Mio Horiuchi

Reed community restoration projects with citizen participation: an example of the practical use of Satoyama landscape resources in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Today, Japan strives to preserve some of its rural Satoyama landscapes in a sustainable way in order to ensure the survival of some well-functioning rural ecosystems in the face of continuing urbanization on the one hand and the neglect of such landscapes on the other. In the Lake Biwa watershed area in Shiga Prefecture, Satoyama landscapes comprise woodlands, grasslands, dry and wet fields, residential areas, and the lakeshore. The area today faces two major challenges: first, how to use local natural resources in a sustainable way to avoid further neglect or destruction of Satoyama landscapes; and second, how to reorganize the management of Satoyama forest and lakeshore resources. The results of our investigation showed how solutions to the above issues were found in the context of lakeshore projects aimed at restoring reed (Phragmites communis) communities, which are important component of the Lake Biwa Satoyama landscape. Since 2002, four such projects have been successfully undertaken through the efficient use of local forest resources, mainly wood and bamboo, in wave dissipation structures and jetties which facilitate the expansion of reed communities. Management was reorganized and now consists of stakeholders which include the original Satoyama management communities, governmental bodies, resident and nonresident citizens, and nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations. The projects are a unique attempt to revive Satoyama watershed landscapes, and may serve as models in other watershed areas.

A Relationship between Fish Communities and Habitat Environments in Small Erosion-controlled Rivers in the Lake Biwa Basin

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between fish communities and habitat environments in small, erosion-controlled rivers which until this day have been overlooked, and which have thus failed to be included in natural environment restoration zones. Thirty-one sites in three small rivers which flow into Lake Biwa were selected for investigation. As a result, six families and twelve fish species were identified. Based on the results of TWINSPAN, two categories of fish communities were established: the first comprised the communities found in the vicinity of the river mouth which included upstream migratory species such as Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis, and the second comprised the communities found in the middle course of the river which did not include upstream migratory species. It was inferred that the partition of the habitat space was the result of the existence of small dams in the river. The results of CCA indicated that although these small rivers had been significantly altered for erosion-control, a large variety of micro-habitat environments survived, and specific fish species inhabited the various habitats accordingly.