Conservation Value Assessment Research Articles

국토환경성평가지도를 이용한 자연환경 우수지역 세분화 방안

국토환경성평가지도를 이용한 자연환경 우수지역 세분화 방안

국토환경성평가지도 기반 Gap 분석을 이용한 자연환경 우수지역 중 관리취약지역 추출

개발과 보전 간 갈등을 최소화할 수 있는 지속가능한 국토 관리를 위해서는 기본적으로 다양한 생물들의 서식처가 될 수 있는 자연환경 우수지역에 대한 관리가 이루어져야 한다. 자연환경 우수지역에 대한 효율적 관리를 위해서는 자연환경 우수지역 중에서도 법적·제도적으로 보호받지 못하고 개발에 노출된 지역들에 대해 지속적인 현황 파악의 노력이 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 국토환경성평가지도의 환경생태적 평가 결과와 법제적 평가 결과를 활용한 Gap 분석을 통하여 환경생태적으로 자연환경이 우수하나 제도적으로 보호받지 못하는 관리취약지역을 추출하는 방안을 제안하고자 하였다. Gap 분석 결과, 전국토의 4.81%와 국토환경성 평가지도 환경생태적 평가 1등급 지역의 11.22%가 자연환경적으로 우수하나 제도적으로 보호받지 못하는 관리취약지역으로 분석되 었다. 그리고 이러한 대표지역들의 현황을 살펴본 결과, 국토의 계획 및 이용에 관한 법률상 자연녹지지역으로 지정되어 있었으며, 기타법률에 의거 준보전산지, 가축사육제한구역 그리고 인근 학교로 인한 상대보호구역으로 지정된 지역들이었으며, 이러한 관리 취약지역들은 여건만 조성된다면 개발이 발생할 수 있는 지역들이었다. 따라서 이러한 지역들의 보호를 위해 제도적으로 보호할 수 있는 관리 방안을 고려해야 한다. 그리고 이러한 자연환경이 우수한 관리취약지역의 제도적 관리와 보호 대책 마련을 통해 국내 생물다양성을 증진시키고 지속가능한 국토관리가 가능할 것으로 판단된다.

서식지 적합성 평가를 통한 국립공원 탐방로 관리 방안 연구 - 무등산 국립공원 내 담비 서식지를 중심으로 -

This study carried out for establishing the synthetic restoration plan to improve ecological quality of Mt. Mudeung National Park based on the results of conservation value assessment for yellow- throated marten habitats. Yellow-throated marten has significant implications as umbrella species for the wildlife habitats conservation, therefore, this species could be used to ecological restoration plan of the damaged forest ecosystem in Mt. Mudeung National Park. In this study, we diagnosed the quality of yellow-throated marten habitats in Mt. Mudeung National Park based on five natural and two artificial factors. In addition, we evaluated the integrity of each zone divided by trails quantitatively based on land use intensity. As a result, forest landscape quality in Mt. Mudeung National Park was influenced greatly by human activity and the degree was depended on the intensity of trails. Therefore, in this study, we suggested the closing of trails composed of the illegal and 36 legal trails. And then, we modeled the changes of habitats quality of Yellow-throated marten for each closing step. As a result, the area of core habitats increased by two times and wildlife habitats quality improved in the whole area of the Mt. Mudeung National Park. As a result, the results of this study indicate that man-made linear landscape elements play a key role in the quality of habitats for predators, which require large habitats area like the Yellow-throated marten. Therefore, in order to establish an ecological restoration plan in the mountainous area, we recommend the concept of the linear landscape should be applied with the concept of area landscape.

