Because of a natural monument fish species, Kissing loach (Parabotia curtus), and other endangered species of Satochi-Satoyama are still inhabited, the flood plain of Kameoka Basin was selected as one of the 500 sites of Ecologically Significant Satochi-Satoyama (Ministry of the Environment 2015). The significance is deeply related to the fact that the basin is prone to flooding by the existence of the narrow Hozu-kyo gorge, which provides tourists the impressive beautiful scenery while boating down the stream to the national registered scenic beauty of Arashiyama in Kyoto. The sports stadium project at the habitat of the fish is not a simple controversy between developments vs. conservation, because the current habitat of the species is a human-controlled river for the purpose of irrigation for rice paddies. The local farmers, who are willing to develop the stadium, have been taking part in the conservation activities by damming up the river water to facilitate egg laying of the fish. Therefore, not only to preserve the habitat, but also a comprehensive solution that enables to continue the traditional agricultural environment is needed for the conservation. More important issue is to take this opportunity to change our course from the “Grey Infrastructure” policy adopted in the age of urbanization, such as closing the existing open levees with river and gorge excavation, to the “Green Infrastructure” policy, inheriting the traditional Eco-DRR to ensure rich biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Kameoka basin could be a leading model case of “Green Infrastructure” in the era of population decline, following the promotions by MOE and MLIT of Japan. Several green-infrastructure solutions of rain gardens for urban areas are also proposed.

In this study, our aim was to quantitatively evaluate the habitat of the terrestrial firefly Luciola parvula in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Sixteen survey sites with differing topography and types of forest vegetation were set around Mt. Takadate. We counted the number of individual adult fireflies at each survey site between June and July 2018. The relationship between the number of adult individuals and topographic position index (TPI), an indicator of topography, and the forest vegetation types (broad-leaved forest, pine forest, or cedar forest), was analyzed by the generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). In addition, the amount of food resources (land snails and soil animals) considered important during the larval stage was surveyed in October 2018, and the survey of soil water content was conducted in June and October 2018. The relationships between food resources and soil water content and environmental conditions (i.e. TPI and forest vegetation types) were analyzed by the generalized linear model or GLMM, respectively. The result of the model revealed that TPI is related to the number of adult individuals, and that the population tends to be larger near the valley. Moreover, it was shown that the valley tends to have a large number of land snails and a high soil water content. It is therefore suggested that the environment with a large number of individual adult fireflies was a suitable habitat for the larvae of fireflies. This may be related to the poor ability of adult females and larvae to migrate.

For the purpose of analyzing the relation between urban green-spaces and thermal environments, the data of a past graduation thesis performed at the “Grand-Mall” in the Minatomirai-21 area of Yokohama City were reviewed. Various thermal indicators and/or effect-indices, both of which would be concerned with the local heat environment, were newly quantified in this report. And streets and parks in the Grand-Mall were distinguished into six vegetation-landscape types as the principal unit with the revision of the previous classification. These units were divided into five main groups by combination of 11 landscape-zones in accordance with the significant correlations proved by means of the statistical analyses using various thermal data obtained in this study. Based on those results, authors have considered about the differences of the thermal effects that were caused by the qualitative and quantitative variations of constituent elements in each landscape-zone group. Moreover, some of creation methods of the sustainable urban green-spaces using the tree species which are suitable for the habitat there and can expect the improvement of the local heat environment were proposed.

For the purpose of analysis and evaluation on the ecosystem's cultural services of urban green-spaces, several field researches (tree census, vegetation-landscape investigation and hemispherical sky photography) were carried out on streets and parks existing in “Yokohama-Minatomirai 21”, and those obtaining data were analyzed statistically. The vegetation-landscape units (type and subtype) distinguished by a table manipulation for the urban green-spaces classification were divided into four main groups by a correspondence analysis. The landscape elements which would characterize each main group were identified by an independence test and a residual analysis. Based on those statistical analyses, we have evaluated about the positive psychological effect by which the urban green-spaces bring people “comfort” and “relief” which are a part of the cultural services. Moreover, the means to create the urban green-spaces, by which the fascination of regional landscapes would upgrade, were proposed.