Coal mines have long supported industries worldwide. Coal mine spoil heaps are unstable piles of waste coal or lignite that collapse easily. Therefore, to increase the safety of former coal mines, it is important to stabilize spoil-heap slopes. Vegetation recovery stabilizes slopes by preventing soil-surface erosion. This study clarified the effects of various factors on vegetation recovery and provides guidelines for vegetation recovery and its management. The study sites were 15 spoil heaps in Sorachi General Promotion Bureau, Hokkaido, Japan. To investigate factors affecting vegetation recovery, we examined the effects of the percentage of surrounding forest, topographic wetness index, slope, percentage of landform alteration, presence or absence of afforestation, number of years since the coal mine closed, vegetation cover, and average tree height. The results showed that the number of years and slope affected vegetation recovery and implied that the vegetation on a spoil heap is likely to change to woody vegetation over time, after abandonment of the mine. A negative effect of the mean slope on vegetation recovery was prominent for slopes > 25°. This is likely to be related to the angle of repose of the soil. A greater mean slope leads to loss of seeds and inhibition of plant establishment due to increased surface erosion. The vegetation cover ratio on spoil heaps with an average slope ≤ 25° can reach 75% after 42 years through natural succession, whereas revegetation practices are required to restore vegetation on slopes > 25°. This serves as a reference angle for a revegetation guideline, for vegetation recovery at coal-mine sites.

In south-west Japan, small marshes that have been developed and maintained due to human activities for livelihood are scattered, and they are hotspots for biodiversity. However, many of them have been degraded and/or disappeared due to succussion because of underuse of Satoyama resources. The authors tried to restore a small marsh at Tsuguro highland as a case study. And tried (1) to evaluate restoration work by comparison of the data of the environment and vegetation before and after the project, (2) to proceduralize a series of flows such as field data survey, evaluation, target setting, planning and design, construction, monitoring, (3) to promote the enjoyment of ecosystem services related to the restoration work to regional re-vitalization, and to evaluate them. First, in 2013, maps of vegetation, groundwater level, and light environment were drawn. It was clarified that (1) the groundwater level was too low in some part, (2) the light condition was inhibited by the tall forest those developed in and around the marsh, and (3) the water quality became nutrient rich, and the high-stem grass was growing thick. Then, a restoration plan which focused on the rise of groundwater level by pouring flowing water, improvement of the light condition by cutting trees, establishment of low and middle stem grass groups by topsoil removal, and excavation of ponds to diversify the environment was proposed. The project was implemented in 2014. The cut trees were used as a heat source for at a nearby hot spring facility. Also, nature restoration promotors were invited to the workshop of restoration work. In 2015, a survey was conducted and the data set before and after restoration was compared. As a result, dramatic improvement of the light condition, certain improvement of the groundwater level and water quality was recognized. The number of species of wet herb increased, and the target type of plant community (Phragmites australis community Lysimachia vulgaris sub-community) expanded. Through a series of project, useful procedures for the restoration of small marsh have been clarified. And contribution for revitalization of the area thorough effective use of biomass produced by restoration work and to increase the number of people interacting with urban areas was evaluated.

The goal of the 2014 management plan “The Forest of Accipiter gentilis, Daisen, Tottori Prefecture” was to achieve a long-term balance between the nesting environment for birds of prey and timber productivity by renewing natural seedlings in red pine forests via small-scale clear-cutting. In this study, we conducted tree-by-tree and vegetation surveys of Japanese red pine seedlings and young trees in the renewal operation area to evaluate the renewal of natural seedlings. It was determined that a sufficient number of seedlings had germinated in the target area, permitting adequate renewal. In addition, five years of undergrowth cutting had suppressed the undergrowth, and young red pine trees were growing at a sufficient density.

A highly sensitive digital camera recorded the flickering flight of the Japanese firefly (Aquatica lateralis; known as “heike-botaru” in Japanese) in the Yato wetland. The distance to the point where the firefly emits light was calculated from its maximum luminous intensity. Also, the trajectory in the flickering flight behavior was analyzed as three-dimensional (3D) coordinates. We compared two microhabitats used by A. lateralis during flickering flight; that between the space covered by the canopy of waterfront vegetation on the upper part of the wetland; and the space without the canopy on the upper part of the wetland. The comparison demonstrated that the flying behavior of A. lateralis changed according to the microhabitat formed by the waterfront vegetation of the Yato wetland. In addition, there were differences in the flying height and range. This method, which grasps the difference in the microhabitat by 3D analysis of the aquatic firefly's flying behavior, helps evaluate various microhabitats in the Satoyama water system. Understanding the relationship between the microhabitat and the Japanese firefly ecology should be a new evaluation index of firefly conservation activities. Such an index may provide effective feedback to conservation activities and environmental education, creating communities that conserve biodiversity.

Alnus japonica is one of the representative species found in the riparian forests in Japan. However, excluding Hokkaido, currently not so many stands of A. japonica are in good condition. Since its habitat is wet and flat, large percentage of stands have been converted to rice fields. As such, our objective was to describe the growth process of individual A. japonica tree, changes of stand structure, forest floor vegetation and the dynamics of A. japonica forest in Sengokubara basin. This area is designated as a special protection area of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The number of individual trees had reduced gradually, while the canopy of the remaining trees had expanded to occupy the gaps in 28 years. The tall tree layer consisted of large number of A. japonica with a few Magnolia kobus 28 years ago. Since then, no other species have appeared, and no other individuals of A. japonica grew in tall tree layer during our observation period. Typically A. japonica is an early successional species, and seedlings cannot survive under the closed canopy. Due to the absence of young Alnus trees, possibilities prevail for dominant species to change following the disappearance of current forest.