Situation and prospect of ecological engineering for stream restoration in Korea

Ecological engineering is at a beginning stage in Korea, with its concept first introduced only in the early 1990s. Basic knowledge and experience of ecological engineering, mostly adapted from Germany, U.S.A. and Japan, have been applied to stream restoration. Since then, large-scale research and demonstration projects of stream restoration have been implemented by both the central and local governments. At present, ecological river engineers should concern instream flow, stream restoration, and hydro-geomorphic interaction induced by human activities including dams, gravel mining and channelization. Understanding the micro as well as macro interaction between flow, sediment, geomorphology, structure, and vegetation is essential for properly approaching the problems. In the near future, furthermore, it is needed to seriously consider removals of weirs/small dams and levees with their functions lost in order to make our society to remain safe against floods of seemingly increasing magnitude and frequency and restore the stream ecosystem degenerated by those flood defense structures as well.