The Satoyama Environmental Initiative: how Asians have learned to build resilience

Ecological Engineering, 2014

2012

Satoyama is a Japanese term describing mosaic landscapes of different ecosystems —secondary forests, farm lands, irrigation ponds and grasslands —along with human settlements managed to produce bundles of ecosystem services for human wellbeing.The concept of satoyama, longstanding traditions associated with land management practices that allow sustainable use of natural resources, has been extended to cover marine and coastal ecosystems ( satoumi). These landscapes and seascapes have been rapidly changing, and the ecosystem services they provide are under threat from varioussocial, economic, political, and technological factors. Satoyama-Satoumi Ecosystems and Human Well-Being presents the findings of the Japan Satoyama Satoumi Assessment (JSSA), a study of the interaction between humans and ecosystems in Japan. It was written by the 200-plus authors, stakeholders, andreviewers from Japan and elsewhere who make up the JSSA team. The study analyzes changes that have occurred in satoy...

Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 2010

Ecological Research, 2014

2010

The Japan Satoyama Satoumi Assessment (JSSA) is a study of the interaction between humans and terrestrial–aquatic ecosystems (satoyama) and marine– coastal ecosystems (satoumi) in Japan. The study examines and analyses changes which have occurred in these ecosystems over the last 50 years and identifies plausible alternative futures of those landscapes in the year 2050 taking into account various drivers such as governmental and economic policy, climate change, technology, and socio-behavioural responses. This brief suggests that the health of satoyama and satoumi ecosystems is interlinked with human well-being and biological diversity. Recommendations for policymakers based on the study’s findings are also presented here.

2019

The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) is a global network to promote collective efforts for sustainability in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), and thereby to contribute to the realisation of “living in harmony with nature”. The Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM) is a seed funding programme that supports selected projects proposed by IPSI members. This report centred on the way and the extent to which the SDM projects contributed to the IPSI Strategic Objectives, and to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABTs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We further explored the possibility that the SDM projects were likely to induce transformative change, with particular focus on the policy uptake of the project outputs, the mobilisation of additional investments, partnership building and outreach. In addition, the report provides the results of a self-assessment of the performance of the SDM Secretariat.

2010

Satoyama–Satoumi Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Assessing Trends to Rethink a Sustainable Future T 2010 biodiversity target (committed to by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2002) to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 has not been met. In fact, the changes in biodiversity due to human activities have been more rapid in the past 50 years than at any time in history. There is now a high risk of dramatic biodiversity loss and accompanying degradation of a broad range of ecosystem services if ecosystems are pushed beyond certain thresholds or tipping points. At the same time, however, the human use of ecosystems and their services has contributed to substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development. It is unrealistic to apply mainstream approaches to environmental protection (e.g. expansion of protected areas and preservation efforts) while also attempting to reduce poverty and enhance human well-being....

2015

Satoyama concept has been advocated for an ideal model for traditional landscape, where nature and human are in harmony and sustainable. In 2010, the International Partnership for Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) was launched to revitalize the concept of Satoyama in Japan and promote it internationally but no mechanism exists in which it can be thoroughly evaluated. Because of a combination of factors, the existence of indigenous peoples can no longer be based on a hunter-gatherer tradition and requires agriculture to guarantee their food supply and livelihood. The Satoyamas of Noto were recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) thus highlighting the inherent connection between Satoyama and agriculture but there exists a research gap on the social aspects of Satoyama with a bias towards the ecological sphere and no research has been done to ascertain the possibility of a Satoyama type approach for the introduction of new and improved agricultural techniques into indigenous communities. This thesis aims to fill these gaps and explore the possibility of arriving at a Satoyama developmental model for promoting sustainable agriculture in indigenous communities. Data were collected through individual, household and group interviews, questionnaire surveys, field visits, and available documents; and were processed through standard qualitative data analysis and grounded theory approach. Preliminary research was conducted in the Noto Peninsula, Japan with a view of determining the social origins and evolutions of Satoyama. This was followed by a comparative analysis between Satoyama and the past Ainu way of life. Results indicate that Satoyama communities originated and evolved due to being remotely located, with members experiencing hardships and subject to natural disasters which resulted in self sufficiency, food security, and resilience respectively. These results bear striking similarities to the existing realities of indigenous peoples thus demonstrating its usefulness to achieve sustainable development in their communities and the other world’s indigenous communities as well. Further, the Satoyama Agriculture Development Tool (SADT) was created based on the five perspectives identified by the IPSI where harmonized questions were used and answers given points based on a Likert’s scaling allowing communities to be classified as Satoyama Like (SL), In Transition (IT), or Non Compliant (NC). With the aim of testing the utility of the SADT internationally, independent researchers affiliated to Hokkaido University and/or the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with stakeholders utilized it in Guyana, Indonesia, Malaysia and Gabon; while in Thailand, it was used by both government officers and villagers. Findings by the researchers show that the results obtained through the SADT does not change significantly based on the stakeholders involved; while the results in Thailand showed no significant differences between the officers and villagers. These results indicate that the SADT can act as an orientation for professionals to determine the shortcomings present; the correct approach needed to assist the community; and serve as a guide for determining the priority measures to achieve sustainable development. However, the success is dependent on the availability of credible data and the involvement of unbiased users. Because these factors can only be curbed in the actual use of the SADT rather than from analyzing the results, it is recommended that it be used by multidisciplinary teams rather than individuals. Results also proves that it is suitably designed for future use by members of the indigenous communities but would require adjustments to make the questions more comprehensible by the ordinary villager and further analysis would need to be done of results obtained when the SADT is utilized by villagers without the influence of others to determine its success in this regard.