Assessment of lateral connectivity for the ecological integrity of a rive floodplain system in the Mangyeong-gang River, Korea

초록

New attempts to restore former floodplain disconnected by the artificial levees are being made recently for the recovery of the lateral connectivity in South Korea. We developed the assessment system of the lateral connectivity in streams from the ecological aspects of hydrology, habitat quality and wildlife movement. The assessment system was divided into two tiers: the remote and field assessments. The remote assessment evaluates potential lateral connectivity of disconnected floodplain using spatial resources and GIS. The field assessment estimates the connectivity between channels and floodplains and the habitat condition of the disconnected floodplains with field survey. The connectivity was evaluated by hydrological exchange and biological movement. The habitat condition was assessed the preservability of wetland and terrestrial zones in the disconnected floodplains. The assessment system was applied to the Mangyeong-gang River. The results of these application showed that the assessment system can be utilized as an objective and effective tools for evaluating the current floodplain condition and selecting the priority restoration sites. This research was supported by a grant (12-TI-C02) from Advanced Water Management Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korean government.