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| Korean Botanical Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Korean Botanical Society |
| Native name | 한국식물학회 |
| Formation | 1946 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | Seoul |
| Region served | South Korea |
| Language | Korean, English |
| Leader title | President |
Korean Botanical Society is a learned society dedicated to the study of plant sciences in South Korea, promoting research, education, and conservation across botany-related fields. Founded in the mid-20th century, it has connected academics, curators, educators, and practitioners associated with institutions such as Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology and regional herbaria. The society engages with international bodies including the International Association for Plant Taxonomy, International Botanical Congress, Asian Botanical Congress, Botanical Society of America and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to advance Korean and global botanical knowledge.
The society was established in the aftermath of Korean Peninsula upheavals with founders drawn from faculty at Seoul National University, Kyungpook National University, Chungnam National University and botanical gardens such as Seoul Botanical Garden. Early activities focused on floristic surveys of the Korean Peninsula, collaborations with museums like the National Museum of Korea, and exchanges with institutions including University of Tokyo and Peking University. During the late 20th century the society expanded through partnerships with research institutes such as the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology and participated in multinational projects alongside Smithsonian Institution and Missouri Botanical Garden. Political transitions including the Korean War period and later economic development influenced research priorities toward restoration ecology, conservation of endemic taxa, and integration with university curricula at Chonnam National University and Pusan National University.
The society’s mission emphasizes promotion of systematic botany, ecology, plant physiology, paleobotany, and applied phycology through objectives that align with stakeholders at Ministry of Environment (South Korea), National Research Foundation of Korea, and international programs like the Convention on Biological Diversity. Objectives include facilitating publication of research, supporting herbarium development at institutions such as Kangwon National University Herbarium and Korean National Arboretum, fostering collaborations with organizations like International Union for Conservation of Nature and Global Taxonomy Initiative, and advising policymakers on issues related to protected areas such as Jirisan National Park and Hallasan National Park.
Membership draws professional botanists, curators, postgraduate students, and educators affiliated with universities like Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and research centers such as Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology. Governance features an elected council with positions analogous to roles at Korean Academy of Science and Technology and committees for taxonomy, education, and conservation modeled after structures at the European Society for Evolutionary Biology. Regional chapters collaborate with botanical gardens including Gyeonggi Provincial Arboretum and international affiliates tied to the International Association for Plant Taxonomy and Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions.
The society publishes peer-reviewed journals and monographs that parallel outputs from Journal of Ecology (Oxford) and American Journal of Botany, providing venues for taxonomic revisions, floristic checklists, and ecological studies. Its main periodical features original research, reviews, and field reports on topics such as Sasa grassland ecology, Quercus oak dynamics, and Rhododendron systematics, and is distributed to libraries including those at Seoul National University Library and National Library of Korea. Special issues have been coordinated with international publishers and indexed alongside titles like Taxon and Plant Systematics and Evolution.
Annual meetings convene members and collaborators, often held at campuses such as Kyung Hee University and research facilities like Korea Basic Science Institute. The society hosts thematic symposia on bryophyte diversity with speakers from University of British Columbia and on climate impacts with contributors from University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It has organized regional meetings in partnership with the Asian Botanical Congress and co-sponsored sessions at the International Botanical Congress, facilitating dialogues on ex-situ conservation with representatives from Singapore Botanic Gardens and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Contributions encompass floristic inventories of the Baekdudaegan mountain range, taxonomic revisions of genera such as Carex, documentation of endemic species like Korean rhododendrons, and phylogenetic studies using molecular methods developed in collaboration with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and POSTECH. The society supported long-term ecological monitoring at sites within Demilitarized Zone (Korea), advanced seed-bank initiatives with Korea National Arboretum, and promoted restoration projects in coastal wetlands including Suncheon Bay. Collaborative research with international centers such as Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Missouri Botanical Garden, and Chinese Academy of Sciences has yielded revisions published in outlets comparable to Annals of Botany and New Phytologist.
The society confers awards recognizing excellence in botanical research, early-career achievement, and lifetime contributions, analogous to honors given by the Botanical Society of America and Linnean Society of London. Named awards commemorate prominent Korean botanists associated with institutions like Seoul National University and Kyung Hee University and are presented at annual meetings alongside medals and research grants funded in partnership with bodies such as the National Research Foundation of Korea and Ministry of Science and ICT.
Category:Scientific societies based in South Korea Category:Botanical societies