Can shrinking cities harness population decline to improve their sustainability by repurposing land use, for example, for localizing food production? Whether such a transition is feasible depends on the pre-shrinkage state of urban agricultural land use, including ongoing trends in local land use change. This study examined agricultural land use from 2007-2017 in Kyoto City, Japan. Kyoto is on the brink of a large projected population decline (~190,000 or~13% until 2040) and serves as a representative for a large number of regional Japanese cities in a similar situation. Analysis was based on a public 2007 land use data set, aerial and satellite imagery and ground truthing. Results showed a decline of 209 ha or 10% in agricultural land use over ten years, but also highlight the diversity of ongoing agricultural land use types not captured by standard categories. The main post-agricultural land uses were residential (40%) and vacant land (28%). These results have implications for planning and policy. Kyoto City is currently not set to benefit from the projected shrinking process through localizing food production, despite a tradition of vegetable production. Future research should analyze drivers of change for observed agricultural land use.
In this study, we aimed to determine an ideal form of resident-conducted river environment management. To this end, we conducted an investigation to identify fish that are indicator species of a healthy and diverse river environment, and also examined with a questionnaire to which degree local residents were aware of local fish species and of river environment management activities such as grass cutting and cleaning. Subsequent analysis of the actual state of the river environment and the awareness and intent of local residents indicated that while there was a big gap between residents' awareness of fish and the actual data, there was a clear tendency in activities to clean up the river environment among those residents who had a higher awareness of local fish species.
This study aims to identify changes in the forest vegetation of Mt. Hiei since the Edo period. It investigates current ecological features of the forest structure and identifies species composition with a focus on the forested areas along the Gyoja Path of Enryakuji Temple. In the Edo period, the forests of Mt. Hiei were dominated by P. densiflora. In the current forest structure along the Gyoja Path of Mt. Hiei, forests with C. obtusa as the dominant species were the majority. In the areas where natural forests still exist, and in areas where vegetation recovery is being attempted using deer-proof nets, it is thought that proactive management (such as ensuring sunlight) that encourages the growth of the existing F. crenata and A. firma will lead to ecologically richer forests in the future. In cedar forests where large-diameter C. japonica were present in clusters, the forest floor vegetation was rich, and both cultural and ecological values were confirmed. In planning the future of the forests of Mt. Hiei, it may be essential to think of natural forests and of forests with largediameter trees as the core forests of Mt. Hiei: they play an essential cultural and ecological role on the mountain. With this concept in mind, natural regeneration can be promoted, and the environment within and around the forests can be improved.
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