抄録
The Aso region of the Aso Kujū National Park is famous for the beauty of its vast and undulating secondary grasslands. Due to the aging of the locals and the decrease of livestock farmers, however, neglected grasslands and man-made timber forests become undesirable issue for the scenic management of the National Park. Therefore, actions to regenerate such grasslands have been conducted such as removal of man-made private forests and controlled burning of neglected grasslands. This study, focusing on major viewpoints and scenic roads, conducted the survey of the positions, terrain characteristics, and areas of forests disturbing the views of grasslands by sketch survey in order to analyze the landscape structure of visually sensitive areas. This study proposes five types of ways to treat grassland sceneries: 1) Restoration of Grasslands Observed from Major Viewpoints, 2) Restoration of Grasslands Areas with Unique Ridge Lines, 3) Restoration of Vast and Undulating Grasslands, 4) Restoration of Grasslands Forming Skylines and 5) Restoration of Smooth Hillside Grasslands. This will help specifying the priorities of future management of unsightly forests and neglected grasslands across the vast areas of the National Park.