Assessing the Habitat Suitability of Dam Reservoirs: A Quantitative Model and Case Study of the Hantan River Dam, South Korea

The main objective of this study was to investigate ecologically healthy regions near a dam reservoir. This study developed a model for assessing habitat suitability as a proxy for the ecological value of reservoirs. Three main factors comprising nine assessment variables were selected and classified as having a habitat suitability (HS) between 0 and 1: (1) geomorphic factors of altitude, slope steepness, and slope aspect; (2) vegetation factors of forest physiognomy, vegetation type, and tree age; and (3) ecological factors of land cover, ecological quality index, and environmental conservation value assessment. The spatial distribution of the nine HS indices was determined using geographic information systems and combined into one HS index value to determine ecologically healthy regions. The assessment model was applied to areas surrounding the Hantan River Dam, South Korea. To verify the model, wildlife location data from the national ecosystem survey of the Ministry of Environment were used. Areas with an HS index between 0.73 and 1 were found to contain 72% of observed wildlife locations. Ecologically healthy areas were identified by adding the indices of each variable. The methods shown here will be useful for establishing ecological restoration plans for dam reservoirs in South Korea.

Endangered and endemic species increase forest conservation values of species diversity based on the Shannon-Wiener index

Species diversity is the most important component of biodiversity and plays an important role in maintaining forest ecosystem processes and stability. The assessment of the forest conservation value of species diversity is commonly carried out based on the Shannon-Wiener index. However, endangered and endemic species were always ignored in previous studies aimed at assessing the conservation value of forest species diversity. In this study, the conservation value of forest species diversity was assessed in two representative provinces of southern and northern China (Yunnan and Jilin provinces, respectively). The conservation values of species diversity for different forest types was calculated based on the standard Shannon-Wiener index, and on two different indexes derived from it by including: (i) an endangered species index (Ei) based on the China Species Red List; (ii) an endemic species index (Bx) based on the geographic distribution of the species considered. The results showed that the inclusion of the endangered and endemic species indexes dramatically increased the forest conservation values in these two provinces. The total conservation value in the Yunnan province was 268.65 billion yuan yr-1 based on the Shannon-Wiener index, 269.78 billion yuan yr-1 after including Ei in the assessment, and 324.44 billion yuan yr-1 after the inclusion of both Ei and Bx. In Jilin province, the total conservation value was 123.94 billion yuan yr-1 based on the standard Shannon-Wiener index, 124.60 billion yuan yr-1 after including Ei, and 125.74 billion yuan yr-1 after including both Ei and Bx in the assessment. Therefore, the inclusion of endangered and endemic species in the assessment of forest conservation values, as well as other aspects related to biodiversity like the presence of ancient trees, can contribute to the protection of endangered and endemic species in these two provinces of China.

Assessment of Ecosystem Water Conservation Value In The Beijing Four Seasons Flower Valley

Based on the data of field investigation and multi-source data analysis, Beijing Four Seasons Flower Valley declared in 2008 towards valley economy water conservation function and value was estimated by means of rainfall storage capacity as well as ecological economy. The results showed that: Landscape structure of FSFV was forest land-cultivated land-grassland. FSFV had the highest water conservation function in Beijing valleys, with the capacity of 1101.13 m3/hm2. Annual total amount of water conservation was 31.20×106 m3, accounting for 10.07% of Beijing valleys, and the total value of water conservation was 3.61×108 Yuan. High water conservation capacity areas were mainly located in the eastern mountainous region with broadleaf forest centralized distribution. Low water conservation function areas were mainly occurred in the regions effected by human activities. Forest ecosystem had the highest capacity of water conservation of 1116 m3/hm2, while construction ecosystem had the lowest. Higher degree of human activities, lower capacity of water conservation. Shrub forest and broadleaf forest had the largest contribution on valley water conservation, with contribution rate of 36.35% and 35.62%. Ranking of water conservation capacity, broadleaf forest had the highest value of 1135 m3/hm2, followed by coniferous forest, shrub forest and mixed forest.

Characterizing common and range expanding species

AbstractClimate change and biological invasions have increased the likelihood of the establishment, growth, spread and survival of some species. With the recent and strongly motivated call for balanced consideration of the ecology and conservation of common and rare species, species undergoing range expansion are of particular interest. The notion of essential biodiversity variables has also re‐focussed attention on the value of abundance and occupancy observations for assessing conservation values, threats and targets – species rare or common, contracting or expanding. Changes in the distribution and abundance of common and range expanding species deserve further attention, not only to better understand their dynamics, but also as the basis for monitoring range expansions and their consequences. With the aim of characterizing range expansion, here we combine perspectives from typological approaches to studying species conservation status with perspectives from spread ecology and macroecology. Closer examination of the properties and dynamics of common species is important not only because declines in their conservation status are underappreciated, but also because those species becoming more common have significant implications for biodiversity, ecosystems and society.

