Conservation and Protection of the Livelihood of Communities in Mountainous Areas in Japan : One of the Fundamental Adjustment Projects for the Preservation and Development of Nature

The reporter has long been engaged in the investigation and planning on the development of mountainous areas from the tourist industrial point of view, at the request of national or regional governments, or other organizations. In every case, in which the reporter is engaged on the problems concerning the tourism, he never forgets the problems of the conservation of the original natural landscape, and, at the same time, the problems of the inhabitants who inhabit those mountainous areas. To safeguard the livelihood of small communities of those people scattered here and there, and to aid the development of their cultural life, must be the duty of the developers of official or private enterprises. Much to his regret, he experienced very often, that the commercialism of private enterprises of tourist industry has not only destroyed very precious original natural features, but also changed the mode of life of inhabitants ― in consequence very often they desert mountainous area with a certain sum of money, to find new employments in other places. If the reporter says his hasty conclusion, the conservation and the aid of livelihood of mountain communities must be one of the most necessary and fundamental adjustment projects for the preservation and desirable development of natural features in mountainous areas. In recent years, there are very remarkable, or rather deplorable, phenomena: that is the exodus or depopulation of inhabitants from the mountain villages, and many small communities utterly deserted by the people. In consequence, the serious depopulation in mountain communities, for instance, is generally known as \u22the shortage of workers\u22 to forestry operation. Such a tendency is now in the grave situation. In the anxiety and desolation of mountain communities, the invasion of tourist industrialists who are greedily pursueing moneymaking in development of mountain regions is striking all over the land. And those capital offensives from the outside may distribute a great sum of money in various ways among inhabitants in mountain regions, but very often destroy the native landscape in the end. How to treat this subject? ― the reporter wishes to appeal to public opinion, basing upon data from the regional surveys in various mountainous areas, especially from the surveys of the headwater forest regions of two rivers ― one of them is River Kiso and the other River Koito （Chiba Prefecture）.以上私は日本の自然地理的条件にかんがみ,凡ての森林に対し治山治水的役割を再三にわたって要求したが,これは林業の経営という産業経済に対して社会的統制を加えることにほかならない.したがってそれ等社会的統制下にある森林に対し,資本主義的自由競争下の企業としての林業収益を期待することは無理というものであろう.殊に外国材の脅威にさらされている現在,このことは私有林・公有林乃至国有林の別なく,ひとしく言えることであろう.下りとすれば,あらゆる面において社会的負託の格別大きい国有林の経営に独立採算制を課することが,いかに不合理であるかは最初から明らかであるが,更に現実の国有林経営が既にいたる所で自然破壊を敢てしつつあることも蔽うべくもない.もはやここに到れば,日本工業経済の未曽有の繁栄に徴しても,水資源としての森林の再評価を行い,その特定受益者に対し,公正な補償の負担を要求することに何の悸る所があるであろうか.こうして得たる補償を,水資源の保護に協力する人々の,山村生活保全山村生活の保全のための,社会資本の充実に還元することができるならば,山問僻地の林業経営にも労力の確保を得て,結局山岳自然の保護にもつながるのではなかろうか.もちろん森林の多角的利用の一環として,例えば植木生産の如き新分野を開拓し,高収益林業を実現して仮にも山村住民自身が自然破壊の側に走ることがないよう,要するに山村における林業の,基幹産業としての責任を,日本の自然保護という立場からも,関係官民は自覚すべきではなかろうかと,私はつよく訴えたいのである.（1971・10・19