Search

Water availability and management for water security on small islands are critical. The purpose of this research is to uncover the water resources issue at a small island community level as well as discourse on the potential threats and sustainable management for water security. Tunda Island, located in the Java Sea, is one of 81 small islands in Banten Province, Indonesia. Data were collected through focus group discussions, open interviews with key persons, direct field observations, and secondary data gathering. Moreover, we analyzed time series climate data, particularly rainfall and population growth projections, based on data from official Indonesian government sites. The monthly mean precipitation is ranging from a low of 48 mm/month in August to a high of 292 mm/month in January. A “surplus of water” occurs from November to May, while months with a “deficit of water” occur from June to October. The majority of the community is unaware of the water security issue due to a lack of information and knowledge in the community. Some threats to the sustainability of water resources would be caused by two factors, both anthropogenical and natural: rising water demand, diminishing groundwater reserves due to population growth and tourism activities on the island, drought, sea level rise, and seawater intrusion as climate-related impacts due to increasing population growth and tourism activities on the island and drought, sea level rise and seawater intrusion as climate-related impacts. Developing community knowledge and awareness of water security is the main issue that should be handled first, coinciding with sustainable management practices that consider water use efficiency, the use of alternative water sources (e.g., rainwater harvesting), and protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems, especially for the future tourist destination.

Island communities and fishing villages in South Korea have been affected by changes in policy and environmental conditions. This paper presents an overview of and potential solutions to sustainability challenges confronting Korea’s island communities and fishing villages. The paper is grounded in a review of the relevant Korean and international research literature. The paper identifies the following major challenges: climate change, overexploitation of and damage to marine resources, and sociocultural challenges. The paper recommends an integrated approach to sustainable development that involves building a cooperative system with the Korea Island Development Institute, focus on ‘livable islands’, encouraging in-migration to islands, improving island accessibility, and identifying and assessing island ecosystem services. The paper concludes that it is necessary to develop an integrated approach driven by institutional, policy, technological, and sociocultural innovation.

Besides the great burden that has been placed on the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, radical climate change is causing natural disasters in every corner of the world. According to the IPCC’s most recent report, rising global temperatures already have very negative impacts beyond our expectation. The main cause of this lies in human activities that drive global population growth, ongoing urbanization, excessive use of natural resources, and so on. Every minute, the environment in islands and oceans is changing in different directions and angles. This forum is to have an in-depth discussion on how climate crisis including pandemic and climate change and sprawling development by humans etc., can affect cultures and ecosystem in islands and seascapes and which direction identity of islands will be heading in the future. For this matter, the theme of this forum is fixed as “Changes and Chaos in Islands and Seascapes”.

The distribution of plant communities in the reclaimed land of the southwestern coasts of South Korea, along with the environmental or plant factors, was studied through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and the competitor (C), stress tolerator (S), and ruderal (R) (CSR) ecological strategies. The coastal reclaimed land plants were classified into three plant-factor groups in the CCA biplot diagram. Axis1 was correlated with LS, SLA, CH, and FS. Axis 2 was correlated with LDMC, FP, and LDW. The reclaimed landplants were classified into three soil-factor groups in the CCA biplot diagram. First, the group factor was correlated with SAND. Second, the group factor was distributed according to T-N and TOC. Third, the group factor was distributed according to Salinity content. To clarify the relative significance of competition, stress, and disturbance in the distribution process of plant communities, the CSR distribution model was adopted. Sixteen of the 19 species were allocated to the factors related to the ruderals strategies such as R/CR and CR including R/CSR, SR/CSR, and CR/CSR, and SC strategies. They displayed ruderal and competition adaptation strategies reflecting the ecological environment. Seven species showed R/CR (ruderal/competitor-ruderal) strategies; Aeschno meneindica, Chenopodium album var. centrorubrum, Lolium perenne, Lotus corniculatus var. japonicus, Phragmites communis, Portulaca oleracea, and Soncous brachyotus and 6 species showed CR (competitor-ruderal) strategies; Bidens frondosa, Echinochloa crus-galli, Echino chloaoryzicola, Erigeron canadensis, Fimbristy lislongispica and Setaria viridis. The three species with R-related strategies were Artemisia princeps, Lolium perenne, and Trifolium repens. The distribution patterns of the CCA diagrams and CSR triangles may provide a useful scientific basis for protecting and restoring reclaimed lands and their valuable ecosystem services, from the increasing disturbances.