Moderate land use changes plant functional composition without loss of functional diversity in India's Western Ghats.

The fields of ecology and conservation science increasingly recognize the importance of managing for functional composition and functional diversity to maintain critical ecosystem processes and services. However, little is known about the degree to which widespread but moderate forms of land use that maintain overall vegetation structure are compatible with the conservation of functional diversity. We assessed differences in plani functional composition and functional diversity across savanna woodlands in the Western Ghats, India, managed with varying degrees of biomass extraction, livestock grazing, and ground fire. Across the gradient of moderate land uses, we found shifts in functional composition but no overall decline in functional diversity with land, use intensification. Biomass extraction was associated with changes in dispersal mode, reduced seed mass, and lower overstory functional diversity. Livestock grazing was associated with shorter overstory species, reduced seed mass, and increased understory functional diversity. Nonnative invasive species contributed to shifts in understory functional composition with livestock grazing and increased functional diversity with more intensive land use. Our study highlights both the utility and some limitations of assessing conservation value with functional diversity. These results suggest that moderate-intensity local land use can be compatible with maintenance of functional diversity in savanna woodlands of the Western Ghats, and further efforts to maximize this compatibility would benefit conservation in South India's extensive human-managed landscapes. However, using functional diversity as the sole metric by which to gauge conservation value can mask threats from invasive species and loss of diversity within categories of biotic dispersal. Therefore, functional diversity metrics are likely to provide a valuable complement to, but not replacement for, other management targets such as species composition.

Assessment of conservation value of Cap des Trois Fourches (Morocco) as a potential MPA in southern Mediterranean

The marine habitats surrounding Cap des Trois Fourches (Mediterranean coast of Morocco) was explored in the framework of the MedMPAnet Project. Ten different communities were identified in the studied area, among which it is remarkable the presence of some key conservational habitats: seagrass meadows, dark and semidark cave communities, maerl beds and corraligenous assemblages. All the data was included in a GIS program (Geographic Information System) to elaborate a cartographic map of marine communities and species distribution. All the scientific data obtained support the proposal of Cap des Trois Fourches as a marine protected area. We also provided a map of management, suggesting the stricter protection of the areas with higher conservational interest.

Assessing conservation values of forest communities in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve: Plant diversity, species distribution and endemicity

Present study has been conducted in a biodiversity rich Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve between 2000-3800 m in two different forest physiognomy holding sites to analyze the structure and composition of the forest communities including richness of native, non native and endemic species, and suggest conservation values at community and reserve level. A total of 60 sites were sampled and grouped in 11 and 8 communities for two representative sites Pindari-Sunderdhunga-Kafni (PSK) and Lata-Tolma-Phagti (LTP) respectively. From the sampled sites, 451 species (11.8%, 53 trees; 17.71%, 80 shrubs; and 70.51%, 318 herbs) have been recorded. In general, PSK site represented 73.6% and LTP site represented only 54.9% of the total plant species recorded in the study area. Out of total species in PSK site, native species contributed 59.6% (198 spp.) and 24.7% species were endemic and near endemic. In LTP site, 66.5% species were Himalayan natives and 33.5% were endemic and near endemic. The species richness ranged from 4–23 ind ha−1 (tree), 3–18 ind ha−1 (sapling), 5–19 ind ha−1 (seedling) in PSK site and 4–18 ind ha−1 (tree), 4–11 ind ha−1 (sapling), 4–16 ind ha−1 (seedling) in LTP site. The density ranged from 260–535 ind ha−1 (tree), 145–633 ind ha−1 (sapling), 1450–8170 ind ha−1 (seedling) in PSK site and 599–1211 ind ha−1 (tree), 70–951 ind ha−1 (sapling), 470–1665 ind ha−1 (seedling) in LTP site. Species diversity for trees ranged from 0.73–3.37, saplings, 0.64–2.67, seedlings, 0.70–2.51, shrubs, 1–2.34 and herbs, 2.02–3.21 in PSK site and 0.63–1.61, saplings, 0.76–1.36, seedlings, 0.35–1.79, shrubs, 0.98–2.73 and herbs, 2.48–3.61 in LTP site. These recorded values were almost comparable with the studies conducted in sub-tropical, temperate and sub-alpine regions of the west Himalaya. In some cases the values were slightly higher than the reported values. The important communities with high conservation values have been identified based on different ecological parameters and species distribution. Among all the prioritized communities, Mixed Silver fir-Rhododendron-Maple community in PSK site and Taxus wallichana- A. pindrow mixed community in LTP site supports maximum richness and density of native and endemic species. This study calls for development of adequate strategy and action plan for the conservation and management of habitats, species, and communities under changing climate and socioeconomic scenarios, so that sustainable utilization of the species could be ensured.

