A Biotope Type Mapping Procedure Suitable for Habitat Evaluation in Japanese Rural Areas

Abstract

  Biotope (habitat) type maps are essential as base maps for land use planning and biodiversity conservation. Actual vegetation maps are often used as the base maps, though important information for biotope evaluation such as vegetation structure and anthropogenic land modification is not shown enough. We proposed a procedure of biotope type mapping for rural areas and drew a prototype map. We classified biotope types following German system of biotope classification in some part and also considering soil moisture of rice paddies in winter, bank modification of irrigation canals, vegetation management frequency in grasslands and density of woodland understory.