Analysis of vegetation recovery trend in abandoned paddy wetland - Focused on flora and vegetation changes of clear zone surrounding Pyeongtaek K-55 Air Force Base -

The term “Abandoned Paddy Field” (APF) refers to a paddy field that is no longer used for farming due to various reasons. In general, most APFs develop into wetlands because they are rich in moisture. A wetland harbors diverse plant species, habitats for these species and high biodiversity. This study was conducted to investigate the changes in the flora, including hydrophytes, and the vegetation succession over time in an APF. The airport clear zone around K-55 Air Base in Pyeongtaek-si, Korea was selected as the area to be investigated in this study. The duration of this study was 6 years. The flora, including hydrophytes, increased during the research period. Most plants in the research area were herbs, primarily weeds and hygrophytes. The distribution of weeds expanded at the beginning of vegetation succession, whereas the distributions of hydrophytes, such as the Korean willow and oriental cattail, expanded subsequently in the study period. The study showed that the APF spontaneously developed into a wetland. If it is planned to restore an APF to a wetland, the restoration procedure and the period of time should be determined. According to the results of this study, 5 years are required for an APF to develop into a wetland. Therefore, an APF restoration plan should consider the time naturally required for this process.