Identifying Trends in the Vegetation Distribution of Climate-Sensitive Species in the Korean Peninsula, Based on Climate Attributes

This study analyzed the trends and changes in climate-sensitive plants based on environmental attributes, using on-site survey data collected between 2006 and 2018. In combination with environmental attributes, 16 plant species were chosen as climate-sensitive biological indicator species and were spatially distributed based on national ecological survey data. With the use of regression methods and locally weighted scatterplot smoothing, possible changes in the vegetation distribution trends were simulated. The findings indicated that annual rainfall and temperature are critical environmental attributes, as they mostly affect the plant ecosystem. The simulated results suggest that plant habitats for the selected 16 individual species tend to be found in higher temperature zones, with a few exceptions. However, there was no clear pattern of the effects of annual rainfall on climate-sensitive plant species. The effects of climate change on these species are a risk to the environment; however, depending on the situation, adequate adaptation and management plans could provide opportunities for policy makers to make evidence-based decisions.