Evaluating the Awareness of Typhoon Victims Concerning Forest Management to Prevent Floods and Landslides: A Questionnaire Study in the Tokoro and Abashiri River Basins, Eastern Hokkaido, Japan.

Abstract

In order to practice effective forest management to prevent floods and landslides, we evaluated the awareness of inhabitants of the Tokoro and Abashiri River basins following a typhoon, using a questionnaire survey administered by a committee of the subprefectural office. Overall, the inhabitants of both basins had a negative impression of the state of the forest. Recognition of the state of the forest and the risk of flooding was classified into six categories using a quantification method III. City residents in the downstream area of the Abashiri River have few concerns about their homes in daily life, and they have a negative impression of the state of the forest. Farmers and foresters living in the middle reach of the Tokoro River are more concerned about their homes, have a positive impression about the state of the forest, and are interested in floods. Many inhabitants are very interested in forest volunteer work as part of flooding and landslide prevention programs, although they had different amounts of experience in terms of such volunteer work and of suffering during floods. The forest management prevention programs must be accountable to the victims of typhoons and there must be a scientific basis for forest planning in terms of regional characteristics (e.g., the state of forests and the causes of flooding). Moreover, it is very important that those affected understand the concepts of forest management and the goals of the prevention programs.