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Many bird species rely on the ecological functions of rice field habitats (e.g., paddy, levee, road, and ditch). However, recent intensive practices are causing rice fields to provide fewer suitable habitats. This study examined bird habitat usage and how it is affected by cultivation methods (e.g., eco-friendly vs conventional fields). Eco-friendly and conventional rice fields in the midwestern region of the Republic of Korea were surveyed from January 2014 to December 2016, and the species presence, number of birds, and locations of observed habitats were recorded. It was found that shorebirds and herons used more eco-friendly rice paddies with lower or no pesticide and/or herbicide use, while waterfowl used paddy habitats more than the other habitats, regardless of the amounts of pesticides and/or herbicides used. Land birds used ditches or roads in conventional rice fields more than those in fields that used pesticides and/or herbicides. Pesticide and/or herbicide use affected bird taxonomic groups differently. Consequently, the use of habitats by different bird taxonomic groups varied depending on the crop cultivation as well as the cultivation methods. These results provided valuable information for managing rice fields, which serve as habitats for birds.

Understanding the geographic distribution of species is crucial for establishing protected areas. This study aimed to identify the preferred habitat environment of South Korean herpetofauna using distribution point information, providing the information necessary to protect their habitat by establishing a species distribution model. We found that climate variables in the region where 19 amphibians and 20 reptiles were distributed correlated with the altitude, suggesting that altitude had a major influence on their distribution. The species distribution modeling indicated that 10–12 amphibian and 13–16 reptile species inhabit the Gangwon-do region, forming hotspot areas in the eastern and western regions around the Taebaek Mountains. Some of these hotspot areas occurred in the Demilitarized Zone and national parks, which are government-managed ecological conservation areas. However, some hotspot areas are vulnerable to habitat destruction due to development and deforestation as they are not designated conservation areas. Therefore, it is necessary to establish new conservation areas with a focus on herpetofauna after confirming the actual inhabitation of species through precise monitoring in predicted hotspot areas and designating them as protected areas. Our results can serve as important basic data for establishing protection measures and designating protected areas for herpetofauna species.