Urban-Rural Development and Associated Changes in Ecosystem Services in Japan

1. ICSS-Asia 2009, Session 3 “Urban-Rural” (16:30-18:30, Nov.23, 2009) Urban-Rural Development and Associated Changes in Ecosystem Services in Japan Osamu Saito Waseda Institute for Advanced Study Waseda University

2. Outline • Satoyama and its Ecosystem Services • How Satoyama has changed? • Urban-Rural Linkage: Risks, Opportunities, and Trade-offs • Some Leading Actions: • Furano, Hokkaido • Nasu, Tochigi • Motegi, Tochigi • Implications for Urban-Rural Sustainability

3. Satoyama and its Ecosystem Services • Satoyama can be defined as dynamic social-ecological coupled landscapes comprising of a mosaic of different ecosystem types producing synergy of a bundle of ecosystem services for human wellbeing. • Characteristics of Satoyama are followings: • Satoyama is a mosaic composed of various types of ecosystems including farmlands, forests, irrigation ponds and ditches, grasslands and pasture. • From Satoyama, local dwellers have traditionally harvested various resources (ecosystem services) in a sustainable way. • Biodiversity in Satoyama is key elements to provide a bundle of ecosystem services. • The spatial structure and patterns in the mosaics are diverse with each social, economic, and ecological contexts.

5. Ecosystem Services: The benefits people obtain from ecosystems (MA, 2003)

6. Focus: Consequences of Ecosystem Change for Human Well-being

7. Human Well-being Indirect Drivers Ecosystem Services Direct Drivers MA Framework • Indirect Drivers of Change • Demographic • Economic (globalization, trade, market and policy framework) • Sociopolitical (governance and institutional framework) • Science and Technology • Cultural and Religious • Human Well-being and • Poverty Reduction • Basic material for a good life • Health • Good Social Relations • Security • Freedom of choice and action • Direct Drivers of Change • Changes in land use • Species introduction or removal • Technology adaptation and use • External inputs (e.g., irrigation) • Resource consumption • Climate change • Natural physical and biological drivers (e.g., volcanoes)

8. Multi-scale assessment Includes information from 33 sub-global assessments Sub-Global Assessments (SGA) Japan (2007-10)

9. Ecosystem Services from Satoyama Based on the PPT slide prepared for Sub-global Assessment of Satoyama and Satoumi in Japan by UNU-IAS (18 November 2008)

10. II. How Satoyama has changed? People Population change and projection Population Ratio of Over 65 Yeas Old (2005) (Source) UN, World Population Prospects: The 2006 http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2005/kihon1/00/02.htm

11. Globalization

12. Land 日本の農地面積の推移 Trend of Farmland in Japan （農林水産省，2009） 1.耕地利用率は、耕地面積に対する作付け延べ面積の割合である。 2.拡張・かい廃面積は、各年次とも、前年の調査日から当年の調査日の前日までの間に生じたものである。

13. Land 日本の耕地種類別の面積推移 Trend of arable land by type of field （農林水産省，2009） 特殊田：水稲以外のたん水を必要とする作目（レンコン等）の栽培を状態とする田

14. 耕作放棄地面積の推移 Trend of abandoned former arable land （農林水産省・農林業センサス） Unit:10,000ha 10% of the total arable land 1980 1985 1975 1990 1995 2000 2005

15. Abandoned arable land by region type 農業地域類型別の耕作放棄地面積 （農林水産省，2008） (注）　耕作放棄率＝耕作放棄地面積／経営耕地総面積

16. Dominant causes for biodiversity loss in Japan 要因・負荷指標に関する有識者アンケート（環境省・自然研、一五〇人分、５択） Development of lake, river and pond Coastal and marine development Alien species Road construction Coniferous plantation Dam construction Woodland and grassland abandonment Clearing forest

17. 2008 2000 Highway Shinkansen Prefectures Golf courses Expansion of golf course construction in the Tokyo MA 1990 2008: Over 800 courses in Tokyo MA 1980 1950 1970 1960

