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Flora
Due
to the Korean Peninsula's long north-south
stretch and topographic complexity, there are
wide variations in temperature and rainfall.
The mean temperature throughout the four
seasons ranges from 5oC to 16oC
and rainfall from 500 to 1,500 millimeters.
Such
an environment makes the land a diversified
floral region. Lee Woo-tchul's Lineaments
Florae Korea (1997) listed 190 families, 1,079
genera, 3,129 species, 8 subspecies, 627
varieties, 1 subvariety and 306 forms of
higher plants, including pteridophytes. This
means that more than 4,000 kinds of vascular
plants, including about 570 endemics are
currently growing in the country. By
comparison, there are about 1,500 species in
Denmark and about 2,000 species in England.
Many plants in northern Korea have elements in
common with those growing in Manchuria. While
many alpine plants are found in the north and
high mountain areas, the central part and the
western lowlands have the predominant amount
of vegetation, such as broad-leaved deciduous
trees. The southern coast and the offshore
islands of Chejudo and Ullungdo are regions
where warm-temperate plants grow abundantly.
Many evergreen plants growing in the southern
parts are identical or similar to those found
in the southwestern part of Japan. While there
are many plant species in Korea which have
common elements with those growing in
neighboring countries, the aforementioned
environmental conditions have brought about
the emergence of many endemic species.
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Warm-Temperate
Vegetation
Because
of the high average annual temperature (14oC)
prevailing over the southern part of the
peninsula and the offshore islands - Chejudo,
SohCuksando and UllCungdo
- numerous plant species grow in those areas.
On the shorelines of Chejudo island, more than
70 species of broad-leaved evergreens grow.
These include Camellia japonica L., Cinnamomun
camphora Siebold, Ardisia pusilla DC., Quercus
myrsinaefolia Blume, Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.,
Korthalsella japonica (Thunb.) Engl.,
Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Thunb.) Makino,
Neolistsea sericea (Blume) Koidz.,
Actinodaphne lancifolia (Siebold et Zucc.)
Meisn., Euonymus japonicus Thunb. Euonymus
fortunei (Turcz.) Hand. - Mazz.,
Trachelospermum asiaticum (Siebold et Zucc.)
Nakai, Ficus thunbergii Maxim., Machilus
japonica Siebold et Zucc., Daphniphyllum
tejismanni Zoll., Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.)
Aiton, Citrus unshiu Markovich, ect. Also
found are such herbal plants as Farfugium
japonicum (L.) Kitam., Pollia japonica Thunb.,
Crinum asiaticum L. var. japonicum Baker, and
such broad-leaved deciduous trees as Celtis
sinensis Pers., and Elaeagnus macrophylla
Thunb.
The
southeast slope of Mt. Hallasan on Chejudo
island is more abundant in warm-temperate
vegetation than the northern side of the
mountain. Such vegetation gradually diminishes
in the number of species as the contour line
of temperature moves northward to the southern
shore of the peninsula via KComundo,
SohCuksando and
other islands. Near Pusan and Mokp'o, the
number of natural broad-leaved evergreens is
limited to fewer than 20 species. These areas
are also the northernmost limits of where
Farfugium japonicum (L.) Kitam survive.
UllCungdo
island, located at 37030:N
parallels, has many plants of the warm
temperate zone, including Daphniphyllum
teijsmanni Zoll., Camellia japonica L.,
Magnolia obovata Thunb., Ilex integra Thunb.,
Aucuba japonica Thunb., Neolitsea sericea (Blume)
Koidz., and Elaeagnus macrophylla Thunb.
Because of the high contour of the temperate
zone, Camellia japonica L. and Neolitsea
sericea (Blume) Koidz. are distributed as far
north as Taech'nongdo island, off Hwanghae-do
province. This distribution is caused by seed
dispersal through ocean currents.
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Temperate
Vegetation
The
Korean Peninsula, except for the high terrains
of Mt. Hallasan on Chejudo island and the
T'aebaeksan mountains, has a typical temperate
zone climate.
