Biogeochemistry and Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices in Japan - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 35

with the development of agricultural and transportation technologies during the late
nineteenth century. These technologies contributed not only to an autonomous and
sustainable fl ow of nutrients/food through commercial transactions between urban
and rural areas, but also helped to prevent pandemic disease outbreaks by removing
human excrement from the city (Tajima 2007 ). Currently, human wastes are not
used as fertilizer in Japanese farm land. Readily available alternative fertilizers pro-
duced industrially though the Harber-Bosch process and other techniques have suc-
ceeded in increasing food production to sustain a rapid growth in the human
population. However, the extensive use of chemical fertilizers in agricultural land
has also resulted in excess nutrients leaching from the soil to the groundwater,
streams, lakes, and estuaries, with a higher associated risk of water eutrophication
(Shindo et al. 2009 ).
More recently, Japanese traditional systems such as Satoyama landscapes have
become degraded and declined, especially in the aftermath of the fuel and fertilizer
revolution during the mid-twentieth century (Duraiappah et al. 2012 ). Increased
supplies of fossil fuels and chemical fertilizer have resulted in lower levels of use of
natural resources from surrounding rural environments. Moreover, Japan's rapid
industrialization following World War II contributed to extensive migration to urban
areas and resulted in serious depopulation and an aging population in rural areas.
Consequently, many Satoyama systems have become unsustainable or have disap-
peared (Itoga and Yazawa 1984 ; Ichikawa et al. 2006 ; Duraiappah et al. 2012 ).

3.5 Toward Sustainable Ecosystem Management

Despite the decline of traditional production systems in Japanese rural areas, some
promising new perspectives and activities have also recently emerged. Kobori and
Primack ( 2003 ) have discussed developing a citizen participatory program to con-
serve traditional Satoyama landscapes as critical wildlife habitats and for providing
a bundle of ecosystem services. This could be implemented through the ample
donations made by urban residents, as well as through active participation in recre-
ating paddy fi elds with traditional irrigation ponds in rural areas.
The recognition and awareness of citizens of the need to support such initiatives
through public funding are growing as a result of a range of public education pro-
grams, media information, and other participatory activities (Kobori and Primack
2003 ; Duraiappah et al. 2012 ). Key challenges for the scientifi c community will be
to disseminate precise information to the public, not just through scientifi c papers,
but also using different methods of communication. Most natural sciences tend to
advance through a narrow and in-depth focus and separation from other disciplines.
However, to develop sustainable stewardship and management of nature with public
consent and participation, an interdisciplinary approach is necessary. This should
entail reference to traditional ecological ethics, knowledge, and practices, and be
developed through collaborations among multiple stakeholders, including people
and scientists with diverse backgrounds. Recognition of regional and cultural differ-