Reference no: EM133034207

Satoyama is a little less known destination in the Gifu Prefecture, it is located in the heart of the Japanese Alps and is being developed as a model community where a balance of nature and man is maintained at a consistent level. Satoyama is the answer to the call of the government to spread further away to the suburbs instead of clustering around urban cities.

Read the article below and assess the effectiveness of their initiatives in terms of the sustainability of the destination.

Short Analysis on Positive Effects of the 'Satoyama Initiative' Yumi Anggraini

The Satoyama Initiative was developed in Japan to achieve close relationships with rural areas and communities while also emphasising biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. By managing and using resources sustainably and properly maintaining biodiversity, humans can enjoy a long-term, stable supply of various ecosystem services into the future. Through the Satoyama Initiative, a three-fold approach: 1. Consolidation of wisdom on securing ecosystem services, 2. Integration of traditional knowledge and modern knowledge, 3. Exploring new forms of commons. Under this ecosystem service framework, the impact of direct (land-use change, climate change, pollution, over-exploitation, etc.) and indirect change (demographic change, economic, cultural, political, etc.) can balance out the problems in rural areas and communities. IPAT, an equation that says the environmental impact is the product of Population, Affluence, and Technology, to help understand the effects of economic prosperity and technological advancements on the environment. The modern world is more machine-based and more convenient to live in. Not only Japan, but the industrialisation of the world sacrifices our nature. It is essential to consider the convenience of advanced technology, but we have to include sustainable management of the environment in its discourse. The concept of Satoyama is usually thought of as an idyllic, rural landscape that looks separated from the rest of the modern world. It shows how the village, its people, and the biotic community can sustain its production and consumption. Commons such as water in the stream canal, wetland, and rice fields have been developed in the village to coexist with the ecosystem through collective management. In Japan, a massive part of 'satoyama' is cultural preservation parallel to a sustainable environment. It is a clear case of reconciliation ecology, where without human intervention, preservation of natural resources and biodiversity of Satoyama would not be possible. There are different kinds of locals living in Satoyama and their jobs, traditional cultures such as artisan skills, cuisines, historic inns, and historical passages. To ensure the positive effect of the Satoyama Initiative, there need to be two overarching but straightforward conditions: Continued support from the government and academia and encouraging people to move into rural areas. The most important aspect is the government's role and support in the Satoyama Initiative. There needs to be a benefit to humans outside of nature. Otherwise, there would not be an incentive to keep rural areas and traditions. The benefits of Satoyama in Japan would be reputation and cultural preservation. For example, the Kitamura village in Kyoto is a government selected preservation site. It is also known for the soft cultural skills like thatched roof artisans as an example of traditional artisan skills, who go around Japan repairing roofs of old buildings. The traditional cuisines include the use of local fish like the mackerel 'saba' and sweetfish 'ayu' and the use of wild herbs as a 'sought-out gourmet.' The history-rich physical places such as inns, temples, walkways, bridges, etc. I couldn't help but compare it with Indonesia and probably many other developing countries regarding this area. Indonesia, in particular, cannot develop something like a Satoyama. There are many challenges in sustainable development, such as lack of financial resources, having more priorities such as social inequalities, corruption, lack of effort at the municipal level. Still, the biggest challenge is the conflict between immediate profit and investment in sustainable technologies. There is more benefit in industrialisation than preserving any traditional culture that does not give any economic benefit. Then with the traditional artisan skills, how jobs are perceived are very different in the global south and Western countries. For the same position, a traditional job in Indonesia is very risky, anything related to the Arts, because they are seen as 'behind the times' and unnecessary. However, in developed countries, the word 'traditional' has become a novelty. The topic of ageing and depopulation in rural areas of Japan has led to the deterioration of the Satoyama through loss of cultures and the lack of human resources in managing the site. People from rural areas migrate to urban areas for job opportunities, better education, modern facilities, freedom from traditional practices, health care, and more. The increasingly elderly inhabitants in the rural villages struggle to manage their farms, let alone the surrounding woodlands. Maintenance activities such as cutting grass, picking fruits, are slowly neglected. This situation makes the Satoyama around villages more attractive as a safe refuge to wildlife. The combined degradation and fragmentation of the satoyama woodlands invites wild boars, monkeys, bears, and other wildlife into depopulated rural settlements and causes damage to crops, property, and occasionally humans. The Japanese government must encourage people to spread further away instead of clustering into significant cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and more. Comprehensive measures are needed to maintain existing populations in rural areas, promote population redistribution and reduce urban migration, and better human resources and local skills while welcoming foreign workers. Within the COVID19 pandemic, there has been a shift from the city into suburban or rural areas, which is possible with remote work and education. This is an opportunity for the government to promote regional revitalisation. However, this is a controversial issue as the covid19 has not been contained in the big cities. While the Satoyama Initiative has many positive effects, it retains Japanese traditions, environmentally-friendly agricultural practices, and even ecotourism. Japan has one of the worst ageing population problems, and the rural areas feel the most severe consequences. Local governments and academia have supported this initiative to achieve living in coexistence with nature through human intervention. But the other, 'failing' Satoyama, should also be addressed, instead of only promoting the more expensive and beautiful Satoyama. It is also slightly weird that stereotypical images of 'nature' in Japan are satoyama woodlands, with maintenance activities at their core. Japan may influence this thinking by having temperate forests, not the deadly tropical rainforests in the global south. The satoyama woodlands lean more towards cultural value rather than ecological coexistence as traditional land-use forms are labour-intensive and less productive.