The distribution of plant communities in the salt marshes of the southwestern coasts of South Korea was studied, along with environmental or plant factors, by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and the competitor (C), stress tolerator (S), and ruderal (R) (CSR) ecological strategies. The coastal salt-marsh plants were classified into three plant-factor groups in the CCA biplot diagram. Group 1 was correlated with LS and FP. Group 2 was correlated with CH and SLA, and Group 3 was correlated with LA, LDMC and LDW. The salt-marsh plants were classified into four soil-factor groups in the CCA biplot diagram. First, the group factor was correlated with TN, TOC, and Ca2+. Second, the group factor was distributed according to Mg2+, soil texture as Clay and Silt. Third, the group factor was distributed according to Salinity and Na+ content. Fourth, the group factor was distributed according to Sand content. To clarify the relative significance of competition, stress, and disturbance in the distribution process of plant communities, the CSR distribution model was adopted. The nine species showed CR (competitor-ruderal) strategies: Artemisia fukudo, Artemisia scoparis, Aster tripolium, Atriplex gmelinii, Imperata cylindrica var. koenigii, Salicornia europaea, Suaeda japonica, and Suaeda maritima. The four species with C (competitor) strategies were Artemisia capillaris, Limonium tetragonum, Triglochin maritimum, and Zoysia sinica. Carex scabrifolia and Phragmites communis displayed SC (stress-tolerant-competitor). Both distribution patterns of the CCA diagrams and CSR triangles may provide a useful scientific basis for protecting and restoring salt marshes and their valuable ecosystem services, considering the increasing disturbances.

At the World Conservation Congress (WCC) 2012 of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the agendum of ‘Strengthening Biocultural Diversity and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Asia-Pacific Island Regions’ was adopted as a resolution (IUCN Resolution 5.115). As a result, there is a need for the Ministry of Environment (Republic of Korea) to organize an aggressive implementation program for the realization of the agendum by cooperating with the IUCN according to the above results. In addition, there is a need to actively respond by possessing the international leadership regarding the related subjects in the future. Together with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the IUCN Resolution 5.115 widened the opportunities for the island countries in the surroundings of the Asia-Pacific to aggressively respond to the diverse issues regarding the preservation of the traditional, ecological knowledge of the biological culture, the preservation of the ecosystem, and the sustainable development by mutually cooperating. Especially, regarding Korea, as a country that possesses over 3,400 islands, the use of the resources by the global island residents, the maintenance of the cultural resources, the environmental protection, and the improvement of the quality of life are directly connected to the policies of Korea too. In the IUCN Resolution 5.115, the biocultural diversity, the use of the biological resources, and the contents of the traditional knowledge industry that are related to them, which not only the IUCN but, also, the CBD, the UNESCO, etc. are interested in, are included. In particular, at a time point when the interest in the island nations and the island regions that are very vulnerable to the rise of the seal level resulting from the changes of the earth environment has been heightening, the need for the preservation of the biological diversity regarding the islands and the need regarding the international interest and support for the traditional knowledge and the safety of the residents have been included. Because, although the level of interest regarding these have been getting heightened at the IUCN and the CBD already, the main activities have been concentrating on the marine biological diversity, the problems related to the islands on which the human beings reside. However, the indigenous biological resources of the islands, and the culture and the life of the islanders who have been using the indigenous biological resources have been considered in less. It is in this regard that the IUCN Resolution 5.115 has the purpose in overcoming such a viewpoint and intensively heightening the level of the international interest regarding the preservation of the biological resources of the islands and the culture and safety of the residents who use them and in expanding the support through a global network. An initiative regarding the biocultural diversity of the global islands for preserving the ecosystems and the biological diversities needed for the biological diversity, the governance, and the sustainability of the islands of the world, for the wise utilization of the ecological knowledge, for establishing an international network regarding the sustainability of the cultural diversity, and others of the like, and for playing the central role of developing, operating, and putting into practice the programs together with the IUCN is needed.

