A study of the option transaction on forests and some type of resource management: A case study of Geihoku-highland Komorebinomori option transaction on forests

Overall exchanges between cities and mountain villages have been blossoming in recent years in Japan. In this movement, a system called 'Option Transaction on Forests' (OTF) has been established in each place. The 'OTF' system is to open right of utilization mainly for visitors from city. Tamura (2001) appreciates this movement that brings about hopes for some types of new forest resource management. She is, however, apprehensive about another resistant of local mountain villagers, as city visitors deprive mountain villagers' benefits from forests. In former Geihoku town in Hiroshima Prefecture, OTF has also been introduced by town [vinhquang1]. This system was established in the area to manage country-side forests by exchanging forest management activities between city visitors and the local mountain villagers. Under the system, part of forests can be rented by 'city visitors' (tenants). The purpose of this paper is (1) to clarify the actual conditions of 'Geihoku-highland Komorebinomori OTF' and perception of tenants and local residents about the system; and (2) to consider about potential of OTF as a new forest resource management system. The result shows that local residents tend to evaluate value of the system lower than that of tenants. The main causes of this are (i) no communication between tenants and local residents have taken place till now; and (ii) the 'Geihoku-highland Komorebinomori OTF' does not have 'legitimacy' (Miyauchi, 2006) for some types of new forest resource management between tenants and local residents. Therefore, 'Geihoku-highland Komorebinomori OTF' so far only brings about opportunity for city visitors to know the present conditions of the mountain villages, but not yet for some types of new forest resource management. The paper suggests that more communication between tenants and local residents is necessary to make 'Option Transaction on Forests' successful for some types of new forest resource management.