluated the environmental value by one species of leopard cat (Prionailurusbengalensis) with Maxent model, it is necessary to apply the habitat potential measuring method for various target species as further research.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.145-153
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• 2019

The present study performed the impact of the change of low-flow channel on aquatic habitat in a reach of the Wonju-cheon Stream, Korea. The target species was Zacco platypus, a dominant species in the middle- and upper-stream of Wonju Cheon. The River2D model was used for the computation of the flow and the habitat suitability index model was used to estimate the quantity and quality of fish habitat using habitat suitability curves. First, for the restoration to low-flow channel, the restoration was conducted in a form close-to-nature flow channel, and the width of the low-flow channel was expanded and reduced. The results indicated that the Weighted Usable Area (WUA) of the target species improved by about 72% when the width of the low-flow channel was expanded, and that the fish habitat decreased by about 25% when the width of the low-flow channel was reduced.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.221-234
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• 2023

This study was conducted to develop a habitat assessment system for the endangered wildlife II Kirengeshoma koreana Nakai through in-depth interviews with experts based on field surveys and environmental characteristics through spatial data analysis and literature research. Evaluation factors were selected based on the survey results of 31 variables for 23 K. koreana habitats. Afterwards, the importance and evaluation range for each assessment factor were selected. The selection of survey variables, assessment factors, importance of each factor and assessment range was conducted through in-depth interviews with experts at each stage. As a result, the assessment factors and importance were 16% for precipitation of the wettest month, 10% for vegetation zone, 12% for vegetation type, 10% for crown canopy vitality, 14% for tree layer coverage, 13% for drainage grade, 12% for soil depth, and 13% for distance to stream including dry stream. This study provides basic ecological information and a habitat assessment system for K. koreana habitats. Therefore, it can be used as primary data for preparing an endangered wildlife conservation policy, preparing a habitat improvement plan, and selecting an alternative habitat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.161-172
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• 2010

As the interest on biodiversity has increased around the world, researches about evaluating potential for habitat are also increasing to find and comprehend the valuable habitats. This study focus on comprehending the significance of stream in evaluating habitat's potential. The purpose of this study is to evaluate habitat potential with applying stream as a main variable, and to comprehend the relationship between the variables and habitat potential. Basin is a unit that has hydrological properties and dynamic interaction with ecosystem. Especially, biodiversity and suitability of habitat in basin area has direct correlation with stream. Existing studies also are proposing for habitat potential evaluation in basin unit, they applied forest, slope and road as main variables. Despite stream is considered the most important factor in basin area, researchers haven't applied stream as a main variable. Therefore, in this study, three variables that can demonstrate hydrological properties are selected, which are, riparian distance, stream order and land use disturbance, and evaluate habitat potential. Habitat potential is analyzed by using Maxent (Maximum entropy model), and vertebrate's presence data is used as dependent variables and stream order map and land cover map is used as base data of independent variables. As a result of analysis, habitat potential is higher at riparian and upstream area, and lower at frequently disturbed area. Result indicates that adjacent to stream, upstream, and less disturbed area is the habitat that vertebrate prefer. In particular, mammals prefer adjacent area of stream and forest and reptiles prefer upriver area. Birds prefer adjacent area of stream and midstream and amphibians prefer adjacent area of stream and upriver. The result of this research could help to establish habitat conservation strategy around basin unit in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.111-117
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• 2011

This study attempts to facilitate climate change adaptation in conservation area by spatial planning of climate adaptation zone for endangered species. Spatial area is South Korea and select leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) as a target species of this study. In order to specify the climate adaptation zone, firstly, Maximum entropy method (Maxent) was used to identify suitable habitat, and then core habitat was selected for leopard cat. Secondly, land use resistance index was evaluated and least cost distance was analyzed for target species. In this step we choose dispersal capacity of leopard cat to reflect species ecological characteristic. Finally, climate adaptation zone is described and adaptation measures are suggested. The presented approach could be generalized for application into conservation planning and restoration process. Furthermore, spatial planning of climate adaptation zone could increase heterogeneity of habitat and improve adaptive capacity of species and habitat itself.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2022

