Abstract
In planning and managing an environment, it is beneficial to know how changes in its quality affect public assessment of the environment. We carried out a structured questionnaire survey of a Japanese river environment involving people living close to the river in 1988, 1995 and 2002. The quality of the river water has improved during the period from 1988 to 2002; accordingly, the percentage of respondents who judged the river water as low in quality has decreased with time. Respondents' attitudes also have changed in assessing the benefits of aesthetic as well as water-resource aspects of the river environment: In spite of residents' recognition of the water-quality improvement, it is clear that the majority of residents tend to pay less and less attention to the benefit of having a quality river environment close to their homes. However, it is also observed that those who participate in river cleanups tend to give higher ratings to the river environment, and this tendency is enhanced with time.
