Spatial Cognition of Residents towards the Conservation Area of Upo Wetland

Wetlands are being negatively affected by various human activities such as reclamation, construction of levees, and conventional agricultural activities. Upo Wetland is the largest inland wetland in the Republic of Korea (hereinafter Korea). It has not only been designated as a wetland protection area by the Wetland Conservation Act of Korea but also registered as a Ramsar Site in 1998. In this study, cognitive mapping of the Upo Wetland and surrounding areas was applied to identify sensitive and vulnerable areas that should be carefully managed. The results of the cognitive mapping were compared with existing land-use zones of the wetland conservation area. Furthermore, this paper discusses the advantages of resident participation in cognitive mapping over conventional social and environmental analysis for landscape planning on other conservation areas.