18. III. Urban-Rural Linkage: Risks, Opportunities, and Trade-offs • Opportunities: • Revitalizing rural communities through urban-rural interaction • Transforming to compact city • Nature restoration • Creating new industries for elderly (retired) population • Utilize abandoned farmland and forest stock for energy, material use and carbon stock • Sustainable tourism • Grass roots conservation activities • Risks: • Losing vitality of rural communities • Expanding abandoned arable land and woodland • Degradation of ecosystem services and biodiversity loss • Expanding damage son agriculture and forestry by wild animals (deer, wild boar, etc) • Maintaining rural infrastructures including road, dam, tunnels, bridges, sewage, school, hospital, etc. • Trade-offs: • Urban-rural: Realize development of compact city at the expense of further depopulation of rural areas • Within region: Over exploitation and destruction of rural ecosystem by promoting green tourism, expanding renewable energy • Inter-regional: Widening regional differences. Only limited number of leading regions can maintain their vitality while the rest are losing it in the long run • International: Keep on depending on imported resources while there are abundant forest stock and arable land • Lags between social and ecological responses

19. Trade-offs of urban-rural interaction and development (U-WILL) Other countries Inter-regional to country scale 3 Regional (basin) scale Other Regions 1 2 4 Urban Area (Downstream) Rural Area (Upstream) • Lags between social and ecological responses 5 • Urban-rural: Realize development of compact city at the expense of further depopulation of rural areas • Within region: Over exploitation and destruction of rural ecosystem by promoting green tourism, expanding renewable energy • Inter-regional: Widening regional discrepancy. Only limited number of leading regions can improve and maintain their vitality while the rest are losing it in the long run • International: Keep on depending on imported resources while there are abundant forest stock and arable land • Lags between social and ecological responses

20. Examples of tradeoff within region 2 Within region (a) Lose-Lose: Unrestrained ecotourism can lead to infrastructure and human traffic that degrades many ecosystem services, and ecotourism itself collapses. (b)Win-Win: Ecotourism develops with good management of biodiversity and ecosystem services, so that income flows from tourism, biodiversity is enhanced, and ecosystem services are not lost. (c) Win-Lose (tradeoff): Ecotourism develops and biodiversity is protected in nature reserves, but the increase in roads and hotels undermines water quality and fisheries, causing tradeoffs among ecosystem services and development. (Source) Tallis et al. (2008)

21. IV. Some Leading Actions 4-1 Furano, Hokkaido lead by NPO Forest restoration ×Green tourism× Environmental educationand training 4-2 Nasu, Tochigi lead by Private company Pasturing in abandoned woodland × Valued-added dairy products ×Forest products including non-timber forest products× Green tourism × Education and training 4-3 Motegi, Tochigi lead by Town Composting of food waste, wood residues and leaves ×Local resource circulation ×Farmers market × Community revitalization

22. 4-1. Environmental Program NPO C.C.C. Furano Field • In 2005 when Furano Prince Hotel golf course was closing down, Soh Kuramoto, the chair man of C.C.C. (Creative Conservation Club), proposed to return it to the former forest it once was. • Now, the club uses the site for two purposes - firstly, restoring the forest and secondly, promoting environmental education within the project site. Total number of trees planted thus far:29,370 (Source) http://furano-shizenjuku.yosanet.com/english.html

23. (Source) http://furano-shizenjuku.yosanet.com/english.html

24. 4-2. Creating “Natural Industry” in Nasuby Amita Corp. Woodland pasture Crops Milk Abandoned woodland Millet Farmland Milk Ice cream Consumers/ Supporters Cafe (Source) http://www.shinrinno.jp/contents/farm/nasu.html

25. 4-3. Midori Compost Center in Motegi To Midori Compost Center Wood residues Household food waste Leaves of deciduous woodland Animal waste Sell agri-products to local market Sell compost to local farmers (Source)栃木県茂木町(2006)美しい土の里から.

26. VI. Implications(ABCDE) for Urban-Rural Sustainability • Avoid uniform and ad hoc management → Diverse, dynamic, and long-term commitment • Balance between over-use (development) and under-use (abandonment) • 　→ Determine the appropriate management level through collaborative discourse-based planning in each rural area • Create a new commons and players to take care of it • Discover local resources and connect different sectors and various players • Doing by leaning: Realize scientific assessment and monitoring and provide feedback to planning and management → Adaptive management • Establish a standard set of measures and approaches for quantifying and monitoring ecosystem service levels and values(Tallis et al. 2008)

27. The End Woodland pasture in Nasu