Wildlife, Landscape Use and Society

Sugimura evaluates the importance of landscape change, government policies and economy on the ecosystems of Japan and how such a rich variety of species have been able to survive, albeit in limited numbers, despite the rapid expansion of the Japanese human population in the 20th century.

A comprehensive analysis of the various terrestrial natural landscapes and habitats within Japan, and the efforts to sustain and conserve them and sustain landscape services.

In 2011, Conservation International designated the Japanese islands collectively as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They are rich in biodiversity, but also densely populated and so human impacts have led to many species being classed as endangered though few have become extinct during recent decades. Sugimura evaluates the effects of landscape changes, government policies and economy on the forest ecosystems and services of Japan. He then contemplates how a rich variety of wildlife species have been able to survive, albeit in limited numbers, despite the rapid expansion of Japanese economic activities in the 20th century. In addition, there appear to be correlations between uniqueness of biodiversity, types of landscape use and the attitudes of local communities towards natural landscapes.

A vital introduction for international environmentalists, geographers and environmental scientists looking to understand Japan's unique ecosystems and their experiences with human activities.

Autorentext

Ken Sugimura is former professor of Environmental Science at Nagasaki University, Japan (he retired in March 2020).

Inhalt

Introduction: aims and scope 1.Terrestrial biodiversity and landscape use across the country 2. Amami Oshima 3. Amami Oshima (2) 4. Forest utilisation in Fukushima before and after the 2011 power plant accident 5. Forests and Satoyama landscapes in the suburb of a metropolitan area 6. Regional comparison and summary discussion