The role of terraced rice paddy landscape in coastal areas for plant diversity conservation: focusing on coastal plant species

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18832
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental agriculture(including landscape science)
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: ITO Koji 金沢大学, 先端科学・社会共創推進機構, 特任准教授 (30530141)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 棚田 / 畦畔草地 / 植物種多様性 / 沿海生植物 / 植生管理 / 希少種

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we focus on the coastal plant species of inland areas that are relatively close to the coast in Noto peninsula, Japan. Habitat evaluation for wild plant species in coastal terraced paddy field grasslands was conducted based on a comparison of inland terraced paddy fields. In particular, in the Shirayone-Senmaida, a terraced rice field in the coastal region, we found coastal plant species such as beach pearlwort, leopard flower, indian pennywort, spoonleaf yellow loosestrife, stonecrop, fringed pink and Japanese holly fern that concentrated in sites close to the shoreline (around 10 m) .

In addition, we have improved the light environment of the habitat by managing vegetation to counteract deflected succession caused by overgrowth of Sasa spp. and kuzu. It was shown that this can improve the conservation of rare species and ecosystem services.

Free Research Field

植物生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我が国の沿岸部において原生の自然草地はまれであり、多くは何らかの人為が加えられた後農地利用されるほか、管理放棄され遷移進行した場所が多い。本研究によって、沿海地棚田の畦畔草地において沿海生植物が実在することを明らかにし、特に保全上問題になることが多いササ類およびクズの優占に対して、植生管理による希少種および植物多様性の反応を明らかにすることができた。このことは、これまで文化的価値を中心に評価されることの多かった沿海地の棚田保全において、植物種多様性保全上の意義を付加することにつながる。