Scenic sites are a major category of natural heritage in Korea, designated for their outstanding scenic, historical, aesthetic, and ecological values. However, the intensification of the climate crisis has increased the likelihood of damage to these s...
Scenic sites are a major category of natural heritage in Korea, designated for their outstanding scenic, historical, aesthetic, and ecological values. However, the intensification of the climate crisis has increased the likelihood of damage to these sites through heavy rainfall, typhoons, floods, landslides, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, and ecological disturbances. Although existing heritage management systems have gradually incorporated disaster response and climate adaptation, they remain limited in identifying which climate-related risks should be managed first, particularly for scenic sites where geomorphological, hydrological, vegetational, cultural, and visitor-use factors are closely interrelated.
Accordingly, this study aims to develop a list of priority management risks for scenic sites in response to the climate crisis. In this study, “priority management risks” refer to climate risks that should be addressed preferentially in the conservation and management of scenic sites, based on an integrated assessment of their relevance to natural heritage, likelihood of occurrence, severity of impact, and urgency of management. To achieve this aim, the study identifies climate risks relevant to scenic sites, verifies their applicability through expert consultation, and classifies their management priority using a risk matrix.
The research was conducted through an integrated bottom-up and top-down approach. The bottom-up approach analyzed disaster and damage cases affecting natural heritage over approximately the past 30 years, identifying recurring damage patterns, vulnerable elements, and climate-related causes. The top-down approach screened national climate risk lists and current climate indicators, including gridded climate data, to examine their relevance to the characteristics of scenic sites. The preliminary risk list derived from these two approaches was then refined through a two-round Delphi survey involving 15 experts in natural heritage and climate risk. The experts evaluated each item based on four criteria: relevance to natural heritage, likelihood of occurrence, severity of impact, and urgency of management. Finally, a risk matrix was constructed by combining risk intensity, calculated from likelihood and impact severity, with management urgency.
The results identified 12 priority climate risks for scenic sites, consisting of four geomorphological risks, five risks related to traditional facilities, and three vegetation-related risks. Among them, six risks were classified as Very High, four as High, and two as Medium, while no risk was classified as Low or Very Low. Very High risks were concentrated in the geomorphological and vegetation categories, including risks related to landslides, flooding, sudden floods, wildfires, pest outbreaks, and damage to old or significant trees. Risks related to traditional facilities, such as structural damage to embankments, stone walls, and waterways, also required continuous management but were evaluated as relatively lower in priority than geomorphological and vegetation risks.
This study contributes to climate risk management for natural heritage by shifting the focus from simple damage recording or post-disaster recovery to a structured process of risk identification, validation, and prioritization. The proposed priority risk list can serve as a practical basis for establishing adaptation measures, allocating management resources, and developing future risk assessment systems for scenic sites under the climate crisis.