Recently, as the urbanization index of the Korean islands has increased due to the construction of the bridge, it has become a different situation from the island environment. These situations are very diverse, including but not limited to the frequent occurrences of the livestock, and human life accidents due to the increase of the motor vehicles, the increase of the thefts of agricultural and fisheries products, environmental damages (including the landscape damages) due to the development of the lodges, the increase of side effects due to the attraction of the tourists who exceed the environmental accommodation capability of the island (the insufficiency of water and the increase of the wastes and contaminating substances), the inflow of the exotic plans by the motor vehicles, etc. The thing that is more important than anything else is that the human relationships between the island residents have been breaking and the community consciousness has been disappearing. Also, with the exchanges getting more frequent between the people living on the land and tourists, the cultural homogeneity of the island and the land and the uniformity of the island culture have been proceeded with. Although it can be said that the land-connecting bridge project is a long-cherished desired project of the island residents, the political background cannot be ignored as well, including the creation of the profits through the virtuous mind policies of the local government and the large-scale civil engineering projects and others of similar nature.

This is a base research to analyze the evolution of fishing gear shapes in response to the types of marine benthic organisms and ‘getbatang-harvesting tidal flat’ in Daebu Island in Gyeonggi Bay. Daebu Island has variety of relatively well preserved natural coast lines and fishing gears. Hand hoes were divided into two categories, one for manila clam collecting and the other for mud octopus collecting. The ones used to catch mud octopuses are much larger and heavier. Clear distinction of shapes and forms were found even among the hand hoes used for collecting the similar types of catch, depending on the getbatang that they were used on. Also, mud octopus hand hoes varied in shapes and forms depending on the region that they were found in and the sex of the user. Fishing gears of other islands in Gyeonggi Bay, Oi Island, Jangbong Island and Ganghwa–Donggum Island, showed differences as getbatang varies, and each region sometimes had different uses of the same tool from each other. It is necessary that we continue the investigation and analysis on the relationship between the shape of fishing gears, organisms, and getbatang sediment conditions before the traditional fishing gears disappear any further.

Recent conditions in North Sulawesi Province (NSP) have become favorable for the development of tourism. In this paper, we present the recent status of biodiversity and tourism in NSP as a basic consideration towards integrative biodiversity conservation strategy. Overall, biological accounts suggest that NSP is important for the world biodiversity conservation program. NSP`s biodiversity makes the area a major nature-based tourism (ecotourism) site in the world. Development of diverse tourism programs in NSP has provided new opportunities for balancing development and conservation of regional ecosystems. However, the excessive tourism growth in some particular areas in NSP has been identified as the primary factor of environmental degradation. Nowadays, biodiversity of North Sulawesi regions are suffering from the number of tourist impacts and facilities. Based on those conditions, tourism planning and development in NSP is needed to formulate a proper strategy to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity from degradation and extinction. This will be a new challenge of sustainable island tourism development and biodiversity conservation in NSP.

Korea’s islands are mostly located along its western and southern coasts. The majority of these islands fall under the category of tidal-flat islands. More to the point, one of the main geographical and topographical characteristics of Korean islands is that they are surrounded by tidal flats. Therefore, Korean islands boast ecologically and biologically unique characteristics, as well as diversity, that set them apart from islands in other areas. Tidal flats are a virtual treasure trove where one can find various marine organisms. Local residents have been able to adjust to their environment by making use of the organisms found in tidal flats and the characteristics of islands. This has led them to create a unique island and maritime culture. To this end, the study of island culture requires not only an astute understanding of the ecological basis, biological process and human activities which become the background for cultural creation, but also of the interactions between these elements. Korea’s island culture was created amidst a unique maritime environment characterized by the achievement of spatial harmony between the tidal flats and islands. This cultural structure can be expected to continue for as long as the balance in terms of the ecosystem is preserved.

