Historically, inhabitants lived in regions with close connections to the mountains and thus engaged in hunting, fishing, gathering vegetables, and agriculture.
Planted forest environments are mostly disseminated around human habitation and provide wood products (typically conifers) with high market values that are widely distributed in the transition areas.
The alpine zone in the Minami-Alps has a unique distribution of plants and animals that migrated south along the Japanese archipelago during the ice age.
The hill zone includes areas of human habitation, and in managing these, a diverse range of animals suited to these environments can live freely.
Species endemic to the alpine vegetation region include: Saxifraga cernua, Pinus pumila and Lepisorus clathratus; the checkered skipper and Sympistis heliophila.
Another popular business is the lunchboxes known as Ikawa Mempa which is a traditional folk art that melds bentwood and lacquering techniques, a complex process that is still used today.
The rich natural environment around the mountains is currently used for activities such as hiking, walking, nature-watching, camping, fishing, and skiing, with many resources that could also be used for tourism.