[Anchor]

Research results show that 36 percent of Jeju's total area is suitable for wild boars brought in from the mainland to live. The study analyzed major habitats, including Mt. Hallasan, as well as the migration routes connecting them, highlighting the need for management measures to prevent damage to ecosystems and farmlands.

Reporter Ahn Su-kyung from JIBS.

[Reporter]

When a wild boar approaching 2 meters in length appears, startled visitors quickly turn back.

A family of wild boars enjoying a mud bath on Mt. Hallasan was captured by a JIBS camera.

Research results have revealed that 36 percent of Jeju's entire area is a potential habitat suitable for wild boars.

A research team led by Professor Oh Hong-sik of Jeju National University analyzed unmanned sensor cameras and field traces over the past three years, finding that the potential habitat for wild boars reaches 661.8 square kilometers.

In particular, more than half of the area of Hallasan National Park was included in the potential habitat.

The research team also identified six core habitats, including Mt. Hallasan, and eight potential migration routes.

Specifically, Mt. Hallasan and the area around Geumak-seogil were analyzed as core hubs connecting the entire habitats.

The factor that had the greatest influence on wild boar distribution was found to be the distance to agricultural land.

Environments where food is easy to obtain appear to have influenced habitat selection.

[Oh Hong-sik / Professor of Biological Education, Jeju National University: We have moved past the population control stage. Now, we need to carry out active culling, as (the expansion of habitats) overlaps significantly with humans. They already overlap now, which means there is a potential to cause damage to all flora and fauna within those areas.]

The research team emphasized the need to establish management zones centered on the main habitats and migration routes of wild boars, and to implement measures to prevent damage to ecosystems and farmlands.

(Video by: Kang Myung-cheol / JIBS)

Ahn Su-kyung, JIBS