In 2009, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the unique outstand ing ecosystem biodiversity and distinct ecocultural values of the Shinan Dadohae Biosphere Reserve in the island region. The Dadohae area, which has been sustainably conserved for scores of years, boasts not only a unique ecosystem, but also has residents with a wide range of traditional ecological knowledge. In terms of understanding the soundness of the ecosystem network known as the landscape system, the recent expansion of environmental development has served to heighten the degree of consideration given not only to biodiversity, which has long been used as an indicator to assess ecosystem soundness, but also to assess cultural diversity. Man has used the surrounding landscape and living organisms as his life resources since the beginning. Moreover, whenever necessary, man has developed new species through cultivation. Biodiversity became a foundation that facilitated establishing cultural diversity such as food and housing. Such ecological knowledge has been conveyed not only to adjacent regions, but also at the international level. The recent rapid changes in the Dadohae area island ecosystem caused by the transformation of fishing grounds by such factors as climate change, excess human activities, and marine pollution, is an epoch event in environmental history that shows that the balance between man and nature has become skewed. Furthermore, this issue has moved beyond the biodiversity and landscape diversity level to become an issue that should be addressed at the cultural diversity level. To this end, the time has come to pay close attention to this issue.

Land-use changes due to the socio-economic environment influence landscape patterns and processes, which affect habitats and biodiversity. This study considers the effects of such land-use changes, particularly on the traditional rural “Maeul” forested landscape, by analyzing landscape structure and vegetation changes. Three study areas were examined that have seen their populations decrease and age over the last few decades. Five types of plant life-forms (Raunkier life-forms) were distinguished to investigate ecosystem function. Principle component analysis was used to understand vegetation dynamics and community characteristics based on a vegetation similarity index. Ordination analysis transformed species-coverage data was introduced to clarify vegetation dynamics. Landscape indices, such as area metrics, edge metrics, and shape metrics, showed that spatial heterogeneity has increased over time in all areas. Pinus densiflora was the main land-use plant type in all study areas but decreased over time, whereas Quercus spp. increased. Over a decade, P. densiflora communities shifted to deciduous oak and plantation. These findings indicate that the impact of human activities on the Maeul landscape is twofold. While forestry activities caused heavy disturbances, the abandonment of traditional human activities has led to natural succession. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the type and intensity of these human impacts on landscape heterogeneity relate differently to vegetation succession. This reflects the cause and consequence of patch dynamics. We discuss an approach for sustainable landscape planning and management of the Maeul landscape based on traditional management.

Department of International Culture Communication, Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical University, RussiaThe archipelago in the southwest sea, Korea, was registered as Shinan Dadohae Biosphere Reserve by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Man and the Biosphere (UNESCO MAB) on May 26, 2009. This study was conducted to determine a method of reconciling natural and anthropogenic processes and to enable sustainable development in the vicinity of the Shinan Dadohae Biosphere Reserve (SDBR). To accomplish this, the characteristics of SDBR with respect to biodiversity and cultural diversity were evaluated. In addition, a management plan regarding the wise use of the SDBR was developed while focusing on four parts: cultural support to induce motivation for native con-servation and development; development and specification of fisheries and cultivation based on local community sys-tems; restructuring of marine food products and resource transporting systems; activation and discovery of indigenous knowledge to enable networking between local residents, academia and the UNESCO-international society. Keywords: biodiversity, island culture, Shinan Dadohae Biosphere Reserve, sun-dried salt, sustainable development, tidal flat, UNESCO

