Possibility and Limitations of New Framework of Landscape Ecology

The purpose of this study is to overview foreign trends in the study of the landscape ecology through new framework of landscape ecological studies and to suggest possibility and limitation of introduction of landscape ecology studies in Korea. Because of historical reasons rooted in different disciplines, landscape ecology of the present time is not unified at all. Therefore, landscape ecology should be understood in an integrative manner accommodating different views and various aspects of landscape(NOOS, GEOS, BIOS). Facing the increasing environmental problems and the goal of sustainable landscape, the principle of a holistic approach complementarity and transdisciplinarity outlined in this paper (esp. connection physical-materials and cognitive system) might help to understand the characteristics of landscapes and landscape ecology. Important steps towards this direction are the landscape survey, diagnosis, the identification of landscape functions, the development of landscape evaluation models and landscape planning system. Recently there have been a few landscape ecological researches in Korea, which tells there have been strong needs to solve practical landscape problems caused by the rapid socioeconomic growth for several decades. However, almost of this studies are focused on cognitive and visual aspects of landscapes defined boundaries of disciplines. But for more holistic approach complementarity and transdisciplinarity in landscape ecological studies, many other aspects such as the consideration of geoecological and bioecologocal variables, preperation of ecological basic data(mapping) and the development of landscape planning as a tool for practical application should be integrated into the whole landscape system.