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[[underlined]] Description of Proposal[[/underlined]]

7. [[underlined]] Introduction: [[/underlined]]

The Smithsonian Institution, in collaboration with Seoul National University and the Korean Commission for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, proposes a long-term program of research in ecosystem ecology in Korea to extend for an indefinite period of time. For practical purposes an initial period of 25 years is considered, within which specific projects will be programmed periodically. The primary objective is to acquire knowledge about environmental relationships of living organisms, including man, as a basis for achieving harmonious adjustments between human societies and the natural resources of Korea. A systems approach is to be taken in which human populations are considered a component of complex, web-like ecosystems composed of all of the living and non-living elements within a defined area. In other words, man is to be considered in nature as part of a natural system, rather than as an outside influence that modifies or destroys the system. The program envisioned is designed to develop an understanding of all aspects of Korean ecosystems, including the component parts (plants, animals, soils, climate) and their interrelationships; the structure of the system and its relationship to the energetics essential to maintaining the system; the cycling of nutrients; and the changes occurring with time.

In scope the program includes all of the ecosystems in Korea. Initially, the focus will be on the Demilitarized Zone and the adjacent Buffer Zone to the south, which have been intensively protected from man for 13 years. Here unusual opportunities exist for investigating ecological principles of changes in vegetation, animal life, and soils and their relationship to the complexity of the ecosystems involved. For example, do the changes follow classical concepts of succession with one community relaying another as the site becomes less favorable for the existing community and more suitable for the next community, or do the changes depend largely on what plants happened to be present at the time cultivation was abandoned? Are the ecosystems increasing in complexity with time in terms of numbers of species of plants and animals and their interactions; and if so, what is the relationship of increased diversity to the dynamics of populations ? The latter is of special interest with regard to agricultural pests that tend to explode in numbers in simplified ecosystems, such as those created by man through cultivation. Long-range studies of ecosystem changes in the DMZ can be made especially meaningful through comparisons with changes in the un protected systems highly modified by man immediately south of the Buffer Zone. In a sense the DMZ is an ecological baseline against which to compare ecosystems altered by man. As time passes, the baseline will increase in value and new studies, unanticipated at this time, are likely to emerge. For this reason the program should continue over an indefinite period of time.

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