Rural landscape conservation in Japan: Lessons from the satoyama conservation program in Kanagawa Prefecture

Abstract

Japanese call rural landscapes 'satoyama.' 'Sato' means village and 'yama' means hill or forest. Satoyama in the past produced much of the food, wood for fuel, timber, and water for communities. However many satoyama have rapidly deteriorated due to industrialization and urbanization. It was in the 1990s that people in general and scientists began to recognize the multiple benefits of satoyama landscapes in Japan. This led to the proliferation of satoyama conservation groups across Japan at the turn of the century. However, it is difficult for local action groups to rehabilitate devastated farmlands and forests through their own efforts alone. It requires policy measures to encourage citizen engagement in satoyama conservation programs. In this paper the author addresses governance issues in rural landscape conservation, referring to the case of the satoyama conservation program in the Kanagawa region.