It
abounds in the type of vegetation natural to
the temperate zone, such as Pinus densiflora
Siebold et Zucc. and other deciduous
broad-leaved trees. Typical deciduous
broad-leaved trees found in Korea are: Quercus
aliena Blume, Quercus acutissima Carruth.,
Quercus serrata Thunb., Carpinus laxiflora (Siebold
et Zucc.) Blume, Betula platyphylla Sukaczev
var. japonica (Miq.) Hara, Carpinus
tschonoskii Maxim., Fraxinus rhynchophylla
Hance, Salix gracilistyla Miq., Tilia
amurensis Rupr., Styrax japonica Siebold et
Zucc., Forsythia koreana (Rehder) Nakai,
Lespedeza biclor Turcz., Rhododend-ron
mucronulatum Turcz., Rhododendron yedoense
Maxim. var. poukhanense (Lev.) Nakai, and
Rhododendron schlippenbachii Maxim. Herbaceous
plants in this zone include Miscanthus
sinensis Andersson, Miscanthus sacchariflorus
(Maxim.) Benth., Calamagrostis arundinacea
(L.) Roth, Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich,
Hylomecon vernalis Maxim., Primula sieboldii
E. Morren, Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A.
DC., Adenophora triphylla (Thunb.) A. DC.,
Codonopsis lanceolata (Siebold et Zucc.)
Trautv., Melanpyrum reseum Maxim., Elsholztia
splendens Nakai and Gentiana pseudoaquatica
Kusn.
Among
the endemic species of plants, thriving in
Korea are Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai,
Hylomecon hylomeconoides Nakai, and Aconitum
chiisanense Nakai.
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Cold-Temperate
Vegetation
Cold
temperate plants grow in the northern part of
Korea and in the mountains, such as Mt. SCoraksan
(1,000 meters), Mt. Chirisan (1,300 meters)
and Mt. Hallasan (1,500 meters), where the
mean annual temperature on all three mountains
is 5oC. Typically inhabiting these
locations are such needle-leaved trees as
Abies nephrolepis Maxim., Larix olegensis A.
Henry var. koreana Nakai, Thuja koraiensis
Nakai, Picea jezoensis (Siebold et Zucc.)
Carriere, Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel,
Juniperus chinensis L. var. sargentii A.
Henry, Picea koraiensis Nakai, Abies Koreana
Wilson, Taxus cuspidata Siebold et Zucc. and
broad-leaved deciduous trees as Quercus
mongolica Fisch., Quercus dentata Thunb.,
Chosenia bracteosa Nakai, Betula platyphylla
Sukaczev var. japonica (Miq.) Hara, Betula
ermanii Cham., Betula costata Trautv., Salix
myrtilloides L., Vaccinium uliginosum L., and
Syringa dilatata Nakai.
As
for endemic plants, there is a predominant
growth of Echinosophora koreensis Nakai in
Hamgyongbuk-do province and near Yanggu,
Kangwon-do province. Myongch'-Con-gun,
in HamgyCongbuk-do
province, is the native habitat of Sasa
coreana Nakai and forms the northern limit for
bamboo. The endemic herbaceous plant is
Hanabusaya asiatica Nakai, which grows in the
northern part of the country. Rheum coreanum
Nakai is found on the PujCon
Plateau, on the Changbaeksan range, HamgyCongnam-do
province.
There
are many kinds of plants common to Korea and
Manchuria. Typical of these include:
Astilboides tabularis (Hemsl.) Engl.,
Acerphyllum rossii (Oliv.) Engl. and
Jeffersonia dubia (Maxim.) Benth. & Hook.
f. Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel. These plants
grow abundantly in the northern mountains as
well as on Mt. Soraksan. Thuja koraiensis
Nakai, which grows in the northern mountains,
can be found on the higher part of the
T'aebaeksan mountains. Vaccinium ulginosum L.,
grows on the summits of Mt. Soraksan and Mt.
Hallasan. This is regarded as a relic species,
its present location resulting from the
climatic changes which presumably occurred
during the Tertiary Period.
Empetrum
nigrum L. var. japonicum K. Koch grows in the
northernmost regions and the southern end of
Mt. Hallasan. Diapensia lapponica L. var.
obovata F. Schmidt is found on Mt. Hallasan
and in Japan. Their distribution may suggest
that the Korean Peninsula, Chejudo island, and
the Japanese archipelago were once a connected
landmass.
Major
flora in the cold-temperate climate of the
northern forest areas include Larix olgensis
A. Henry var. koreana Nakai, Picea jezoensis (Siebold
et Zucc.) Carriere, Abies nephrolepis Maxim.,
Pinus koraiensis Siebold et Zucc., Picea
koraiensis Nakai, and Abies holophylla Maxim.
The
important needle-leaved trees growing on Mt.
