Abstract
The changes of the land use at Satoyama in suburban areas were quantitatively clarified by using GIS. The changes in remarkable land uses were five of the following. (1) The 5.0 km2 coniferous forests have been changed into the broad-leaved forest from 1947 to 2006. The area was 66% of the area that was the 7.6 km2 coniferous forests in 1947. (2) The 1.9 km2 of forests and rice fields etc. have been changed into the villages from 1947 to 2006. It was the highest figure from 1969 to 1977 (the Period of Japan's Economic Growth) that the 1.5 km2 of forests and rice fields etc. have been changed into the villages. (3) Chiefly the 2.1 km2 of the coniferous forests and the broad-leaved forests have been changed into the golf courses from 1947 to 2006. It reaches 84% area of the whole land uses that the coniferous forests and the broad-leaved forests have changed into the golf courses. Especially it was the highest figure that the 0.7 km2 forests, etc. changed into the golf courses from 1957 to 1969. (4) The 3.1 km2 of the mainly coniferous forests and the broad-leaved forests have been changed into the wastelands from 1947 to 2006. It was from 1977 to 1986 that changing to the wastelands was most advanced. It was understood that the areas (1.1 km2) changed from the forests into the wastelands was wider than that (0.4 km2) from the abandoned rice fields by policy of reducing acreage or aging. (5)It is not so wide area that the changes from rice fields into the forests through the investigation periods from 1947 to 2006.