Effects of clear-felling versus gradual removal of conifer trees on the survival of understorey plants during the restoration of ancient woodlands

Plantations of exotic conifers on ancient woodland sites retain many features of high conservation value and in many countries such sites are being actively restored. Clear-felling of the conifer trees is often a straight-forward first step, but recent guidance on restoration advocates gradual removal of the plantation crop to protect vulnerable woodland specialist plants. To date there has been little empirical evidence to support this policy. One hundred and four stands in 39 woodland sites in the UK owned by the Woodland Trust from Cornwall to Invernesshire were surveyed in 2001 and again in 2009 to assess the survival of woodland flora following restoration by both clear-felling and gradual removal of the plantation crop. On average, there were over seven woodland specialist and ancient woodland indicator species in each of the stands surveyed. Loss of specialist woodland species – the most shade adapted component of the flora – over this time period was strongly correlated with the degree of canopy opening. In contrast, the loss of more light demanding plant species was not related to the intensity of tree removals. This study suggests that a careful assessment and prioritisation of conservation values is needed before restoration. Rapid removal of an exotic species as part of a restoration programme may have an adverse effect on subsequent succession.

Morphological analysis of green infrastructure in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea

The purpose of this study is to understand changes in green infrastructure (GI) in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea, focusing on the critical GI components of hubs and links. We applied a morphological analysis tool, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), to explore GI in the Seoul metropolitan area. For input data to run MSPA, we used 30-m pixel-sized land cover data of 2000 and 2009 provided by the Ministry of Environment of Korea. Land cover data are used as foundational information for GI network mapping. Using MSPA, we examined morphological changes in hubs and links from 2000 to 2009 in the metropolitan area as well as in 32 municipalities in Gyeonggi-do, a major part of the metropolitan area. Our analysis showed that the area of hubs in the Seoul metropolis has decreased, while the number of links has dramatically increased, over this 10-year period. This implies that hubs have largely been fragmented into smaller ones with a rapid increase in links in a way that does not conserve and enhance GI. We also compared analysis of network area changes in the Seoul metropolitan area with the environmental conservation value assessment map (ECVAM) currently in use by the government to assess conservation value, and found that the network areas of 2009 mapped by MSPA corresponded to a 87.8 % level to the Grade I areas of the ECVAM, with variation by municipality. From these analyses, we conclude that MSPA is helpful in establishing conservation planning strategies optimized for local and regional contexts. The MSPA also provides a useful tool to complement the ECVAM for improving GI functions.

GIS 및 수치지도를 활용한 육상풍력발전단지 적지분석

In order to decide the location of appropriate onshore wind farm with higher potential wind energy, several decision processes using Geographic Information System (GIS) including Digital Elevation Map (DEM) were proposed and we also estimated the wind resources through the proposed decision process. Decision process consists with three steps. First step is excluding inappropriate location geographically using DEM data including SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) terrain data, landslide, land-use, roadway, and forest road data. And the second step of decision process is consideration of the difficulty caused by the natural environmental problem. This step is carried out using ECVAM (Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map) data. And final step is determination of the most suitable location through the Moving Suitability Identification Method (MSIM) based on the moving potentially estimated wind resources area. Proposed decision process was applied over the Korean Peninsula. Wind resource potential estimated by the first and the second step is cases shows 35.09 GW and 7.17 GW, respectively, and the total evaluated energy from the all proposed step were 0.43 GW and 1.87 GW for the 3 km and 1.5 km geographical grid size, respectively.

