Developing a Scenario-Questionnaire Method to evaluate residents' evaluations of environmental attributes: The case of Lake Shumarinai watershed in Hokkaido

Abstract

In this study, the Scenario-Questionnaire Method, a new questionnaire survey method utilized in public participation processes in environmental development, was developed and implemented. This method provides respondents with natural scientific information on changes in environmental attributes arising from environmental modifications such as logging, and it estimates the respondents' evaluation of such changes, as well as their preference for overall changes through conjoint analysis. The method was developed through collaboration between natural and social science experts. The field site for this research was the Lake Shumarinai watershed located in Horokanai town, Hokkaido, Japan. The Scenario-Questionnaire was conducted in October and November of 2007 in Horokanai town, and 163 responses (56.3%) were obtained from the townspeople. The results indicated that the prime concern of the people was "water quality deterioration," while the second most important concern was "decrease in plant biomass and diversity". The results also suggested that the townspeople prefer an environmental modification plan that does not have much impact on the above two attributes. Finally, possible contributions of the method to public participation process in environmental development were discussed.