Among the 13 species of otters in the world, only one Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is found in South Korea. In the Korean Peninsula, otter pelts were historically valuable and expensive commodities used for international trade, and otters have long been poached as hunting animals. Recent rapid economic development in South Korea has increased habitat fragmentation and loss, creating a continuing threat to the natural environment. Otters live only in the area of rivers and streams as a family group and are territorial (linear habitat). Due to these limited conditions of otter habitat, the population size of otter is lower than that of onshore mammals. According to recent research, DNA analyses using microsatellite markers have shown that only approximately 7-21 otter individuals inhabit river systems for a length of 50-230 km. Korea's urban streams are associated with many threats that hinder otters from inhabiting them. Many areas around the urban streams are surrounded by high concrete riverbanks, and the risk of roadkill is also high. Nevertheless, ecological restoration projects in the urban rivers will contribute greatly to the stable inhabitation of otters. Detailed otter conservation strategies, such as the elimination of threat factors, improvement of habitat environment, and restoration of food resources and shelter, will provide a positive restoration effect on otter and river ecosystems as well.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2019

This study performed the impact of ecological waterway on fish community in a reach of the Dal River, Korea. Fish monitoring revealed that 9 fish species are dominant, namely Zacco platypus, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, Zacco koreanus, Pungtungia herzi, Acheilognathus yamatsutae, Rhinogobius brunneus, Tanakia signifer, Gobiobotia macrocephala, and Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpus, and account for 95% of the total fish community. The River2D model was used for the computation of the flow and the HSI model for the habitat simulation. The restoration of the waterway performed through the small dam removal, the formation of the pool-riffle structure, and the change of the bed elevation and width. Simulation results indicated that the restoration of the ecological waterway effects significantly increased by about 16% for the WUA (Weighted Usable Area) of the total fish community in optimal ecological flow conditions ($Q=7.0m^3/s$). The restoration of the ecological waterway is more advantageous to fish community.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2015

Lateral connectivity between a main channel and a former channel plays an integral role in maintaining ecological functions of stream-floodplain ecosystems. This study virtually restored the connectivity of the former channel, which is currently isolated by channelization, in the Mangyeong River, Korea. Fish habitat improvement after the connectivity restoration was evaluated using River2D, two-dimensional depth-averaged hydraulic modeling, depending on normal and flood flow conditions. Target fish species were crucian carp (Carassius auratus), which are known as lentic species, and pale chub (Zacco platypus), known as lotic species. The weighted usable area (WUA) of the two species was increased after the connectivity restoration: the two-way connection between the main and formal channels was more effective than the one-way connection. The result of the physical habitat simulation at a flood flow condition demonstrated an increased rate of the WUA than during a normal flow condition. In particular, the WUA of pale chub increased about four times on the two-way connectivity restoration. This result suggests that habitat availability of both lentic and lotic fish species will increase after a connectivity restoration, and a two-way connectivity restoration may be more effective. In addition, the restored formal channel would function as a shelter for fish during the flood season.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.39-60
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• 2018

National parks are designated for the purpose of maintenance, conservation and utilization of different habitats. Therefore, it is necessary to select habitats of a high value as a protected area in order to balance conservation and development. However, the existing national park boundary adjustment and new designation criteria only focused on the endangered species and protected area, without proper evaluation of the habitat value of actual species. Therefore, this study aims to quantitatively evaluate habitat function in terms of biodiversity and habitat value, so that it can be referred to for the designation and boundary adjustment of national parks. We assessed species diversity and habitat values for each of the habitat types, for mammals only, as they are able to choose preferred habitats. In order to evaluate biodiversity, we used Maxent to derive species richness map and used InVEST's Habitat quality model to evaluate habitat value. As a result of evaluation, species richness was high in the national park boundary area. Also, even if the same edge is adjacent to the development area depending on the land cover, the species richness is low. Compared with Wolaksan and Sobaeksan National Park, the species richness and habitat value of the northern area, which is connected with other forests, were higher than those of the southern area where roads were developed. Therefore, it is expected that the use of the result of this study for the national park boundary adjustment and management will enhance the function of the national park as a habitat.