ABSTRACT
This chapter utilizes a case study on forest volunteering activities to analyse the perceptions and behavior of both volunteers and community currency (CC) users. It summarizes issues and solutions of the hilly and mountainous areas, and also reviews relevant research. It is important for Japan to sustain the multiple values of its hilly and mountainous areas, which consist of the provision of local foods and natural resources, conservation or reproduction of natural environment and diversity of local culture and tradition. The chapter describes why CCs are needed for sustainable development of these areas. It considers non-profit organisation Tosa-no-Mori Kyuentai's activities and the CC circulation scheme based on previous research and existing literature, and focuses on the significance and features of CCs according to survey findings. The chapter also describes the intra-regional circulation system that uses Mori-ken (MK). MK is slightly different from CCs or local coupons and it is recognized as an exchange coupon for local products.
