Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate regional resources at a rural area with terrace paddy fields, from both of social and ecological aspects. The study area is Ohaga district, Okayama, Japan. Two types of survey were conducted; social survey using questionnaires to know the favorable landscape by local residents, and vegetation survey to know the qualities of ecosystems.
Questionnaire revealed that residents have will to conserve traditional landscape and managed ecosystems, but they no longer have will to keep agriculture as an industry. While vegetation survey revealed that the landscape elements favored by residents have been disappearing in accordance with the abolishment of managements accompanying with agricultural works. As a result, biological diversity has been also decreasing.
In order to conserve the landscape that favored by local residents, the system to manage rural ecosystems have to be reconstructed, instead of the management systems accompanying with agricultural works.
