Site Selection for an Appropriate Habitat for Protected Species in Urban Paddy Fields using Marxan with Zones† - A case study of Daejang-dong District, Bucheon -

We selected an appropriate habitat based on ecological characteristics and occurrence of species in urban paddy fields in Daejang-dong District, South Korea, using Marxan with zones. The target site was classified into a core conservation area and buffer and use zones, and three zoning scenarios were applied by varying the extent of the core conservation area to 20%, 30%, and 40%, respectively. Analysis using Marxan with Zones showed that Scenario 2 produced final solutions, including decentralized and centralized conservation plans. In the decentralized plan, the core conservation area was dispersed facilitating water supply from small rivers. In the centralized conservation plan, the core conservation area was concentrated and not adjacent to small rivers, thereby requiring the creation of an artificial water system to create an appropriate habitat. The Marxan with Zones program can be effectively applied for the selection of appropriate habitats for protected species in urban paddy fields.