Due to the prolonged slump in forestry, Japanese people are becoming more and more serious about leaving the mountains, but research groups such as Kobe University, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, University of Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto University, and Waseda University have clues to prevent them from leaving the mountains. By measuring the "subjective happiness of forests" (hereinafter referred to as "forest happiness"), it was found that observation of animals and plants and privately owned forest management enhance happiness.
According to Kobe University and others, the research group analyzed a questionnaire survey of 1,457 residents in the upper reaches of the Yasu River in Shiga Prefecture, and found that forest activity has a strong relationship with forest well-being.
Observations of flora and fauna tended to increase emotions that were positive for forest well-being and decreased emotions that were negative.
On the other hand, privately owned forest management and forest management in which volunteers participate increase satisfaction, satisfaction, fulfillment, and achievement in the relationship with mountains and forests, but local mountain management has low positive feelings. Was.It seems that the local mountains are shared by the area and they feel a sense of duty in the management work.Forest ownership also tended to increase negative emotions.As the asset value of forests declines year by year, it seems to be related to the increasing burden of forest management.
The research group believes that by launching measures to improve forest happiness, the relationship between local residents and forests will be deepened, and it will be a hint to stop the residents from leaving the mountains.In order to achieve this, we are proposing to apply the idea of forest happiness to the project that Shiga Prefecture is developing to deepen the relationship with the forest.
