A Historical Study on the Forest Management and Utilization in Northern part of Mainland of Okinawa

Northern part of mainland of Okinawa is covered with subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest mixed with tropical and temperate forest. There live national protected wild animals of Okinawa Rail (Raillus okinawae), Okinawa Woodpecker (sapheopipo noguchii), and Yanbaru Tenagakogane (Cheirotonus jambar), which are rare in the world. At the same time, local habitants have utilized and managed the forests for hundreds of years since the Ryukyu Kingdom period. These rare animals have survived despite the long-term human disturbance. Thus, it might be assumed that forest management and utilization method by local habitants embody the concept of their particular forest conservation, sorest regeneration, and synbiosis of the nature and the man. This research is to understand the actual situation of forest regeneration and synbiosis utilization by local habitants, and to discuss the nature conservation through the observation of traditional forest management and use system of mountain management and utilization by Feng Shui concept and through a point view of commons