IUCN's Application of Cluster Analysis to Usage Classification Areas in Korean protected areas: Based on Gangwon Province

Background and objective: Protected areas in South Korea are currently designated by different ministries for similar purposes, causing overlapping management and conflicts of interest. Moreover, protected areas after designation have been lacking sufficient management. Thus, it is necessary to classify the types of protected areas in South Korea considering variables related to designation, management, and the natural environment, and to verify the applicability of IUCN categories.Methods: We selected variables that are easy to apply to spatial data, easy to interpret, and can solve problems within protected areas based on previous studies and literature review. The optimal number of clusters was derived by conducting hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis on 174 protected areas using the selected variables. The applicability of IUCN categories was verified based on the results.Results: Cluster centroids represent the characteristics of the variables in each cluster, which were applied to IUCN categories for classification. Based on this standard, we formed clusters of similar protected areas through cluster analysis and classified them according to IUCN categories. The clusters were compared with the protected areas classified by the existing IUCN categories and were further subdivided according to the characteristics of the use districts.Conclusion: This study classified protected areas located in Gangwon Province as well as overlapping protected areas using criteria such as the natural environment, activity restrictions, protected target and area as set in the research method, and derived the characteristics of each cluster. This study has significance in that it verified the protected areas classified as IUCN categories and suggested appropriate management measures for unclear overlapping protected areas.