Evaluating Cultural Values of the Satoyama Using the Preference Method

摘要

We tried to estimate the values of ecosystem services using the stated preference method and the revealed preference method, with the objective of incorporating these values into the basic concept of ecosystem goods and services, a tool used in decision making processes, in order to create a new "commons." The dataset from "The Top 100 Japanese Rural Landscapes" showed that rural Japanese landscapes, known as the satoyama, have great cultural value related to tradition and history. Many people feel a sense of "homeland" or belonging concerning paddy fields, villages and people's old settlements. At the same time, villages surrounded by nature give them a sense of seasons, time, and the presence of other living organisms. These are services that the urban landscape cannot offer. The dataset of "questionnaires to people who are not particularly involved in satoyama movements" also demonstrated the image of the rural landscape with the attributes of nature, mountains, rivers, forests, homeland and a place for relaxation. At the same time, it revealed that 10% of people felt that they would like to live in rural areas in the future. Jobs such as "attractive agriculture," the renewable energy sector or "telecommuting" to offices using the Internet, along with opportunities for social interaction are required for people to live there or to consider double residency in urban and rural areas. Paying a premium for "environment/organism brands" by urban people can be considered payment for ecosystem services (PES) to promote monetary contribution to maintain the satoyama.