magazinelogo

International Journal of Food Science and Agriculture

ISSN Online: 2578-3475 Downloads: 232886 Total View: 3088941
Frequency: quarterly ISSN Print: 2578-3467 CODEN: IJFSJ3
Email: ijfsa@hillpublisher.com
Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijfsa.2021.06.004

Citizen Participation in Conservation Activities Enhances Plant Biodiversity in Rice Terraces: A Case Study in Sengamachi-no-Tanada, Kikugawa, Japan

Hidehiro Inagaki

Shizuoka University, Fujieda, Japan.

*Corresponding author: Hidehiro Inagaki

Published: April 20,2021

Abstract

The ridges of traditional paddy rice terraces are important for the conservation of plant species diversity. In the present study, the author compared the flora of terraced rice ridges managed by farmers and the flora of ridges managed by citizens, including rice terrace owners (membership area) and volunteers (participant area). There was no difference in the number of plant species per ridge, but the number of plant species and diversity index per area were higher in the membership and participant areas than in the farmers’ areas. It is considered this factor is that various mowing by citizens with both machines and traditional sickles produces the same mowing pressure as like the old way before mechanization and contributes to the maintenance of traditional ridge vegetation. In addition, the number of naturalized plants in the membership and participant areas was lower than that in farmers’ areas. These results suggested that the participation of people other than farmers in paddy rice terrace ridge management contributes to the maintenance of plant diversity in traditional paddy rice terraces.

References

[1] Iiyama, N., Kamada, M., Nakagawa, E., and Nakagoshi, N. (2002). The Effect of Boundary Ridge Structures and Grass-cutting on Plant Communities Around Terraced Paddy Field. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 65, 579-584. DOI: 10.5632/jila.65.579.

[2] Ohkuro, T., Matsuo, K., and Nemoto, M. (1996). Vegetation dynamics of abandoned paddy fields and their levee slopes in mountainous regions of central Japan. Japanese Journal of Ecology. 46, 245-256. DOI: 10.18960/seitai.46.3_245.

[3] Yamaguchi, H. and Umemoto, S. (1997). Classification of Paddy Levees in Terms of Plant Resource Complex. Journal of Weed Science and Technology, 41, 286-294. DOI: 10.3719/weed.41.286.

[4] Fukamachi, K., Oku, H., and Miyake, A. (2005). The relationships between the structure of paddy levees and the plant species diversity in cultural landscapes on the west side of Lake Biwa, Shiga, Japan. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 1: 191-199.

[5] Ogura, J. (2006). The Transition of Grassland Area in Japan. Journal of Kyoto Seika University, 30: 159-172.

[6] Uematsu, Y., Koga, T., Mitsuhashi, H., and Ushimaru, A. (2010). Abandonment and intensified use of agricultural land decrease habitats of rare herbs in semi-natural grasslands. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 135: 304-309.

[7] Matsumura, T., Uchida, K., and Sawada, Y. (2014). Conditions and conservation for biodiversity of the semi-natural grassland vegetation on rice paddy levees. Vegetation Science, 31, 193-218.

[8] Okubo, K. and Maenaka, H. (1995). Effect of Consolidation on Paddy-side Grassland Communities and Ecological Niche in Agro-ecosystem. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 58, 109-112. DOI: 10.5632/jila.58.5_109.

[9] Matsumura, T. and Takeda, Y. (2010). Relationship between species richness and spatial and temporal distance from seed source in semi-natural grassland. Applied Vegetation Science, 13: 336-345.

[10] Kusumoto Y, Inagaki, H. (2014). Conservation of Specific Biodiversity by the Maintenance of the Semi-natural Grassland. Environmental Information Science, 43: 14-18. 

[11] Uchida, K. and Ushimaru, A. (2014). Biodiversity declines due to abandonment and intensification of agricultural lands: patterns and mechanisms. Ecological Monographs, 84: 637-658.

[12] Kusumoto Y, Inagaki, H. (2016). Symbiosis of biodiversity and tea production through Chagusaba. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 7(3): 151-154.

[13] Baba, T., Sonehara, N., and Itoh, S. (2003). Vegetation Change by Grass Cutting Control on the Paddy Field Embankment in Obasute area, Nagano Prefecture. Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 39, 23-36. 

[14] Hayashi, H. and Tominaga, T. (2004). Effects of mowing on levee flora. The Scientific Reports of Kyoto Prefectural University, Human Environment and Agriculture (Japan), 56, 109-113. 

