• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2020

Many areas of vegetation in the British uplands have reduced species diversity as a result of sheep overgrazing. It has been suggested that abandonment or re-wilding strategies might be used to reverse this. A likely first step would be the removal or reduction of grazing livestock from upland areas, with a presumption that this would lead to a recovery in species richness. However, we do not know if this would work, or the timescales involved. One of the important areas where more knowledge is needed is information on the size and composition of soil seedbanks as regeneration from zseed is a likely pathway of recovery. Here, we compared seedbanks in both grazed and ungrazed plots in five experiments at Moor House NNR in the northern Pennines; these sheep grazing exclusion experiments were started 52 and 63/64 years ago. Soil samples (n=10) were collected from both grazed and ungrazed plots in each experiment, and seed emergence counted in glasshouse trials. We detected only seeds of common species and very few dicotyledonous species. This suggests that the soil seedbank is unlikely to be a reliable source of the less common species for ecological restoration in these upland communities, suggesting an extinction debt. Therefore, seed addition and the creation of suitable safe-sites for germination may be needed in conjunction with grazing controls to allow the establishment of plants that will increase the species richness of the vegetation. However, this interventionist restoration approach remains to be tested.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.768-776
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• 2015

This study was performed to understand combustion properties four major Indonesian wood species such as Albizia, Gmelina, Mangium and Mindi were investigated by cone-calorimeter for better utilization of theses wood species. Heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (TSR), specific mass loss rate (SMLR), effective heat of combustion (EHC), time to ignition (TTI), flame time (FT), specific extinction area (SEA), smoke production rate (SPR) and CO compound production rate were measured. HRR, THR and FT were proportional to the density of woods. Albizia showed the highest HRR, while Mindi had the lowest HRR. For SPR, Albizia showed the highest value due to its higher SEA. On the other hand, Mindi had the lowest SPR due to a lower SEA value. The highest smoke emission was for Albizia at the beginning of combustion. After 300 seconds, smoke emission of Gmleina and Mangium was increased greatly. Mangium and Mindi showed the highest total carbon dioxide emission. Expecially, Gmelina released the highest carbon monoxide during the combustion period and presented three times higher $CO/CO_2$ ratio than those of other species due to incomplete combustion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 2020

This study was conducted to quantitatively evaluate and analyze the alternative habitats using the HSI(Habitat Suitability Index) model of Lutra lutra in Banbyeoncheon Stream. Six variables were selected as habitat variables for Lutra lutra, including distance from waterfront, land cover within 1km from waterfront, presence of alluvial island, area of inland water and wetland, distance from roads and urbanized arid areas, and distance from aquaculture farm. The SI(Suitability Index) model and HSI model were developed based on the existing literature of Lutra lutra, the results of field surveys and expert opinions, and applied to the alternative habitats to examine the applicability of the HSI model. The results of this study can provide information on habitat evaluation to prevent the extinction of endangered Lutra lutra. In particular, it is highly applicable to the selection and evaluation of alternative habitats for Lutra lutra.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

This study aimed to develop the HSI (Habitat Suitability Index) model of Cypripedium guttatum. and to verify this model by applying to the candidate sites for replacement habitat. The development of HSI and SI (Suitability Index) model was conducted based on the existing literature, field surveys, and expert opinions for information on ecological habitat characteristics. Seven variables were selected as habitat variables including mean maximum temperature in Jul.-Aug., lighting, slope, altitude, effective soil depth, soil texture, and artificial overexploitation (i.e. protected areas). HSI model was developed for C. guttaum based on these variables. This HSI model showed high applicability to selection and evaluation of replacement habitats for C. guttaum. Our findings could provide the basic information on habitat assessment to prevent the extinction of endangered C. guttatum. However, since there is a limitation that the survey data were insufficient, further field surveys should be conducted on several habitat types to improve the accuracy of the HSI model.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.48-57
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• 2024

Distribution status and extinction threat evaluation of an endangered species, Cobitis choii, were investigated from 2015 to 2019. In 2015 and 2018, we investigated past appearance sites of C. choii. In 2015, 163 individuals from nine sites were collected by surveying 19 stations. In 2018, 19 individuals from five sites were collected by surveying 22 sites. In 2019, 156 individuals from 12 sites were collected as a result of a survey of 79 sites of past appearance and potential appearance of C. choii. Appearance regions were Mihocheon (Baekgokcheon (2 sites), Chopyeongcheon (1 sites)), Gapcheon (3 sites), Yugucheon (2 sites), Jicheon (4 sites), and Geumgang mainstream (2 sites). Among these appearing regions, Baekgokcheon, Yugucheon, and Mihocheon mainstreams showed a sharp decline in population. Baekgokcheon was estimated to have a habitat change due to a project to raise the bank of Baekgok Reservoir. Yugucheon was estimated to have a habitat disturbance due to flood-induced collapse and reconstruction of weir. Mihocheon mainstream was estimated to have water pollution and habitat disturbance. On the other hand, Chopyeongcheon and Geumgang mainstream were newly habitat identified and Gapcheon was noted to show an increase in the number of individuals. After performing extinction threat evaluation, C. choii was evaluated as Endangered (EN A2ac) due to its rapid population decline (more than 50%) in its habitats of Baekgokcheon, Yugucheon, and Mihocheon based on criteria A, while it was evaluated as Vulnerable (VU B1ab (iii,v) +B2ab +B2ab (iii,v)) due to its narrow extent of occurrence (EOO, 1,735 km²) and area of occupancy (AOO, 36 km²) in 6 locations with a continuous population decline based on criteria B. Therefore, the final threat of extinction grade was evaluated as Endangered (EN A2ac). In Baekgokcheon, Yugucheon, and Mihocheon mainstream where the population has declined rapidly recently, conservation measures are urgently required to increase its population.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.199-208
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• 2019