Kumgangsan include Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et
Zucc., Abies holiphylla Maxim., Picea
jezoensis (Siebold et Zucc.) Carriere, Larix
olgensis A. Henry var. koreana Nakai, and
Thuja koraiensis Nakai. The predominant
species growing on Mt. Chirisan are Juniperus
chinensis L. var. sargentii A. Henry, Pinus
koraiensis Siebold et Zucc., Abies holophylla
Maxim., Abies Koreana E.H. Wilson, and Picea
jezoensis (Siebold et Zucc.) Carriere. Near
the summit of Mt. Hallasan on Chejudo island
grow Abies Koreana E.H. Wilson and Juniperus
chinensis L. var. sargentii A. Henry.
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Flowering
Periods
July
is the season when flowering reaches its peak.
Although summer is the peak of the flowering
season, there are quite a few species that
also bloom during the spring and autumn
seasons. Woody plants, for example, tend to
have their flowering peaks in May.
Flowers
blooming in spring include: Forsythia koreana
Nakai, Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz.,
Lonicera praeflorens Batalin, Fraxinus
ryhnchophylla Hance, Abeliophyllum distichum
Nakai, Prunus ansu Komarov, Prunus yedoensis
Matsum., Magnolia kobus DC., Sorbus alnifolia
(Siebold et Zucc.) K. Koch, Ginkgo biloba L.,
Iris rossii Baker, Pulsatilla koreana (Y.
Yabe) Nakai, Erythronium japonicum Decne.,
Berberis amurensis Rupr., Corus officinalis
Siebold et Zucc., Hylomecon vernalis Maxim.,
and Viola mandshurica W. Becker.
Plants
blooming in summer comprise: Paeonia japonica
(Makino) Miyabe et Takeda, Paeonia lactiflora
Pall., Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews, Iris
ensata Thunb. var. spontanea (Makino) Nakai,
Rosa rugosa Thunb., Sorbus commixta Hedl.,
Magnolia sieboldii K. Koch, Maianthemum
dilatatum (Wood) Nelson et J.F. Macbr., Lilium
concolar Salisb., Lilium distichum Nakai,
Lilium hansonii Leitchtlin, Morus alba L.,
Chenopodium album L. var. centrorubrum Makino,
Syringa wolfi C. K. Schneid., Dianthus
chinensis L., Rosa multiflora Thunb.,
Hypericum ascyron L., Cirsium japonicum DC.
var. ussurinese (Regel) Kitam., Platycodon
grandiflorum (Jacq.) A.DC., Phytolacca
insularis Nakai, Hanabusaya asiatica Nakai,
and Anemone narcissiflora L.
Plants
which bloom in autumn include Miscanthus
sinensis Anderson, Miscanthus sacchariflorus
(Maxim.) Benth., Sedum aizoon L., Gentiana
scabra Bunge, Elscholtzia splendens Nakai,
Patrinia scabiosaefolia Fisch., Aster incisus
Fisch., Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich, and
Lespedeza bicolar Turcz.
During
the winter season, Camellia japonica L. can be
seen blooming on Chejudo, the Huksando islands
as well as the southernmost coast.
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Fauna
Zoogeography
Korea
belongs to the Palaearctic zoogeographical
realm. Its geographical history, topography
and climate divide the peninsula into highland
and lowland districts. Included in the former
are the Myohyangsan mountains, the Kaema
Plateau and the more rugged terrain of the
T'aebaeksan mountains, all areas that are high
in altitude and similar in climate to the Amur
River region. Most of this area lies about
1,000 kilometers from Mt. Paektusan, on the
Korean-Manchurian border. A large portion of
this area is covered with boreal forests and
many of the higher mountains supported
glaciers during the Pleistocene period.
Animal
life in and around this area is closely
related to that of the boreal zone of
Manchuria, China, Siberia, Sakhalin and
Hokkaido. Representative species include:
deer, roe deer, Amur goral, sable, brown bear,
tiger, lynx, northern pika, water shrew,
muskrat, Manchurian ring-necked pheasant,
black grouse, hawk owl, pine grosbeak and
three-toed woodpecker.
The
remainder of the country comprises the lowland
peninsular area, which enjoys a milder
climate. The fauna, closely related to that of
southern Manchuria, central China and Japan,
include black bear, river deer, mandarin vole,
white-bellied black (or Tristram's)
woodpecker, faiy pitta and ring-necked
pheasant.
