The research assumes that anthropological study would reveal in concrete and detailed fashions the changing as well as constant aspects of perception of natural environment and landscapes among indigenous cultural communities in Sarawak. This would also contribute from the angle of humanities to the study of community development, which has been largely dominated by social sciences.
As mainly anthropological research, each Japanese member of the research team selected one or two local communities of indigenous population. The selection of fieldwork areas was made according to each member's past research experience and knowledge of local language(s). As each Japanese member is familiar to at least one locally spoken language, usual anthropological method of participatory observation and of collection of oral information was smoothly carried out. In terms of ethnic groupings under the research objectives, the selections were specifically the Iban by Uchibori, the Kayan by Tsugami, -the Kelabit by Msuda, the Penan by Okuno and the Malay/Chinese-Indigenous peoples' mixed area in the Kemana by Ishikawa. Also urban Iban communities were studied by Peter Kedit, the former Director of Sarawak Museum.
Our research was institutionally sponsored by Sarawak Development Institute.