Assessment of land cover relocation incorporating the effects of human activity in typical urban and rural catchments for the design of management policies

• We assessed the effectiveness of environmental management practices.
• The effects of alterations in land use and human impact were determined quantitatively.
• The entire environmental system of the basins was evaluated synthetically.
• The results use to stakeholders with an interest in the maintenance of social capital.

Densification due to the extreme increase in the population of urban and rural regions following rapid economic growth has occurred in many areas of the world. The pollution load in catchments affected by this increased population density far exceeds the self-purifying ability of the catchments. Land use changes in such river basins have affected the hydrological environment, as seen in diminished water quality not only in rivers but also in groundwater and springs, resulting in a decline in the available water resources. In particular, river water, which has different characteristics in urban and rural regions, must be considered, as the increased environmental impacts of changes in land use and human activities can create problems for society. Thus, following the adoption of a land use regulation system based on land use planning, the balance between the importance of conservation and the impact of human activities such as industrial production, agricultural production, and human waste is an important issue. In this study, using a catchment simulator model, we assessed the effectiveness of environmental management practices that incorporated the effects of alterations in land use, which were determined quantitatively from a catchment management perspective to solve environmental improvement problems based on land use and human activities in Tokyo (urban) and Hokkaido (rural). The results of this study are of use to stakeholders with an interest in the maintenance of social capital with an advanced urban function in the development of rural areas.