We assessed the ecological structure and function of mountain ridges connected to a reserve area, Gwangneung Royal Tomb Forest (GRTF), in central Korea. This site has been strictly preserved since the 15th century. Our objectives were to 1 ) investigate the interactions between and the influence of a protected old-growth forest on its surrounding forests, and 2) suggest management strategies for forests outside that reserve area. Three ridges were surveyed and divided into two categories — A and B ridges covered with secondary forests connected to GRTF, and the C ridge, covered with primary forests and plantations within GRTF (from core zone to managed zone). The ridge forests had a characteristic lobe shape. We found no significant decline in species richness (peninsular effect) with distance from GRTF for any tree-layer or herbaceous-layer species on Ridges A or B. However, when only the species that appeared in primary forests on the C ridge were considered, the richness of tree- and herbaceous-layer species was significantly decreased there. This meant that the neighboring forests of GRTF could serve as a buffer zone. Differences were obvious between the two categorized forests in their species composition, species richness, basal area, and regeneration patterns. DCA ordination of quadrats on Ridges A and B showed that Axis 1 was significantly correlated with distance from GRTF, indicating that this protected area affects regeneration within neighboring forests. Thus, reserves are important not only to the conservation of biodiversity, but also to the ecological management of surrounding forests.

To investigate fine root dynamics after thinning (50% of standing tree) and liming calcium magnesium carbonate[CaMg(CO3)2] 2 Mg ha− 1, a 2-year study was performed in 40-year-old pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) and 44-year-old Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis Gord.) plantations in central Korea. Mean total fine root mass (kg ha− 1± SE) in the control, thinned, and limed plots were 1234 ± 32, 1346 ± 67, and 1134 ± 40 for the pitch pine plantation and 1655 ± 48, 1953 ± 58, and 1868 ± 70 for the Japanese larch plantation, respectively. Live fine root mass of pitch pine at 0-10 cm soil depth decreased after thinning and liming. In addition, liming significantly increased dead fine root mass of Japanese larch. Fine root production (kg ha− 1 yr− 1± SE) in the control, thinned and limed plots was 1108 ± 148, 2077 ± 262, and 1686 ± 103 for the pitch pine plantation and 1762 ± 103, 1886 ± 277, and 2176 ± 271 for the Japanese larch plantation, respectively. Fine root turnover rates increased after liming f...

Human activities are having major impact on biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems worldwide. Rapid urbanization and changes in rural populations are affecting ecosystems in often-drastic ways. Ecologists are using long term monitoring and experimental studies to understand and to help mitigate the effects of these changes. The collection of 15 papers in this special volume “global changes in terrestrial ecosystems” describes some of these studies, particularly concentrating on effects on terrestrial ecosystems and landscapes, and demonstrating the importance of understanding the problems at both the multi-scale and international levels.

Asian dusts, yellow sand, or dust and sand storms (DSS) in Asian continent are the end products of desertification, which became a regional environmental problem being aggravated by time. It is closely related to an issue of sustainability in the region. As the desertification is caused not only by natural factors, such as the climate change, strong wind, and low precipitation, but also by rapidly increasing human activities, such as overgrazing, misuse of water resources, and irrational land use, it is urgent to make efforts to combat desertification in Asian continent including China. In this regard, it is necessary to consider socio-economic aspects as well as ecological aspects and, consequently, the project for the construction of a Demonstration Model Village for eco-environmental rehabilitation should be paid to a special attention. The authors deal with this regional issue in consideration of three Es, which are represented by ecology, economy, and environment in providing the perspectives in sound approach to the issue. As an approach to the issue of Asian dusts and desertification in Asian continent, this Eco-Village study provides one way forward.

