Environment education in school level of Nepal : A brief review of formal education system and its achievements

Pradeep Adhikari,Sthir Babu Subedi,Suresh Rai 제주대학교 교육과학연구소 2017 교육과학연구 Vol.19 No.1

In this global era, developing and developed countries in the world are facing numerous challenges of environmental protection, resource conservation, sustainable development, climate change adaptation, and global warming mitigation. As such, environmental education (EE) has been necessary in school education for the production of conscious, knowledgeable, and skilled young generations to resolve environmental problems. This study is an attempt to appraise the status of EE in school education of Nepal. We collected the earlier and current curriculums and textbooks of the Basic Education (Grade 1-8) and Secondary Education (Grade 9-10) and determined the subject matters of EE providing in school. We found the curriculum and textbooks deal present environmental issues such as pollution control, prevention from natural disasters, conservation of the ecosystem, natural resources, and wildlife, in both earlier and current curriculum. In addition, the current curriculum included global Environmental issues such as climate change, global warming, and sustainable development. The secondary information was collected to check the learning achievement of EE, which revealed students are knowledgeable, aware, and participates in environment protection activities. Proper implementation of designed curriculum and involvement of student’s in environment protection activities are required to accomplish the desired goal of EE.

Potential impact of climate change on the species richness of subalpine plant species in the mountain national parks of South Korea

Pradeep Adhikari,신만석,전자영,김현우,홍승범,서창완 한국생태학회 2018 Journal of Ecology and Environment Vol.42 No.4

Background: Subalpine ecosystems at high altitudes and latitudes are particularly sensitive to climate change. In South Korea, the prediction of the species richness of subalpine plant species under future climate change is not well studied. Thus, this study aims to assess the potential impact of climate change on species richness of subalpine plant species (14 species) in the 17 mountain national parks (MNPs) of South Korea under climate change scenarios’ representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and Migclim for the years 2050 and 2070. Results: Altogether, 723 species occurrence points of 14 species and six selected variables were used in modeling. The models developed for all species showed excellent performance (AUC > 0.89 and TSS > 0.70). The results predicted a significant loss of species richness in all MNPs. Under RCP 4.5, the range of reduction was predicted to be 15.38–94.02% by 2050 and 21.42–96.64% by 2070. Similarly, under RCP 8.5, it will decline 15.38–97.9% by 2050 and 23.07–100% by 2070. The reduction was relatively high in the MNPs located in the central regions (Songnisan and Gyeryongsan), eastern region (Juwangsan), and southern regions (Mudeungsan, Wolchulsan, Hallasan, and Jirisan) compared to the northern and northeastern regions (Odaesan, Seoraksan, Chiaksan, and Taebaeksan). Conclusions: This result indicates that the MNPs at low altitudes and latitudes have a large effect on the climate change in subalpine plant species. This study suggested that subalpine species are highly threatened due to climate change and that immediate actions are required to conserve subalpine species and to minimize the effect of climate change.

Seasonal and altitudinal variation in roe deer (Capreolus pygargus tianschanicus) diet on Jeju Island, South Korea

Pradeep Adhikari,박선미,김태욱,이준원,김가람,한상현,오홍식 국립중앙과학관 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol.9 No.4

In order to understand the feeding ecology and dietary differences of roe deer (Capreolus pygargus tianschanicus) in different seasons and altitudes, this study was carried out at three altitudinal sites(Songdang 250-270 m above sea level (ASL), Aradong 330-370 m ASL, Mt. Hallasan 1100 m ASL) on Jeju Island, South Korea. Altogether, 205 plants taxa of six categories of foods (forbs-climbers, graminoids, trees, shrubs, conifers, and ferns) were identified using morphological and molecular analyses. The highest number of dietary plants was found in summer (93 taxa) and at Aradong (124 taxa) and lowest at Songdang (71 taxa) and in winter (51 taxa). Food categories were significantly different among the seasons (F ¼ 15.646, p < 0.05) and altitudinal sites (F ¼ 3.941, p < 0.05). This study revealed that dietary selectivity of roe deer shifted with seasonal and altitudinal variations and preferred to the nutritive and low fibers food.

Potential impact of climate change on plant invasion in the Republic of Korea

Pradeep Adhikari,전자영,김현우,신만석,Prabhat Adhikari,서창완 한국생태학회 2019 Journal of Ecology and Environment Vol.43 No.4

Background: Invasive plant species are considered a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human wellbeing worldwide. Climatically suitable ranges for invasive plant species are expected to expand due to future climate change. The identification of current invasions and potential range expansion of invasive plant species is required to plan for the management of these species. Here, we predicted climatically suitable habitats for 11 invasive plant species and calculated the potential species richness and their range expansions in different provinces of the Republic of Korea (ROK) under current and future climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling approach. Results: Based on the model predictions, areas of climatically suitable habitats for 90.9% of the invasive plant species are expected to retain current ecological niches and expand to include additional climatically suitable areas under future climate change scenarios. Species richness is predicted to be relatively high in the provinces of the western and southern regions (e.g., Jeollanam, Jeollabuk, and Chungcheongnam) under current climatic conditions. However, under future climates, richness in the provinces of the northern, eastern, and southeastern regions (e.g.,Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsangnam, Degue, Busan, and Ulsan) is estimated to increase up to 292%, 390.75%, and 468.06% by 2030, 2050, and 2080, respectively, compared with the current richness. Conclusions: Our study revealed that the rates of introduction and dispersion of invasive plant species from the western and southern coasts are relatively high and are expanding across the ROK through different modes of dispersion. The negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and economy caused by invasive plant species will be high if preventive and eradication measures are not employed immediately. Thus, this study will be helpful to policymakers for the management of invasive plant species and the conservation of biodiversity.

Climate Change-Induced Invasion Risk of Ecosystem Disturbing Alien Plant Species: Comparative Analyses of Five Species Distribution Models

Pradeep Adhikari,Yong Ho Lee,Yong-Soon Park,Sun Hee Hong 한국잡초학회 2022 한국잡초학회 별책(학술대회 초록집) Vol.42 No.1

침입외래종 붉은귀거북의 제주도 내 분 포 및 현황

오홍식,박선미,PradeepAdhikari,김유경,김태욱,한상현 한국환경생물학회 2017 환경생물 : 환경생물학회지 Vol.35 No.1

This study was conducted to determined the status and geographical distribution of the alien invasive Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) turtle on Jeju Island. We found thirty-two Red-eared slider habitats including twenty-five ponds, five agricultural reservoirs, a puddle and a stream. Among those, thirteen sites are newly determined habitats of the turtle. The remaining nineteen are previously reported. However, we could not find any turtles at nine sites, which were documented as turtle habitats in earlier reports. A total of one hundred thirty-three turtles were observed. Among them, we determined that thirty-nine were juvenile turtles, found in nineteen different habitats, indicating estimating that Red-eared sliders produced their progeny in the wild of this island. Because of geographical isolation by the ocean, no freshwater turtle had been found until 19th Century. Therefore, the increased number of finding sites and Red-eared sliders indicate the possibility of human release of their pets or for other purposes, and natural propagation in the wild on Jeju Island. Our findings will be useful for management planning to deal with this invasive species, and implementation of a conservation program for native wildlife on Jeju Island.