Establishing an ecological network to enhance forest connectivity in the South Korea DMZ

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to establish an ecological network to enhance ecosystem functions in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) of South Korea by improving connectivity of forest landscapes using spatial autocorrelation analysis and the minimum cumulative resistance model. We identified source patches critical for maintaining forest landscape connectivity. The ecological network was derived considering topography and land use of four regions comprising the study area. Morphological spatial pattern analysis was used to select source patches. Among all forest regions in the DMZ, the ratio of the core class was approximately 60%, accounting for the largest area; this was higher toward the east, while that of the edge class was higher toward the west. The average connectivity index (dPC) of core patches in the DMZ was 0.45. A final ecological network with a total length of 452.36 km connecting source patches for each region was derived, connecting the main habitats of the endangered species functioning as an ecological corridor. The total forest area corresponding to the network was 730.17 km2, and the designated forest protection area was 165.84 km2. From this, we identified 564.33 km2 of previously undesignated forest areas as candidates for protected forest areas to enhance forest connectivity in the DMZ.