Approximately 58 shorebird species, including endangered and threatened species, use various habitats while traveling on their long-distance migratory routes in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Coastal rice paddies in midwestern Korea, which are located in the EAAF, serve as inland wetlands and provide important stopover sites for long-distance migratory shorebirds. We studied how shorebird population density is affected across periods, time since habitat formation, and field type, at the rice field scale. The shorebirds most frequently observed in rice paddies were, in order, black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa), common greenshanks (Tringa nebularia), and wood sandpipers (T. glareola). Black-tailed godwits and wood sandpipers were affected by time since formation, field type, and water level, whereas field type affected common greenshanks. We propose that (1) flooding time, (2) shallow water level, (3) harrowed field type, and (4) 5–7 days of management intervals at paddy fields are important factors influencing shorebird species density, although all the factors did not influence common greenshank density. We propose that environmental characteristics derived from field management in rice paddies influence habitat use by migratory shorebirds. These factors need to be considered to systematically protect and manage shorebirds that use rice paddies as stopovers during their migration events.

Understanding the geographic distribution of species is crucial for establishing protected areas. This study aimed to identify the preferred habitat environment of South Korean herpetofauna using distribution point information, providing the information necessary to protect their habitat by establishing a species distribution model. We found that climate variables in the region where 19 amphibians and 20 reptiles were distributed correlated with the altitude, suggesting that altitude had a major influence on their distribution. The species distribution modeling indicated that 10–12 amphibian and 13–16 reptile species inhabit the Gangwon-do region, forming hotspot areas in the eastern and western regions around the Taebaek Mountains. Some of these hotspot areas occurred in the Demilitarized Zone and national parks, which are government-managed ecological conservation areas. However, some hotspot areas are vulnerable to habitat destruction due to development and deforestation as they are not designated conservation areas. Therefore, it is necessary to establish new conservation areas with a focus on herpetofauna after confirming the actual inhabitation of species through precise monitoring in predicted hotspot areas and designating them as protected areas. Our results can serve as important basic data for establishing protection measures and designating protected areas for herpetofauna species.

Many bird species rely on the ecological functions of rice field habitats (e.g., paddy, levee, road, and ditch). However, recent intensive practices are causing rice fields to provide fewer suitable habitats. This study examined bird habitat usage and how it is affected by cultivation methods (e.g., eco-friendly vs conventional fields). Eco-friendly and conventional rice fields in the midwestern region of the Republic of Korea were surveyed from January 2014 to December 2016, and the species presence, number of birds, and locations of observed habitats were recorded. It was found that shorebirds and herons used more eco-friendly rice paddies with lower or no pesticide and/or herbicide use, while waterfowl used paddy habitats more than the other habitats, regardless of the amounts of pesticides and/or herbicides used. Land birds used ditches or roads in conventional rice fields more than those in fields that used pesticides and/or herbicides. Pesticide and/or herbicide use affected bird taxonomic groups differently. Consequently, the use of habitats by different bird taxonomic groups varied depending on the crop cultivation as well as the cultivation methods. These results provided valuable information for managing rice fields, which serve as habitats for birds.