[H-GG01_29PO1] International comparison of landscape appreciation

[HGG01-P05] Research on Comparison of Races in Terms of Evaluation of Natural Landscapes in the Republic of Fiji

*Takashi KOSUGE¹, Katsunori FURUYA¹, Mukesh VERMA² (1.Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, 2.Hard, Social Sciences, Fiji National)

Keywords:Landscape evaluation, Republic of Fiji, Fijians, Indians, Comparison

Methods1) after collecting Natural landscape photos of Japan and Fiji national countries, Fiji 33 photos and Japan 39 phots of WATERFALL, FOREST, SEASHORE, RIVER, FARMLAND, SWAMP, MOUNTAIN, and LAKE were selected from each country, which sum up to a total of 72 photos, 2) these photos were categorized in groups by 141 a citizens and each group was labeled with a name, 3) the same students evaluated these photos according to preference (5-scale) and exoticism (3-scale), and 4) they were asked to select three photos which they believe to represent the unique characteristics of the Fiji, so that landscape that exhibit the unique characteristics of each ethnic can be extracted. I stayed in Fiji August-December 2013. And A research was run among the Fiji residents during stay. I used a investigation by interview. Then answers were collected from 141 respondents. Cluster analysis (Ward's method, squared Euclidean distance, 3) was applied for the analysis of photo categories, and Mann-Whitney U Test was applied for the analysis between ethnic groups.Considerations and Research resultsFirstly, the difference in classification of the pictures of SWANP was observed between the two races. Fijians classified SWANP and FOREST into different groups, and they included SWANP in the category of RIVER. On the other hand, some Indians included SWANP in the category of FOREST and some included SWANP in the group of RIVER.Secondly, regarding classification of LAKE, both Fijians and Indians classified LAKE into the same group as SEASHORE. In Fiji, where the percentage of water area in the land is extremely low, there is a possibility that LAKE are not recognized as such. Regarding classification of SEASHORE, both races divide BEACHE into two broad categories: landscapes of sandy BEACHE where there are only a few rocks and trees, and rocky BEACHE where rocks and reefs are common.In the analysis of preference, significant differences were detected with the six pictures. Five of the six pictures were landscapes of Fiji, and one of them was a landscape of Japan. Furthermore, in the analysis of exoticism, significant differences were seen with the four pictures. Three of the four pictures were landscapes of Fiji, and one of them was a landscape of Japan. Concerning preference of the pictures of the landscapes of Fiji, the value of Fijians is 4.06 higher than that of Indians. Regarding selection of the pictures typical of Fiji, there was a variance between Fijian and Indian residents. Fijians selected the pictures of FARMLAND (21 %), MOUNTAIN (17 %) and SEASHORE (17 %), while on the other hand Indians chose the pictures of SEASHORE (44 %), RIVER (14 %) and SWANP (12 %). The reason for Fijians' choice may be that they think fields of taro, which is the staple food in Fiji, and mountains extending into villages as traditional landscapes of Fiji. On the other hand, the reason for Indians' selection may be that they associate landscapes of BEACHE with a scattering of resort spots in Fiji.Fijians' preference was in the order of WATERFALL (4.43), LAKE (4.41), RIVER (4.14) and SEASHORE (4.09), and Indians' preference was in the order of WATERFALL (4.41), LAKE (4.33), SEASHORE (4.08) and RIVER (4.02). That is to say, both races preferred the pictures of waterfront landscapes. Particularly, the pictures of SEASHORE may be considered as familiar landscapes of Fiji. Most of the pictures of WATERFALL and LAKE were from Japan, and they are unfamiliar sights in Fiji and considered as exotic landscapes (the pictures of Japanese landscapes). However, the pictures of SWANP were not very much preferred compared to other pictures of waterfronts. There was not much big difference in preference between Fijians and Indians excluding the six pictures with which significant differences were detected. However, there was a difference in that Fijians preferred traditional landscapes whereas Indians preferred landscapes of seashores.