Valuation of irrigation ponds inhabiting the endangered minnow, Pseudorasbora pumila, by residents and the influential factors.

Abstract

Satoyama, a traditional Japanese agricultural landscape, requires continuous human care because it is an artificially created natural environment and maintained by human-nature interactions. A small, endangered cyprinid fish, Pseudorasbora pumila, now only inhabits irrigation ponds in Satoyama scince their original flood plain habitat disappeared in Japan. Recent depopulation and aging in rural areas have caused deterioration and loss of Satoyama habitat. We investigated the value of a Satoyama area as P. pumila habitat by means of questionnaire and analyzed factors affecting inhabitants. awareness of importance of Satoyama landscape using the contingent evaluation method. We surveyed 549 households in the area and scored respondent surveys. More respondents was agreed with donation for habitat conservation than disagreed. Respondents showed greater recognition of keywords to be to relate to Satoyama landscape had more interest in conservation of P.pumila habitat. Our results suggest that the inhabitants in the study area evaluate Satoyama landscape for agricultural resources but also historical and environmental heritage. On the other hand, we estimated approximately 40％ of ponds at nearly 500 sites were already abandoned, suggesting that adverse conditions forced the caretakers to leave despite wanting to maintain the environment for the next generation. Mainstreaming biodiversity will play an increasingly important role in conservation of Satoyama and its ecosystem services.