Koji Harashina

Traditional perennial crop-based agroforestry in West Java: the tradeoff between on-farm biodiversity and income

Agroforestry systems have been re-evaluated with a renewed scientific interest as appropriate models for achieving sustainable production while maintaining planned and associated biodiversity and agroecosystem functioning. Traditional bamboo-tree gardens in West Java are known to play substantial ecological and socioeconomic roles. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the relationship between income generation and biodiversity by studying 83 bamboo-tree gardens that varied in species composition and degree of commercialization. We conducted a survey of the vegetation and interviewed the owners or managers of each plot. We identified 42 planned and utilized species and 19 associated non-use species. Eight vegetation groups were identified by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), each of which varied in individual densities of different utilization species types, Simpson’s diversity index, management intensities, and potential annual gross income. The group with the highest potential income generation was dominated by clove trees (Syzygium aromaticum); however, this group also had a lower level of diversity and higher levels of management intensity than the other groups, but all of the pairwise groups were not significantly different. About 60% of the villagers used at least some fuelwood as a domestic energy source, and almost all of them collected fuelwood from bamboo-tree gardens regardless of ownership. There were no significant differences in density of potential fuelwood species among the vegetation groups. There were significant positive correlations between income and most management activities. The regression model between gross income and Simpson’s diversity index with the best fit was a unimodal curve, which strongly suggests that maximum diversity can be conserved at an intermediate level of income. Nevertheless, this intermediate level of gross income is probably not adequate as the primary source of income for garden owners, although some gardens had the potential to achieve higher income levels with no decline in diversity. We suggest that maximizing individual density and multistratifying canopy layers could improve profitability within perennial crop-based agroforestry systems in West Java.

Land use/cover classification of a complex agricultural landscape using single-dated very high spatial resolution satellite-sensed imagery

Monitoring land use/cover changes in humid tropical agricultural landscapes is crucial to establishing sustainable rural developments. However, the characteristic spatiotemporal complexity of mosaic landscapes makes it difficult to obtain accurate land use/cover maps using single-dated and moderate-resolution remotely sensed images. In this study, we attempted to classify land use/cover by utilizing texture measures to improve object-oriented classification based on a single-dated QuickBird image. The procedure consists of two steps: (1) assessing the spatial size of image objects to be segmented that is adequate for obtaining discriminable textural features among land uses/covers calculated by Haralicks texture measures based on a grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) using the panchromatic band, and (2) developing a hierarchical classification rule set with a classification and regression tree model (CART) using the textural and spectral information. The best discrimination was derived from the largest windows when separability among land-cover types was calculated in window sizes from 3 × 3 to 31 × 31 pixels. GLCM texture measures, especially entropy, improved classification accuracy in delineating paddy fields irrespective of the stage of rice growth. The classification rule set derived from the CART modelling was intuitively understandable: a whole image was divided into green and nongreen texturally homogeneous or heterogeneous land use/cover classes, which seems to describe the fundamental nature of the characteristics of various land uses/covers of agricultural landscapes.

Study on Regional Bioresource Utilization and Recycling System in a Case of Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, Central Japan

In order to present a model of regional bioresource utilization and recycling system in medium-scale local city, amount of potential bioresource supply was estimated in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, Central Japan. Potential supply of 1) woody resources, 2) agricultural residues and livestock wastes and 3) garbage and human wastes were estimated by using GIS and statistical data. The degree of self-sufficiency of lumber used in timber construction in the city was estimated to be 30% with sustainable forest management. It was also estimated that 63% of domestic heat energy use would be supported by woody biomass energy and biogass generated from livestock wastes, garbage and human wastes. In addition, manure made from residues generated after methane fermentation would support more than 100% of total nitrogen input to the agricultural lands. Based on these results, an example of regional bioresource recycling system model was presented and feasibility of the system was discussed in relation to current status of bioresource utilization in Saku City.

A Note on Daily Movement Patterns of a Female Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) in a Suburban Area of Iwate Prefecture, Northeastern Japan

As urban areas sprawl and natural environments are modified, human-bear conflicts are becoming increasingly more common and significant management concerns throughout the United States (Peine 2001; Beckmann and Lackey 2008) and other countries (Mattson 1990; Huygens et al. 2004; Sangay and Vernes 2008). In North America, nuisance activities by American black bears (Ursus americanus) include raiding crops and orchards, feeding on human food and garbage, and attacking livestock and humans (Herrero 2002). However, management policies for black bears vary according to the status of the species, which ranges from pest to threatened (Pelton 2003). American black bears are generally crepuscular but may shift to diurnal or nocturnal activities depending on human activity (Pelton 2003). Several studies have reported such behavioral changes of black bears in British Columbia (Reimchen 1998), Nevada (Beckmann and Berger 2003), and California (Ayres et al. 1986; Lyons 2005; Matthews et al. 2006). Recently, crop damage and human injuries have also been caused by Asiatic black bears (U. thibetanus) in Japan (Hazumi 1994). Most of these disturbances occur in suburban landscapes surrounded by forests and farmlands with obscure boundaries (Ozaki and Kudo 2002). In Japan, only a few behavioral studies have addressed such problems with black bears. In Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, Huygens and Hayashi (1999) constructed an electric fence around corn fields to test its effect on crop depredation by black bears. In the Experimental Farm of Tohoku University, northeastern Japan, Deguchi et al. (2003) placed infrared cameras near a corn field to observe nuisance behavior by black bears. Despite these studies, little is known of the movement patterns of Asiatic black bears in suburban areas of Japan. Detailed monitoring of active Asiatic black bears near suburban areas is required to reduce human-bear interactions. Therefore, to characterize bear movement and resource selection patterns during the crop harvest season, we monitored the movement of a female Asiatic black bear, which was tagged in a forest adjacent to a suburban area, using global positioning system (GPS) technology.

Establishing A Sustainable Community Through Urban and Rural Fusion

Urban and rural fusion has been a main subject of urban planning discussed for over 100 years. Recently it is drawing attention from the viewpoint of “sustainable cities” in particular. In Japan, along with consolidation of municipalities, local administrations including broad rural areas are emerging one after another. This should be regarded as a good opportunity to reestablish bioresource-circulating spheres through creating preferable landscapes and ecological networks as well as promoting the movement toward local production for local consumption. This concept of the urban and rural fusion might contribute to establishing sustainable urban communities in Asia.

Features of Urbanization and Changes in the Thermal Environment in Jakarta, Indonesia

Asian megacities have experienced rapid population growth and continue to grow, causing serious environmental problems. The characteristics of urbanization in these areas differ from those experienced during the growth of cities in Western countries. It is perilous to consider an environmental planning system only from the experience of a highly developed country, since the underlying processes in developed countries often differ from those in developing countries. In order to deal with urbanization and environmental problems caused by urbanization in Asian megacities—adding to the interactions between humans and the natural environment—what environmental functions the landscape elements exhibit, how they connect with each other, and how the relationships between them change in the course of urbanization must be understood. This study describes landscape changes and processes that occurred in the urban fringe of Jakarta, and examines the environmental impacts of the changes in urban climate through numerical simulation analyses and field surveys. It then discusses how to guide urbanization along a more sustainable trajectory in terms of the future landscape structure and human behavior.