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Species
There
have been 408 species of birds recorded in
South Korea. Of these, 90 species are
vagrants, and the Kuroda's Sheldrake has
probably become extinct. Of the other 317
species, 52 are permanent residents and 265
are migrants. Of the migratory birds, 112
species will visit the country during winter
season while 63 pass through during the summer
and the remaining 90, during the spring and
autumn seasons. One hundred and fifteen
species breed in Korea, of which 52 are
indigenous species and 63 are summer visitors.
There are 14 other species of birds recorded
in North Korea. Of these, the black grouse,
hawk owl, rufous-bellied woodpecker,
lesser-spotted woodpecker, black white-bellied
woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, and rufous-backed
bunting are boreal residents of the high
terrain of Mt. Paektusan; the rest are
vagrants.
There
are six orders, 17 families, 48 genera and 78
species of indigenous mammals in Korea. These
include 28 species of Chiroptera, 18 Rodentia,
16 Carnivora, 11 Insectivora, two Lagomorpha,
and seven Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates).
There are 28 endemic subspecies on record that
inhabit the peninsula, but this is yet to be
verified. Large mammals include the tiger,
leopard, lynx, leopard cat, wolf, badger,
bear, marten, weasel, wild boar, roe deer, and
Amur goral. A few species such as the bat,
shrew, striped hamster and muskrat are found
only in North Korea. The tiger, lynx, two
species of deer, sable, and northern pika are
found only in the plateau regions of Mt.
Paektusan in North Korea. Other wildlife
species in South Korea include 25 reptiles, 14
amphibians and 130 freshwater fishes.
Seventeen
species of terrestrial mammals have been found
on Chejudo island. Wild bear, deer, and wild
cat are now extinct and today the land is
inhabited by roe deer, weasel, hamster, field
mouse, house rat and two bat species; there
are also 283 forms of birds, and eight
amphibians and reptilians on the island.
Ullungdo
island is devoid of endemic mammals. The
island's known mammals consist of six species
(two species of bat, one shrew and three house
rats are also found on the Korean mainland).
There are no amphibians or reptiles on the
island except for frogs and snakes which have
been introduced by man. As for birds, 63
species have been recorded on the island.
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Natural
monuments
Twenty-four
species of wildlife have been designated as
natural monuments. In addition, twenty species
of bird, two mammal species and several insect
species have been designated as endangered
species. There are 18 localities designated as
breeding sites (eight egretries and
heronries), passing or wintering sites, or
habitats for Tristram's woodpecker, fairy
pitta, and loon. Also designated as monuments
are domesticated silky fowl, the Californian
grey whale, the domestic Cheju horse (Chorangmal),
the endemic dog called Chindogae, Sapsalgae
and four fish species, Anguilla mormorata Quoy
and Germard, Brachymystax lenox Pallas,
Gonoprokopterus mylodon Berg and Siniperca
scherzeri Steindachner.
The
following species of animals include those
designated as natural monuments by the
Cultural Properties Preservation Law under the
auspices of the Ministry of Culture and
Tourism. For more detailed list, please refer
to the appendix I located at the end of this
chapter.
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Tristram's
(or white-bellied black) woodpecker, Dryocopus
javensis richardsi
Total
length: 46 centimeters. A large black and
white woodpecker with a crimson crown and
crimson cheek patches. Upper parts, throat and
upper breast, black; the remainder of under
parts and rump, white. Tristram's woodpecker
is a permanent resident of Hwanghae-do
province, North Korea.
Old
records indicate that such woodpeckers were
collected occasionally around Hwanghae-do
province (North Korea), Ch'ungch'songbuk-do
and Kyongsangnam-do provinces but the only
reliable breeding places that have been
reported are Kwangnung and Kumnung in Kyonggi-do
province. This large woodpecker is a rare
resident of the small area of heavy forested
area remaining in Korea. Nesting success in
Korea was also confirmed in the forest of
Hwanghae-do province, North Korea. These birds
change their nesting site within a short
distance each year.
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White-naped
crane, Grus vipio
Total
length: 119 centimeters. A pale grey crane
with a white head and neck; grey on the body
continues up the sides of the neck in a narrow
line to a little below the eye. Lore naked and
red; legs, red.
This
bird is a regular winter visitor and passage
migrant. The species is the most abundant of
all the cranes in Korea, but its number has
decreased in recent years. In November and
February of every year, the flocks of about
2,000 birds concentrate in the estuary of the
Han-gang river and the Ch'sorwon Basin,
Kangwon-do province. The estuary and basin are
bird sanctuaries designated as Natural
Monuments No. 250 and 245 respectively. The
crane migrates to Korea in late October and
November and winters here until the end of
March.