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an essential component of forests. However, quantification of both the mass and nutrient content of CWD within a given environment tends to be a fairly labor-intensive proposition that requires long-term studies to be conducted for viable data to be obtained. As a result, various aspects of CWD in forest ecosystems remain somewhat poorly understood. In this review, we have compiled all available estimates of CWD mass and nutrients from both coniferous and deciduous forests in Korea. The CWD mass data varied substantially by forest type, age, location, and sampling time, ranging from 1.5 to 24.5 Mg ha−1, and for the amount (kg ha−1) of nutrients in the CWD, ranging from 3.5 to 23.6 for nitrogen (N), 0.8 to 4.7 for phosphorus (P), 3.9 to 13.3 for potassium (K), 25.9 to 30.9 for calcium (Ca), 1.4 to 4.2 for magnesium (Mg), and 0.1 to 0.6 for sodium (Na). The mass of CWD transferred from live trees to the forest floor ranged between 0.1 and 4.9 Mg ha−1 year−1, and these values were roughly equivalent to 26–42% of the annual litterfall inputs (2.5–10.8 Mg ha−1 year−1) for mixed Quercus spp. forests within the relevant region. Annual nutrients inputs (kg ha−1 year−1) through CWD decomposition were 0.7–1.6 for N, 0.04–0.3 for P, 0.3–1.0 for K, 1.7–3.1 for Ca, and 0.1–0.3 for Mg. Consequently, these results revealed that the ecological value of CWD for C and nutrient cycling was relatively insignificant. However, only a limited number of studies have been conducted on CWD in different coniferous or mixed deciduous forests in the region. As a direct result of this paucity of data, further long-term studies on CWD mass and nutrients in a variety of forest types are required in order to be able to evaluate accurately the ecological value of CWD on biodiversity and physical properties in Korean forest ecosystems.

Landscape change in rural ecosystems is a major global issue because they are an important ecological and socio-cultural resource. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the driving forces behind landscape changes. Changes in the patterns and processes of landscape mosaics and vegetation community in two rural areas (Teokdong-ri, TD and Teokseong-ri, TS) in Korea were studied between 1988 and 2002. Quantitative data of vegetation community, landscape mosaics, and local statistics of the two study areas were analyzed. Agricultural efficiency increased even decreasing household population and the agricultural area. In both areas, as the human dependence on natural resources decreased, the patterns and processes of landscape mosaics and forest structure were changed due to changing human impacts on land use. Owing to the abandonment of forest management for 14 years, the spatial heterogeneity of TD significantly increased more than that of TS. In detrended correspondence analysis ordination, floristic compositions of forest patches of two areas were unevenly located on the ordination axes. Pinus densiflora communities of both areas in 1988 were separately located in 2002 as two directions according to management intensity. The species composition of P. densiflora in one direction of 1988 became similar to those of Quercus forests in 2002. This may be because species composition of P. densiflora has been influenced due to changed habitat environments. Finally, we concluded that the development of forest communities and vegetation succession predicted the spatial pattern of future landscape mosaics and due to the vegetation dynamics of rural ecosystems in Korea.

The spatial configuration of urban landscapes results from cumulative interactions between human activities and the physical environment. Traditional philosophies and cul- tural legacies have had important influences on urban development and planning in East Asia. In Seoul, traditional land use practices based on 'Fengshui' have significantly con- tributed to human-mediated patterns of landscape changes, in addition to the role of the socio-economic background (development) and other human activities. The concept of Feng- shui was originally founded upon people's empirical cognition of natural landscape patterns. Recently, however, advanced economic development, westernization and urbanization have been rapidly altering the old traditions of the holistic landscape systems through changing urban planning practices. Since the type, scale, frequency, distribution and spreading pattern of environmental and human disturbances have been changed, a new paradigm for urban landscape planning is necessary to maintain the ecological and cultural integrity of land- scapes in Korea. In this paper, we discuss recent concepts and methods of landscape ecology and urban planning from the viewpoint of Fengshui, the traditional land use patterns in Seoul, whose application has so far been restricted only to traditional land evaluation. We conclude that, to maintain the sustainability of the urban landscape, it is necessary to develop a new urban planning framework for the region that is based on the integration between landscape ecology principles with the traditional concepts of Fengshui.

The fiddler crab, Uca lactea, which lives on intertidal mudflats in Korea, exhibits both burrow mating and surface mating. We observed 17 cases of surface mating that occurred on Ganghwa Island, South Korea. Most surface-mating males did not build semidomes, structures that attract searching females for burrow mating. Based on the conclusion of a previous study that semidome building is condition-dependent, we suggest that food availability may influence the mating tactic of this species. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the carapace size of both sexes that surface-mated, which suggests that males use body size of females as a mating cue.