Study on Forest Management System Considering Ecosystem Services in Islands in South Korea

Forest ecosystem in islands should be managed based on site-specific management plan since it has different biological and cultural characteristics compared to inland forest ecosystem related to isolation, uniqueness, and vulnerability. There are more than 3,800 islands in South Korea and half of them have forest ecosystem. The area of forest ecosystem in island is 2,267 km², 3.5% of total forest area in South Korea. The need for island forest management is widely recognized, but it is not cost- and time-effective to manage island forest ecosystem intensively same as inland forest ecosystem. we are conducting research to develop suitable management system for island forest ecosystem through the following process. (1) constructing island database, (2) identifying effective factors to categorize island forest type, (3) determining and quantifying key ecosystem services and funtions, (4) developing technical and silvicutural method to enhance ecosystem functions, (5) seeking to legislate for continuity and legitimacy to island forest ecosystem maintenance. Database on the island forest ecosystem with 49 fields containing socio-economical, biological and ecological information was constructed. Then islands were categorized into 6 types using 16 effective factors to categorize derived from expert delphi survey. Also, 10 key ecosystem services importantly in domestic island forests were determined as follows: natural resources, medicinal plants, watershed and freshwater, erosion control, biological control, aesthetic appreciation and inspiration, forest recreation, cultural heritage, species habitants, and maintenance of genetic diversity. The key ecosystem services in each type of island forest are expected to provide priorities and directions for forest management.