- Project Leader : Shimamura Tetsuya (Ehime University, Faculty of Agriculture)
- Collaborators : Ichikawa Masahiro (Kochi University, Faculty of Agriculture)
- : Kozan Osamu (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
- : Ito Masayuki (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
Outline of Research
The objective of the study is to reconsider land and resources management and the rehabilitation of landscapes in the tropics by looking at the rehabilitation and succession of landscape around Mt. Merapi, which erupted in 2010. Land allocation, land management and successions after the disturbance will be monitored in four types of landscape: 1) the core zone of Mt. Merapi National Park, 2) a buffer zone of the national park where local people’s activities are restricted, 3) slope farmlands and 4) home gardens managed by local people. By comparing the land management of these areas, we will clarify how local people have managed the disaster.
Description
The objective of the present study is to reconsider the land and resource management and rehabilitation of landscape in tropics by monitoring primary succession and rehabilitation of landscape. On the slope of Mt. Merapi, there are four kinds of land use: 1) a core zone of Mt. Merapi National Park where natural succession is expected, 2) a buffer zone of the national park where local peoples activities are restricted 3) slope farmlands and 4) home gardens of the people. These landscapes were severely damaged by the eruption of Mt. Merapi in 2010. In the present study, we will monitor the rehabilitation processes of the landscapes by investigating land management, land use, local custom and regulations, biogeochemical cycles and forest succession. The results will be integrated to clarify the rehabilitation process and applied to propose a better resource management system.
Mount Merapi is an active strato-volcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly at four or five year intervals. Local people have helped the landscape recover from repeated disasters. In this sense, natural resources management of Mt. Merapi can be regarded as a system that overcomes severe and repeated disasters. This system has important implications in achieving sustainable environmental management in both technical and social aspects.
In the present study, we regard the recovery processes of Mt. Merapi as a resource management system which is robust against intensive disturbance and clarify the system. The outcome of the study expects to propose a novel natural resource management system.
 Trees wither due to heat gas and debris flow in affected areas |
 Local people treat Mt. Merapi as a tourist spot |