Restoration Objective:
This study aimed to confirm the changes in urchin density and macroalgal communities and evaluate the effectiveness of urchin removal.
Site Selection Criteria:
Dokdo, 215 km from Uljin County on the Korean east coast, is a group of Seodo (West Island), Dongdo (East Island), and small islets in North Gyeongsang Province, Korea. The island, minimally affected by anthropogenic activities, such as pollution and overfishing, is designated as a Nature Reserve by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea due to its high conservational value (Kang et al. 2013). Kelp ecosystem, which was stable and dominated by Eisenia bicyclis and Ecklonia cava, proved low anthropogenic impact and indicated seasonally different influences by the East Korea Warm Current and the North Korea Cold Current surrounding the island (Kang et al. 2001; Choi et al. 2009; Shin et al. 2019).
Cause Of Decline:
Despite the designation and ecological characteristics, barren grounds occurred and macroalgal biodiversity rapidly decreased from the late 1990s to early 2000s (Kim 2004; Kim et al. 2004). The probable causes could be local pollution (e.g. shipboard sewage and wastewater from the gradually increasing maritime traffic, and oil leaks from boats) and increasing water temperature due to global warming (Kim et al. 2004).
