Understanding the Managing Conditions and Improvement Strategies of Domestic Protected Areas in Korea - Focus on Ecological and Landscape Conservation Areas and Wetland Protected Areas -

This study is aimed at using the grasped problems of protected areas in Korea as the basic data for management planning and system improvement of protected areas by grasping realistic problems through the interview with the persons in charge on the basis of general problems of domestic protected areas. To this end, this study deducted major problems in urgent need of improvement, and improvement direction through the survey of the persons in charge of protected areas. This study result is as follows: The major problems, which should be preferentially improved, were found to be shortages of management infrastructure, cooperation between interested parties, and threat factors in protected areas, etc. Such problems are interconnected with each other, thus coming up complexly; therefore, it`s necessary to make a comprehensive approach to the problems after confirming the causal relationship of the identified problems. In addition, for the purpose of effective management of a protected area, it`s necessary to implement priority management of major problems through different management intensity from the planning phase. Also, it`s important to enhance the effectiveness of planning by considering a possible potential threat factor in the outside of protected areas, and referring to the contents of the development plan for the relevant area in time of management planning. Lastly, there is the need for systematic improvement of an institution through thorough status review of the actual state of management planning fulfillment in order to increase the effectiveness of planning in a follow-up study hereafter.