download the PDF here - Amphibian Specialist Group

Regional Updates
Mainland Asia
To help ASG members around to world keep up-to-date with the activities of regional ASG’s, each edition of
FrogLog focuses on one of the six geographical areas as outlined in FrogLog 96 (pg 6-7). This provides local
ASG’s with an opportunity to showcase their conservation efforts and publicize issues of concern. In this
edition we focus on Mainland Asia, a zone consisting of 10 ASG groups.
Korea
In South Korea amphibian species living
in woodland areas, such as mountain
frogs and several salamanders, are
relatively well conserved because more
than 70% of the country is made up of
these habitats. On the contrary, amphibian
species inhabiting lowland areas including
agricultural areas, such as frogs in
Ranidae and toads, are largely declining
in numbers or are threatened. As a result,
current national protection efforts and
ecological scientific research has mainly
focused on amphibians in lowland habitats.
There are 18 amphibians, in South Korea,
composed of five urodeles and 13 anurans
(Yang et al. 2001). Among them, the
gold-spotted pond frog, Rana plancyi
chosenica (Pelophylax chosenicus) and the
narrow- mouthed toad (Kaloula borealis)
have been designated as a national
endangered species since 2005. Recently,
the Suweon tree frog (Hyla suweonensis)
has been added as an endangered
species due to its restricted distribution
ranges and small population size.
In South Korea before the 1980s most
amphibian studies focused on new species
identification and re-classification of
existing amphibians. From the mid 1980’s
new evolutionary ecological approaches
were taken establishing Bombina orientalis
as an important model for studies on
maternal effects and developmental
plasticity (Kaplan 1987) and in the mid
-1990s, molecular phylogenetic studies
and several new ecological and behavioral
studies were started. From this research,
in 2005 the first Asian plethodontid
salamander (Karsenia koreana) was
discovered living in the middle portion
of the Korean Peninsula in South Korea
(Min et al. 2005). From the early 2000s,
conservation and rehabilitation studies
have been conducted involving mostly
endangered lowland amphibians. Also from
2005, a research group began to study the
Chytrid fungus and it was detected in several
frog species, such as Korean tree frogs (Hyla
japonica) and bullfrogs. Researchers are
continuing their work to determine how the
fungus affects amphibian field populations
throughout South Korea. In 2005, the
Korean Research Society of Herpetologists
was established. They organize an annual
8 | FrogLog Vol. 98 | September 2011
conference and publish the Korean Journal
of Herpetology (http://www.krsh.or.kr/).
In early 1997, the Korean Ministry of
Environment started the National Natural
Environment Survey and included
amphibians in the survey. This year it is
currently in the middle of the third round
of the survey. For the survey, the National
Institute of Environmental Research
(http://nier.go.kr/eric/portal/kor) divided
Suweon tree frog, Hyla suweonensis, one of endangered
frogs in South Korea. Photo: Yong-Wook Lee.
South Korea into 2 km X 2km quadrats
areas and one individual surveys animals
in at least two different sites twice within
each quadrat. The data collected from the
survey are used to develop environmental
policies and provide the baseline for
various ecological studies. In addition
to the survey, the Korean Ministry of
Environment has supported more than
100 ecologists for national Long-Term
Environmental Monitoring since 2004
(http://www.knlter.net/). Amphibian
populations are also being monitored in
two different national parks, Woraksan
and Odaesan National Parks. Some of the
results were recently published (Lee et al.
2011). In addition, in 2011 the National
Institute of Biological Resources (http://
www.nibr.go.kr/), originally established
in 2007, re-evaluated threatened levels
of Korean amphibians and also published
the Red Data Book of Endangered
Amphibians and Reptiles in Korea.
In conjunction with governmental action,
non-governmental organizations (NGO)
in South Korea are very active. Regional
NGOs have been actively involved in
protecting local amphibian populations
and endangered species. For example,
the Committee of Wonhungii Life and
Peace successfully protected an Asian toad
(Bufo gargarizans) population within
developing city areas in Cheongju-shi, and
they established an ecological park (http://
wonheungi.net/main.do). The recently
established Korea Network for Amphibian
Conservation (http://cafe.naver.com/
koreafrog/) is also actively working to
determine how recent climate changes
affect calling patterns and reproduction
of amphibians. Most NGOs are developing
and managing ecological education
programs for adults and children. These
programs are essential to help increase
awareness about Korean amphibians,
particularly for our future generations.
In South Korea, although there are a
limited number of scientists focusing
on amphibian research, interest about
endangered amphibians and amphibian
ecology is increasing among the general
public. A detailed review providing the
history and current efforts surrounding
the conservation of amphibians in South
Korea is in press (Park et al. 2012).
The following are critical to the success
of protecting amphibian populations in
South Korea: (1) continued development of
educational programs for the general public
to increase their awareness and involvement
in protection efforts: (2) continued work
with the South Korean government and
NGOs to develop environmental policies;
and (3) increased funding for scientists
working on amphibians to provide baseline
and ongoing data for ecological studies.
Daesik Park (Co-Chair) and Robert
H. Kaplan (Co-Chair) Korean
Amphibian Specialist Group
Author details: Daesik Park, Division of
Biology Education, Kangwon National
University, Chuncheon, Kangwon 200-
701, South Korea (parkda@kangwon.
ac.kr); Robert H. Kaplan, Department of
Biology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon
97202, USA (taricha@reed.edu).