Method of Developing the Regional Ecological Network for Local Government using the National Ecological Network and the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map

Method of Developing the Regional Ecological Network for Local Government using the National Ecological Network and the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map

통합정보제공을 위한 공간정보 기반의 국내 능선축 구축

본 연구는 공간정보를 활용하여 국내 능선축을 구축하고, 주변 자연환경의 기초정보를 분석하여 관련 정보의 통합 제공체계를 구축하는 것이다. 이를 위하여 첫째, 국내 능선축(대간, 정맥, 지맥 및 기맥)을 공간정보로 구축하고 정립하였다. 둘째, 국내 능선축의 원류 및 분기 등의 현황을 체계적으로 분석하기 위하여 코드화를 수행하였다. 셋째, 기 구축된 능선축 주변의 자연환경(지형정보, 생태 자연도 및 국토환경성평가지도) 관련 공간정보를 활용하여 현황을 분석하였다. 넷째, 전술된 3가지 정보를 통합하여 활용하는 방안으로 Web GIS 기반의 능선축 통합정보제공 체계를 제안하고 기본 기능을 도출하였다. 지맥 및 기맥과 같은 능선축의 구축은 기존의 대간 및 정맥의 구축과정보다 세밀히 분석해야 하기 때문에 구축방법을 보다 개선하여 정확도를 높였다. 국내 능선축을 길이에 따라서 5개의 등급으로 구분하였으며, 능선축 자체의 연결된 현황 파악을 위하여 백두대간을 기반으로 분류체계를 코드화 하여 전체 능선축에 적용하였다. 또한 능선축 주변을 거리에 따라서 핵심, 완충, 중점으로 3가지 구분하고 주변의 기초 자연환경을 분석하였다. 이를 바탕으로 능선 축 관련 정보를 효율적으로 활용하기 위한 기본 방안을 제시하였다. 본 연구에서는 기존에 정규화 되지 못했던 국내 능선축을 공간정보를 활용하여 정리하고 분석하였다. 이를 바탕으로 능선축 관련 정보를 효율적으로 활용하기 위한 방안을 모색하기 위한 연구라고 할 수 있다. First purpose of this study is to build Korean mountain ridgelines based on GIS by using spatial information and analyze natural environment around mountain ridgelines built before. Second purpose of this study is to integrate Korean ridgelines and natural environment built before and then provide the integrated information related to ridgelines for public. To do so, fist of all, Korean mountain ridgelines including Deagan, Jeongmeak, Gimeak, Jimeak, are built as spatial information. Second, Encoding of mountain ridgelines is conducted to analyze main and divaricate ridgelines systematically as grades of ridgelines. Third, based on spatial information, present condition using natural environment including geographical information, ecological zoning map, environmental conservation value assessment map, is analyzed. Finally, as a method integrating and using the aforementioned three information, the system providing integrated information based on GIS is proposed, To build the GIS data of Gimeak and Jimeak, they should be analyzed in more detail than Beakdu Deagan and Jeongmeak, so existing methodology to build mountain ridgelines based on GIS is improved. According to the distance of each mountain ridgeline, they are separated into five grades, and encoding of each mountain ridgeline based on Beakdu Deagan is applied to all mountain ridgelines to figure out the present condition of ridgelines themselves. In addition, according to the distance of each mountain ridgeline, it is separated into three areas: core, buffer, median zone. Based on three zones, the way to make use of the information efficiently related to mountain ridgelines is proposed. This study systematizes Korean mountain ridgelines which did not have systematic structures and then analyzes systematic mountain ridgelines. Based on this analysis, this study finds the way to makes use of information related to mountain ridgelines effectively.

