Satoyama re-evaluated as a model for a sustainable society

Human life has always been with nature. Our engagement with nature and the resulting biodiversity, natural resource cycles, and landscapes may be different depending on the region we live in, but they are similar in many ways too.

In Japan, humans settled in these area, calling them “satoyama,” and through it formed the traditional landscape of Japan and has long nurtured our spiritual richness. However, the decline and aging of the population and changes in the industrial structure have led to the degradation of satoyama throughout the country, resulting in landslides, the loss of local biodiversity, and damage to agriculture by birds and animals.

Currently, satoyama is being re-evaluated as a model for creating a sustainable society for the 21st century, and local authorities are undertaking various restoration initiatives.

Learning about cycles through environmental education

Aya Town, having one of Japan’s largest shiny-leaved forests, has been working together with the public and private sectors to develop a community in harmony with nature. As a result, the town has received high international acclaim, and in 2012 the entire town was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and named “Aya UNESCO Eco Park.” The Biosphere Reserve has the following three functions and three areas that fulfill these functions.

Today, almost no schools in Japan offer the subject of “environment” in primary and junior high schools. However, the Aya Town Board of Education has set aside time for environmental education for primary and junior high school students.

At Aya Junior High School, which is registered as a UNESCO School, environmental education is provided with a focus on the development of satoyama. For example, there is a program for visiting logging areas and planting trees. In addition, the school buildings at Aya Junior High School are built using timber from trees felled at the appropriate age for logging so that students can learn about the tree cycle throughout their school life.

Biotope cultivation programs led by companies

“The Aichi Biodiversity Strategy 2020” was implemented in Aichi Prefecture from 2013 to 2020 in line with the UN Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

Based on this strategy, the Nishi-Mikawa Ecological Network Council is working on the “Circulative Raising Native Tree Seedlings project.” It was conducted in collaboration between businesses, residents, and the government to collect seeds of native tree species, raise seedlings, and create a natural biotope in urban areas with these seedlings. The project aims to improve the natural environment and the landscape of local satoyama areas by linking urban green spaces with satoyama areas, as shown in the diagram.

The feature of this program is the central involvement of a company, Sony EMCS Corporation Kohda Site, which maintains nature on its site in the Sony forest and provides its site for this project. This inevitably provides solidarity between the various stakeholders and opportunities for citizens to participate in nature conservation activities and facilitates communication in the area.

The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative

“The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative” was established by the Government in 2010. As of December 2021, 283 members from NGOs and government organizations are involved in sharing, collecting, organizing, and providing examples of sustainable natural resource use patterns and social systems worldwide for the sustainable use and management of natural resources.