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Baikal
Teal, Anas formosa Georgi
The
Baikal Teal Anas formosa is a handsome duck
found in Northeast Asia. Although it was
extremely common in early this century, in
recent years numbers have declined
dramatically, and it now joins the rank of the
three rarest species of teal in the world,
along with the Madagascar Teal Anas bernieri,
the New Zealand Brown Teal Anas aucklandica
and the Marbled Teal Marmaronetta
augustirostris of Central Asia.
The
Baikal Teal is larger than the Common Teal
Anas crecca, and the male is easily
identifiable by its striking yellow and green
head and grey and brown body. In comparison,
the female has a duller head with a prominent
white circular spot at the base of the bill as
well as plainer rufous brown plumage.
The
Baikal Teal is now rarely seen during the
winter season. It has been sited in only a few
locations in Korea, China and Japan. The
present world population is estimated to be
about 75,000 birds. Taking into consideration
this decline in population, the species has
only recently been listed under the CITES
conservation in an attempt to monitor
international trade of the species.
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The
Baikal Teal only breeds in northeast Russia,
preferring the river valleys and basins of
Anadyr, Kolyma, Yana, Indigirka Lena and Amur,
the Okhotsk coast and Kamchatka. It winters in
rice fields and wetlands in Korea, China and
Japan. There are records of stray birds from
northwestern India, Nepal, Hong Kong and North
America.
The
main cause of the decline in numbers is
believed to be hunting. A common traditional
method of hunting the Baikal Teal in Japan was
the use of throw nets, whereby huge nets are
thrown into bird flocks as they fly at dusk to
regular feeding grounds. Today, shooting is
the most common method of hunting the Baikal
Teal, especially in Russia and China. At Lake
Khanka in Russia, there used to be a
three-week hunting season of this species when
the birds migrated through. Birds are also
killed by adding poisons or pesticides to
grain. Poisoning technique is still practiced
in China, and was formally used in Korea as
well.
The
Baikal Teal has also become a popular species
in wildfowl collections and zoos, as the birds
are so easily collected. Large numbers were
exported by dealers in China and Hong Kong for
the international market. Due to its shy
nature, however, the Baikal Teal is a
difficult species to breed in captivity until
recently. Consequently, a continuous supply
from the wild was needed to provide new birds
for these collections.
Migration
routes between breeding and wintering grounds
are not exactly known. They are believed to
travel quickly, making use of different routes
in autumn and spring. The birds use river
valleys with associated flood waters, marshes
and freshwater lakes during migration. Large
numbers used to pass through southeastern
Russia, particularly the Amur Valley and Lake
Khanka. During the springtime, about
5,000-10,000 birds stop over at Lake Khanka.
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The
birds leave their breeding grounds in late
August-September and arrive in their wintering
grounds in late October. They depart
northwards in March and reach their breeding
destinations by April-May. Little information
is available on the breeding biology of the
Baikal Teal. The birds build their nests in
grass and sedge tussocks, often in dwarf
forests of birch and willow.
The
bill is shaped for filter feeding, with
similar filter palates as those found in
Common Teal, but the Baikal Teal has
apparently evolved from an aquatic filter
feeder due to its predominantly terrestrial
diet. The main food during the winter season
consists of rice grain and seeds, as well as
aquatic invertebrates and fish. Consequently,
during this period they are mainly associated
with large flat expanses of rice-fields and
large open areas of freshwater that remain
ice-free for safe roosting.
The
Baikal Teal was a common passage migrant
through Korea on its way to Japan. With the
decline in numbers, however, few birds are
believed to migrate through the Primorye
Territory anymore. As recently as 1984, the
Baikal Teal was discovered to winter in Korea.
Important wintering sites are Ch' Consuman
impoundment water, Sapkyoho lake of Asanman
bay, Kumgang estuary, the west coast,
Tapch'kong Impoundment Water, Nonsan and the
lakes at Ch'nong-am in the flood plain of the
Naktonggang Valley, in Kyongsangnam-do
province. Since 1987, about 70,000 birds have
been observed there each winter. Korea is now
the world's largest known concentration of the
species, holding over 90 percent of the
world's known population. Small numbers spend
the winter at Up'o Marsh in the Naktonggang
Valley, Kyongsangnam-do province.
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