Red Lists and conservation prioritization of plant communities – a methodological framework

AbstractAimsRed Lists of threatened species are a well‐established conservation tool throughout the world. In contrast, Red Lists of ecosystems, habitats or plant community types have only recently found interest at the global level, although they have a longer tradition in Central Europe. We contribute to the debate by presenting and discussing a comprehensive conservation assessment methodology for plant communities that was developed within the framework of the project ‘The plant communities of Mecklenburg‐Vorpommern and their vulnerability’.LocationMecklenburg‐Vorpommern, Northeast Germany (23,174 km²).ApproachOur approach adopts various concepts from modern red listing and prioritization at various organizational levels of biodiversity, and combines them into a methodological framework applicable for regional to continental Red Lists of plant communities. For each distinguished plant community, three steps are carried out, i.e. (1) assessment of endangerment (scientific part, using the three criteria ‘past trend’, ‘current status’ and ‘prognosis’), (2) assessment of conservation value (normative part, using the three criteria ‘degree of naturalness’, ‘relevance for species conservation’ and ‘global relevance’), and (3) a combination of (1) and (2) to derive a need for action (conservation prioritization). These steps are all based on the successive aggregation of quantitative criteria via decision matrices, which makes the assessment process transparent, avoids definition gaps and allows easy adjustment of the decision rules.ConclusionsPlant community types derived from well‐documented classifications of extensive vegetation‐plot databases in combination with a transparent conservation assessment methodology have great potential in nature conservation and environmental monitoring. We suggest that the presented methodology is an improvement on traditional expert judgments as it separates the scientific and normative parts of the evaluation and uses clear, quantitative criteria and explicit rules to connect these into aggregated measures. It worked effectively and yielded meaningful results for a German federal state. By adjusting the scaling of the criteria, the approach can be adapted, as a whole or in part, to other regions or higher levels of ecosystem typology.

Evaluation of Inland Wind Resource Potential of South Korea According to Environmental Conservation Value Assessment

In order to analyze the effects of environmental regulation on wind power dissemination quantitatively, the country's inland wind resource potential has been estimated using the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map and the South Korea Wind Resource Map. The evaluation matrix of wind resource potential is formed by classifying environmental regulations into strong, intermediate, and weak, and economic feasibility into high, middle, and low. The purpose is to estimate inland wind resource potential in order to mitigate the environmental regulation needed to attain the national dissemination target of wind power and determine the most suitable level of the incentive policy.

곤충류 종다양성을 고려한 농경지 보전가치평가

The agricultural area is a priority to develop than the natural area for land developments. However, the importance of agricultural biodiversity is emphasized recently. The agricultural area does not only provide food for human and habitat for wild life but also contribute to improve biodiversity. It is necessary to preserve the agricultural area with rich biodiversity. The study was conducted to analyze biodiversity of insects for conservation value assessment of agricultural areas. According to the results of field survey, there is higher biodiversity index in agricultural areas surrounding the forest or small size agricultural areas. By contrast, the index is lower in agricultural areas near roads or in the intensive agricultural area. The results show that there is high biodiversity in agricultural areas, especially margin agricultural area such as below 2ha and over slop rate of 15%. Therefore, further studies should be conducted field survey more to generalize for biodiversity in agricultural area, and establish the criteria to protect agricultural area from land developments.

국토환경성평가에 의한 육상 풍력자원 잠재량 산정

In order to analyze the effect of environmental protection on wind energy dissemination quantitatively, the onshore wind resource potential is estimated using Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map and Korea Wind Resource Map. The onshore wind resource potential of 11 GW is calculated if wind farm development is prohibited within Class 1 area of Environmental Conservation Value Assessment plus 500 m buffer area. Therefore it is worried that environmental protection would be a practical barrier of accomplishing 4,155 thousand TOE target of wind energy dissemination until 2030.

습지를 기반으로 하는 맹꽁이 대체서식처 조성 계획

This study was carried out to make a plan and design the substitute habitat for Kaloula borealis by pre-proposed planning model for wildlife based on wetlands. The habitat characteristics and distribution status in study area, Shingi village in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, were surveyed and restoration strategies of habitats including conservation, enhancement were established by conservation value assessment, and the substitute habitat needed to replace was selected. One of three potential substitute habitats in the same watershed to the original habitat was selected by suitable site assessment. And finally the substitute habitat for Kaloula borealis was planned by the planning indices, and some adults and tadpoles were captured and released into built substitute.