Characteristics of Bird Inhabitation and Management in World Heritage Changdeok Palace Rear Garden

The Changdeok Palace (Changdeokgung) has been registered as a world heritage site in December of 1997 for its combination of well-preserved architecture and surrounding nature. The palace functions as a representative tourist location of Seoul as well as a forest within a city which shows an ecosystem within a cityscape. The Changdeok Palace's rear garden was opened to the public in 2004 and thus required suitable management and stable management of the forest in the garden. Study of the wild avian fauna of the forest showed 161 individuals (Peak count) of 41 species, and dominant species included the magpies (Pica pica), brown-eared bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis), dusky thrush (Turdus migratorius), tree sparrow (Passer montanus), vinous-throated parrotbill (Paradoxornis webbianus fulvicauda) and the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus), in descending order. Since the study area is located near the city, magpies was the most dominant species, but the location was also providing habitat for various endangered and government protected bird species such as birds of prey and the mandarin duck. The effect of the visitors to the rear garden of the Changdeok Palace on its avian fauna was minimal, and the study has proposed future plans for management of wild avian habitat, of visitors and users, of trails and natural enemies.