雲南の多民族村における森林利用と「森林創出」 : 保山の山腹地帯にいきづく集団林業とアグロフォレストリー栽培

Abstract

Baoshan is a mountainous prefecture of western Yunnan in the border area with Myanmar. Most mountain slopes were formerly covered by dense forests, but with the increasing number of Han migrants, the forests cover has been denuded. The bare mountain slopes on the east side of the Nujiang river are obvious proof of this. Continuous forest denudation has resulted not only in the aggravation of environmental problems (for example, landslides and erosion) but also in shortages of fuel and timber for the inhabitants. In contrast, the forests on the western slopes of the Nujiang river are comparatively intact. On the forest-covered slopes, there are many villages in which various ethnic groups like the Han, Lisu, Yi, and Bai live together. The migration of these ethnic groups and the mixing of their cultural heritages have a long history. The green landscape in which the villages are located is maintained by the presence of large agroforestry gardens and village common forests besides paddy terraces and cornfields. This combination of land use has achieved a balance between utilization and preservation of ecological resources. Hence, a way to restore the degraded environment in Baoshan may be sought in the analysis of this local landscape, which has been created by ethnic minorities. This paper examines the forest utilization in the multi-ethnic villages located on the west side of Nujiang river. The utilization of the village common forests is observed and analyzed, and the creation techniques of the agroforestry gardens are investigated. In addition, stock farming, an occupation closely related to the forest, is discussed. As a whole, this paper aims to present details of the material culture of the ethnic minorities, their ecological base, and to extract the people's perception of nature.