ISSN 2671-9274 Vol.8 No.1 / february 14 2020 Research Briefs KEI construction of a historical map database as a basis for analyzing land-use and land-cover changes, exemplified by the korean demilitarized zone and inner-german green belt(part1) writing. oh seok kim and marco neubert the korean demilitarized zond(dmz) has attracted global attention due to its unique history of human and natural interaction. various vities and vounties used to inhabit the dmz, some of them fairly well devel-oped and populous. however, after the korean war, when the region became a no-man's land, it turned into an imporant refuge for flora and fauna. by studying such a rare tranitional site of human-nature interation such as dmz, researchers have the opportunity to explore how humans and nature can coexist in a sustainable way . in short, the dmz is a living laboratory for sustainability science. ◆ Germany’s Green Belt (Gr？nes Band, hereafter GB) shares a similar history to Korea’s DMZ and exemplifies a promising future. Before the reunification of Germany, the GB was the border region between East and West Germany, and a so-called “Death Strip”. Accessibility was highly limited due to the heavy military presence. Over many decades, the region unexpectedly developed a rich biodiversity due to the unique opportunity for nature to thrive largely undisturbed. After reunification, this unique landscape has been gradually and systematically protected. The Green Belt was created at the instigation of the BUND (Bund f？r Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V., 01 KEI Research Briefs