Factors affecting paddy landscape from the perspective of landscape structure

Abstract

The current landscape was constructed by the first settlement in approximately 120 years at the Shinotsu region located in the Ishikari River Basin, Hokkaido. The objective of this study was to investigate landscape elements and factors found during landscape changes as well as the problems associated with future developments. Data regarding landscape changes during each period were collected using topographic maps, and changes because of human actions and related projects in this region were recorded from town history and other related documents. Landscape changes occurred through the following steps: (a) primal natural landscape (peatland, primarily occupying the landscape); (b) natural and partial agricultural landscapes occurred during only good settlement conditions (alluvial plain); (c) decrease in natural landscape and gradual development of a dry field landscape with drainage of peatland (farmland expanded in hockmoor from niedermoor); and (d) paddy field landscape established using an advanced agricultural water-use system. From these landscape changes, it was clear that the changes in elements and factors were primarily human plans (motive), peatland characteristics (depending of Fudo, which is a holistic phenomenon based on the complex of interactions between factors such as climate, geography, and soil) and agricultural water-use system (tools and facilities). In addition, these elements and factors interactively affected landscape changes; thus, evaluation using each element or factor alone is difficult.