Community dynamics in Japanese rural areas and implications for national park management

Abstract

Land in Japanese parks is not set aside for nature conservation; instead park land is managed through a system of zoning and regulations, regardless of existing ownership and use, to preserve 'scenic beauty.' Although this system faces numerous challenges, it contains a built-in mechanism for facilitating community and stakeholder participation in park management. Fieldwork in Oze, Ogasawara Islands and Yakushima Island, led to a stakeholder analysis, focusing on the dynamics that divide communities in many rural areas and which reflect complex social, economic and political circumstances in contemporary Japan. These dynamics have profound implications for park management, because those with the largest stake have the least influence over local-level decision making. Understanding these types of dynamics is critical for facilitating community conservation and sustainable protected area management.

Keywords:

• NATIONAL PARKS
• PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT
• JAPAN
• NATURE TOURISM
• STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
• LOCAL COMMUNITY
• MIGRATION