[15] Naito, K. and Nakagoshi, N. (1995). The Conservation Ecology of Iris rossiii Baker (Iridaceae), a Threatened Plant in Rural Japan. Journal of Plant Research. 108(4), 477-482. DOI: 10.1007/BF02344237.

[16] Nakagoshi, N. and Naito, K. (1995). Landscape Management and Plant Conservation in the National Parks in Japan: International Symposium and Excursion on National Parks and Protected Areas, pp. 127-137.

[17] Osawa, S., Kuroda, T., and Katsuno, T. (2006). The Change of Vegetation, Fauna of Frogs and Mousse as Small Animals, on Different Management Level in Step-like Paddy Fields. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 69(5), 565-570. DOI: 10.5632/jila.69.565.

[18] Otsuka, H., Nemoto, M., and Masuda, S. (2006). The floristic composition of paddy fields and their levees under different weed management techniques. Journal of Weed Science and Technology, 51, 229-238. DOI: 10.3719/weed.51.229.

[19] Haruyama, S. (2001). The Creation of Exchange between Rural and Urban Areas in Rice Terraces. Journal of Rural Planning Association, 20(3), 186-190. DOI: 10.2750/arp.20.186.

[20] Yamashita, A. and Gotoh, A. (2007). Rural residents’ view of urban-rural interchanges: a case study of a rice terrace ‘ownership system’. Bulletin of Miyazaki Women’s Junior College, 34, 97-105.

[21] Nagafuchi, T., Imamura, Y., and Ogawa, S. (2017). A study on the landscape characteristic of Onigi rice terraces in Hasami town. Reports of Graduate School of Engineering, Nagasaki University, 47, 87-92.

[22] Matsumoto, K., Sakai, A., and Sawaki, M. (2019). Conservation and improvement of project of terraced rice-foelds in designation area of important cultural landscape. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture. 82, 617-622. DOI: 10.5632/jila.82.617.

[23] Yajima, Y., Soshiroda, A., and Tsutsumi, T. (2018). A Study on process of rice terrace conservation through valuation. Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan, 53, 378-385. DOI: 10.11361/journalcpij.53.378.

[24] Kihara, N. and Nakatsuka, M. (2020). Organizing Contractors and Prospects for Maintaining the Ridgeways between Rice Fields in Villages. Journal of Rural Problems, 56(2): 70-75. DOI: 10.7310/arfe.56.70.

[25] Braun-Blanquet, J. (1964). Pflanzensoziologie: Grundzage der Vegetationskunde, Wien: Springer-Verlag, p. 865.

[26] Pielou, E. C. (1969). An Introduction to Mathematical Ecology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, p. 286. DOI: 10.1126/science.169.3940.43-a.

[27] Pielou, E. C. (1974). Population and Community Ecology: Principles and Methods. New York: Gordon & Breach Science Pub-lishers, p. 424.

[28] Kojima, H., Osawa, S., and Katsuno, T. (2004). Vegetation on the Terraced Paddy Field Embankment where has introduced the owner system; Case Study in Ohyama Senmaida, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture. Journal of Rural Planning Association, 6, 1-6. DOI: 10.2750/arp.23.23-suppl_1.

[29] lnagaki, H., Matsuno, K., Ohishi, T., and Takahashi, T. (2010). Effect of mowing ridges on the population density of wolf spiders in rice terraces. A study of the rice terraces of Kurasawa district, Kikugawa, Shizuoka. Journal of Rural Planning Association. 28, 267-272. DOI: 10.2750/arp.28.267.

[30] Ito, T., Nakayama, Y., and Yamaguchi, H. (1999). Floral Composition and Successional Process of Vegetation on the Levees of Traditional and Reconstructed Paddy Fields in Sakai, Japan. Journal of Weed Science and Technology 44, 329-340. DOI: 10.3719/weed.44.329.

[31] Inagaki, H., Saiki, C., Ichihara, M., Matsuno K., Tanno, Y., Yamashita, M., and Sawada, H. (2020). Effect of Mowing Height on Dominance of Annual Poaceae Plants. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 21(1), 8-13. DOI: 10.12911/22998993/113627.

How to cite this paper

Citizen Participation in Conservation Activities Enhances Plant Biodiversity in Rice Terraces: A Case Study in Sengamachi-no-Tanada, Kikugawa, Japan

How to cite this paper: Hidehiro Inagaki. (2021) Citizen Participation in Conservation Activities Enhances Plant Biodiversity in Rice Terraces: A Case Study in Sengamachi-no-Tanada, Kikugawa, JapanInternational Journal of Food Science and Agriculture5(2), 228-232.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijfsa.2021.06.004