Makoto Ooba

Assessing impacts of forest conversion on terrestrial vertebrates combining forestry cost with HSI and InVEST: case of Toyota city, Japan

Abandoned conifer plantation forests in Japan have been a major concern regarding ecosystem function and biodiversity conservation. Responding to local demands of sustainable forestry and considering the roles of mixed forests in conserving biodiversity, national and regional strategies are being prepared to partly convert the plantations into mixed forests and secondary forests in turn. In this paper, as a case study, we assessed the potential impacts of the forest conversion on the habitats of large-sized vertebrates of endangered (Ursus thibetanus and Accipiter gentilis) and common (Sus scrofa and Cervus nippon) status in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture. In the assessment, we applied an approach that combines multiple indices including habitat suitability index (HSI), InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) biodiversity model and forestry costs. We used various spatial data including vegetation maps and species occurrence data. We devised two scenarios of the forest conversion, based on economical and ecological analysis, in line with future forestry plans of the city and the prefecture. The analysis revealed that forest conversion results into increase in good quality habitat of the endangered species keeping the habitat of the common species unchanged.

A review of quality of life (QOL) assessments and indicators: Towards a “QOL-Climate” assessment framework

Quality of life (QOL), although a complex and amorphous concept, is a term that warrants attention, especially in discussions on issues that touch on the impacts of climate change and variability. Based on the principles of RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Synthesis, we present a systematic review aimed at gaining insights into the conceptualization and methodological construct of previous studies regarding QOL and QOL-related indexes. We find that (i) QOL assessments vary in terms of conceptual foundations, dimensions, indicators, and units of analysis, (ii) social indicators are consistently used across assessments, (iii) most assessments consider indicators that pertain to the livability of the environment, and (iv) QOL can be based on objective indicators and/or subjective well-being, and on a composite index or unaggregated dimensions and indicators. However, we also find that QOL assessments remain poorly connected with climate-related issues, an important research gap. Our proposed “QOL-Climate” assessment framework, designed to capture the social-ecological impacts of climate change and variability, can potentially help fill this gap.