Significance of Traditional System to use Natural Resources in Satoyama Landscapes

In the traditional “satoyama” landscape of Japan, different types of land use were arranged in circles around a village. Cultivated areas formed the innermost circle around the village, followed by open secondary forests and grasslands, and finally mountain forests. For example, Moriyama in Otsu City at the west of Lake Biwa, land use was closely linked to the characteristics of the natural and social conditions in the late Meiji period. Secondary forests were mainly used for the production of firewood and brushwood. Several types of grasses were important natural resources and were used as organic fertilizer for paddies or as feed for cattle. Land-use forms were linked both to the daily life of individual residents and to the social relationships maintained within the community. The purposes of land use include; daily provisions and fuel; materials for agriculture, forestry, and daily life; and supplies for unexpected or exceptionally large expenses, and for emergency use. In that way, the natural resources could be sustainably used. People until the early Showa period made sure that local natural resources were not depleted. They created a system that regulated the times and periods when it was allowed to harvest the plants. In that way, the natural resources could be sustainably used. Satoyama landscapes with such regular land-use patterns have been systematically managed by the community.