A Pilot Study on the Relationship between the Biodiversity and Surrounding Environment of Reservoirs

Abstract

Irrigation ponds not only provide water for agriculture but also serve a variety of other functions, such as creating waterfront space, regulating floods during heavy rainfall, and preserving biodiversity. Reservoirs are important habitats for urban organisms, and their preservation is an urgent issue, not only from the viewpoint of preserving urban ecosystems but also from the viewpoint of the symbiosis between people and nature in cities. In this study, we examined the relationship between the number of aquatic species inhabiting 33 reservoirs in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, and surrounding land use.The study used data from biological survey reports from 2007 to 2023 and land use meshes from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. This study suggested that agricultural land use and land-use diversity around reservoirs may have affected the high number of aquatic species inhabiting them.