EVALUATION OF WATER AMENITY IN URBAN STREAMS FOCUSING ON ATTRACTIVE SPECIES TO CHILDREN

Abstract

 We conducted a field survey on stream fauna and enviroment in 24 study sites located in the urban region of Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, in order to evaluate the suitability for waterplay by children. We captured stream-dwelling orgamisms using the method which can be easily implemeted by children, and figure out the abundance and diversity of "attractive" species for children. In total of 25 species and 1, 391 indivuluals of attractive species were found in the study sites in the unrban area. The density and species richness of the attractive species were high in small-sized streams with low nutrient concentrations. The variations in channel morphology, water quality, and species traits were suggested to be responsible for causing the spatial variation in attractive species. The improvement of accessibility to potentially-attractive streams in terms of fauna and the announcement to neighborhood residents seemed to be effective to increase water amenity for children in urban streams.