Report of the actual conditions of the lucidophyllous forests in Hyogo Pref. 1. The lucidophyllus forests in Hokusetsu and Higashi-Harima areas

Abstract

The remaining natural lucidophyllous forests are found mainly in the sanctuaries around shrines and temples as fragmented forests (isolate dforests) .These forests are disturbed by human impact and the effects of isolation. In order to conserve the lucidophyllous forests, the actual conditions concerning flora, number of species, species diversity, species composition, dominant species, area and environmental conditions of the forests, were investigated. Initially we reported on eighteen forests in the Hokusetsu and Higashi-Harima areas. We would like to continue to report on the results of our investigation in the future.