2022 Volume 9 Pages 100-121
In Bangkok, Thailand, the suburban area where urban and agricultural land use are mixed, is expanding owing to rapid urbanization, and residents’ lifestyles are changing simultaneously. This study analyzed the latter lifestyles and perceptions of ecosystem services by conducting a questionnaire survey in Lat Krabang district, clarifying how lifestyles and perceptions are related to the awareness of paddy field conservation and utilization of idle land.
First, we analyzed the lifestyles of the residents, focusing on their preferred places to purchase perishable food and spend leisure time. We categorized the former into “large-scale retail,” smallscale retail,” and “producing areas, and the latter into “urban facilities,” green spaces,” and “canals and wetlands.” Significant differences in the means of transportation and travel times were identified among categories. Next, we determined the relationship between lifestyle and ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are scored for each lifestyle category. The results showed that residents’ relationship with the natural environment was strongly related to their perceptions of ecosystem services. Residents with lifestyles closer to nature tend to value their existence as direct services.
Second, we analyzed awareness of the conservation of paddy fields and the utilization of idle land corresponding to lifestyle and residential areas. Factor analysis and correspondence analysis were used to analyze awareness. The results showed that conservation of paddy fields was important in all categories. However, differences in awareness of idle land utilization by lifestyle were confirmed. Residents in the more developed areas showed an awareness of higher quality development, whereas those with a natural land-use lifestyle expected the land to be converted into paddy fields and public open space. Residents using the canal also attached importance to the improvement of cultural services.
Thus, this study clarified that the lifestyle of residents is a factor shaping their awareness of the development and conservation of the natural environment. In the future, it will be crucial to balance mixed land use that exerts environmental functions integrally with agricultural land and environmental utilization, to expand the lifestyle by utilizing ecosystem services from agricultural land and canals.
