2023 Volume 39 Issue 1 Pages 87-94
The Chita Peninsula in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture features many ponds that were created for agricultural purposes during the Edo period (1603–1868) in response to unique land and hydrological conditions. Higashiura Town has the largest number of ponds among all towns and cities on the peninsula. Since the Aichi Canal was built in 1961, changes in farmers’ attitudes about ponds due to the stable availability of water from the canal have created problems in conserving and managing ponds. They have multifaceted functions aside from supplying agricultural water, such as biodiversity conservation and the provision of recreational and educational opportunities. It is therefore important to clarify the diverse potential of ponds’ functions in order to improve the community’s awareness of ponds and appropriately conserve and manage them. The objectives of this study were to characterize ponds in Higashiura and propose beneficial uses for them. We first compiled pond databases provided by the town and prefecture, geocoded the pond locations, then classified them based on water storage volume and ratios of main land uses surrounding each one. Ponds in the study area were divided into three groups based on the dominant surrounding land use (agriculture; green space and forest; urban), and then each was examined in terms of potential ecosystem services as well as management risks. The findings will be effective in improving the functionality and management of ponds, with consideration of their spatially heterogenous advantages and disadvantages.
