To evaluate ecological potential of golf course management in Japan especially for local biodiversity improvement, we studied five golf courses located in Hiki Hills in the suburbs of Tokyo. This study consists of the two phases: 1) identifying land-use and vegetation changes in and around the golf courses 2) surveying the vegetation patterns in a selected golf course. In the first phase of this study it was revealed that the golf courses had well-managed coppices before the golf course developments; complex coppice systems with mixtures of young stand and thrifty stand had been well preserved for a long time. However, in the second phase it was identified that the majority of the forested areas are not properly managed where only few ground cover species were found under the current golf course management. As the results of these studies proper management schemes of the golf courses for improving local biodiversity are discussed.