In this study, the community structures of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in the roots of Abies koreana and Taxus cuspidata were investigated at different altitudes of Mt. Halla. We identified the collected ECM root tips based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis through sequencing of the rDNA ITS regions. From the roots of A. koreana and T. cuspidata, 11 species and 12 species were identified, respectively. The Shannon's index and species evenness and abundance of the ECM fungi were higher in the higher than lower regions, regardless of host plant species, however, the number of ECM root tips showed the opposite pattern. The community similarity among the ECM fungi in A. koreana was significantly higher than that among the ECM fungi in T. cuspidata or than that between A. koreana and T. cuspidata (p < 0.05). These results could be useful for the conservation and management of the habitat of A. koreana, which is threatened with extinction due to increasing ambient air temperature.

• Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology : HEB
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.865-873
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• 2018

Allium ochotense and Allium microdictyon are commonly known as 'Mountain garlic' and are popular, economically important species in many countries such as Korea, China, and Mongolia. Their leaves are used as culinary side dishes and in traditional medicines. In Korea, these two species are at risk of extinction due to damage to their natural habitat and thus, conservation and breeding programs are needed. However, their identification relies mostly on morphological data, which is limited and until recently, led to classifying these two species under A. victorialis. In the present study, a simple and reliable method of molecular identification was developed to distinguish A. ochotense from A. microdictyon that targets four barcoding regions: the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the maturase K gene (matK), the chloroplast psbA-trnH intergenic region, and the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit gene (rbcL). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in ITS and matK regions, and species-specific primers were designed based solely on the SNP at position 680 of the ITS region that could differentiate A. ochotense from A. microdictyon. Using these primers in amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR, A. ochotense, and A. microdictyon could be simultaneously and efficiently distinguished. This study is the first to report a simple, rapid, and efficient method for discriminating A. ochotense and A. microdictyon, indicating the utility of species-specific markers in the development of conservation and breeding programs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.106 no.2
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• pp.111-120
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• 2017

The best source of information on the conservation status of species at a global scale is the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Until now, 236 vascular plants from Korean peninsula have been evaluated using the IUCN red list categories and criteria. It indicated that five taxa were considered as critically endangered, 20 as endangered and nine as vulnerable species as a threatened status. On the other hand, the rest (189 taxa) were assessed as a least concern, which did not qualify for threatened species categories. Korea Ministry of Environment published a revised version of 57 species list by re-classifying endangered species with idiosyncratic qualitative criteria for two levels (I and II) followed by status reviews in 2011. However, two thirds species proposed by Ministry of Environment do not qualify as threatened. The major difficulties found in applying IUCN Red List criteria at the global scale was a lack of knowledge on the status of species at broader geographic scales and the perceived difficulty the causes. The lack of consistency between two lists constrains the prioritization of species-based conservation work at the national level. Due to a lack of centralized monitoring data for most species, this status is largely qualitatively and so it carries a high level of uncertainty. This is reflected in the high number of species with an unknown population trend. The current list of endangered species of flora and fauna by the Ministry of Environment should be recognized as the national list (local and population extinction), which is different from the IUCN Red list due to the different geographical contexts. Also, it is necessary to improve the quality of evaluation and conservation management system rather than presenting massive number of endangered species list.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.75-103
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• 2008

It is widely recognized that destruction of the eco-system with the counter-effect from the rapid industrialization threatens the life of human species. Furthermore, the extinction of some wild species keeps sending a warning message on the threat to human lives in the sense that both the human and wild lives have coexisted for a long time before the industrialization. Therefore, this study will shed a light on the importance of a natural ecology protection, focusing on wild-life conservation. This will provide an opportunity to consider the economic value of biodiversity through conservation of diverse wild lives and a natural ecology. Also, the irreversible damage to natural resources and extinction of certain species represent the urgency of this issue. This paper will perform a theoretical examination on the concept of wild plants and animals, an analysis of factors influencing their survivals, as well as the theory of natural ecology protections. This also examine the problems arising out of current domestic legislation of a natural ecology protection, comparing it with case studies of foreign countries. Through these analysis, this paper will seek for a maintenance of the currently enforcing natural ecology protection law to overcome its limits and will ultimately find alternatives to current system.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.213-218
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• 2008

Swertia chirata is an endangered gentian species that prefers to grow at higher altitudes. This ethnomedicinal herb is known primarily for its bitter taste caused by the presence of important phytochemicals that are directly associated with human health benefits. Due to a continuous loss of habitat and inherent problems of seed viability and seed germination, alternative strategies for propagation and conservation are urgently required to prevent the possible extinction of this species. We have formulated a reproducible protocol for the rapid propagation and conservation of this plant using leaves taken from in vitro shoot cultures. Direct induction of more than seven shoot buds per explant was achieved for the first time when the explants were placed on MS medium supplemented with $2.22{\mu}M$ N-6-benzyladenine, $11.6{\mu}M$ kinetin, and $0.5{\mu}M$ ${\alpha}-naphthalene$ acetic acid. Direct organogenesis was noted exclusively from the adaxial surface of the basal segments of leaves. Leaves closer to the apical meristem were more responsive than those farther away from the meristem. Plants raised through direct organogenesis were evaluated for their clonal fidelity by chromosomal analysis and DNA fingerprinting. Complete plants were successfully transferred to the field condition and produced viable seeds. Given the enormous potential of this age-old medicinal plant in terms of potential health-benefitting drugs, this protocol can be used for commercial propagation purposes and to initiate future genetic improvement studies.