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Proverbs can be regarded as pithy axioms of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), which can be useful for sustainability education. By using an exploratory sequential mixed method, we analyzed TEK and ecoliteracy components embedded in rain-and tree-related Korean traditional proverbs, and further conducted a survey of university students to gauge their knowledge of the proverbs and draw correlations with their ecoliteracy. We classified 173 rain-and 117 tree-related traditional Korean proverbs and found that most of these were related to factual observations, such as ecological characteristics of tree species and the prediction of rainfall, which indicated people's understanding of ecological processes and patterns. We also found that students tended to provide correct answers for questions related to TEK-based worldviews, ethics and values, which are important components of ecoliteracy, thereby indicating the usefulness of proverbs in delivering TEK-based worldviews, ethics, and values. Overall, our study reasons that the learning of TEK-related traditional proverbs can be meaningful for enhancing ecoliteracy among urban youth, particularly when this learning is complemented with field-based observational learning within integrated approaches for sustainability education.

Abstract:Urban ecosystem services (ESs) can moderate many common environmental issues in cities that are caused by the land use transformation central to urbanization. However, quantitative knowledge of historical changes in ES provisioning at various urban scales is limited. In this research, it is proposed to identify ESs, especially those generated by urban green space (UGS), and quantify their spatiotemporal variations at the regional scale in the southern part of Seoul City, Korea. Changes are first detected in landscape patterns, then one ES indicator -carbon sequestration (CS) -is chosen as a test case, and its spatial pattern explored using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. Total potential CS decreased by 41.2% from 1975 to 2015, with loss and fragmentation of landscapes occurring and patches becoming smaller and simpler in shape in the urban area, as indicated by landscape metrics. Moreover, strong decreases in urban forest and agricultural areas were the primary causes of loss of CS. On the other hand, a 120% increase in the grassland area somewhat offset these two factors. It is hoped that these results will contribute to cognizance of the potential of historical processes to inform future policy decisions related to green infrastructure and land-use planning.

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Fragmented forests generate a variety of forest edges, leading to microclimates in the edge zones that differ from those in the forest interior. Understanding microclimatic variation is an important consideration for managers because it helps when making decisions about how to restrict the extent of edge effects. Thus, our study attempted to characterize the changing microclimate features at an urban forest edge located on Mt. Gwanak, Seoul, South Korea. We examined edge effects on air temperature, relative humidity, soil temperature, soil moisture, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) during the hottest three consecutive days in August 2016. Results showed that each variable responded differently to the edge effects. This urban forest edge had an effect on temporal changes at a diurnal scale in all microclimate variables, except soil moisture. In addition, all variables except relative humidity were significantly influenced by the edge effect up to 15 m inward from the forest boundary. The relative humidity fluctuated the most and showed the deepest extent of the edge effect. Moreover, the edge widths calculated from the relative humidity and air temperature both peaked in the late afternoon (16:00 h). Our findings provide a reference for forest managers in designing urban forest zones and will contribute to the conservation of fragmented forests in urban areas.

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