2017 Volume 90 Issue 5 Pages 459-474
The changing system of land use on mountain slopes in depopulated areas was examined by focusing on the dynamism of multiple livelihoods, immigration, and emigration of residents. Data on land use on mountain slopes as a result of multiple livelihoods were collected for this study through interviews with residents in the case study area. The change in working styles was analyzed using workers’ age, gender, occupation, and emigration-immigration status. The case study area was the Kuroiwa settlement in the town of Ashikita, Kumamoto prefecture. The results can be summarized as follows.
The reasons for changes in the landscape were the predominance of cedar and cypress artificial forests, a decrease in the number of household members who migrated to other areas to secure jobs, and insect damage in the pine forest. Moreover, shifting cultivation, which played a role in pine forestry, ceased. However, the mountain slopes on which cedar and cypress were planted were not abandoned but are now used for small-scale operations such as bamboo shoot production and wild plant collection. Although the landscape is different, local residents have been unable to abandon the forest. They continue to use the mountain slopes, although the form of use has changed based on the levels of local and national demand.
Geographical Review of Japa,. Ser. A, Chirigaku Hyoron
