Sense of place and attitudes towards future generations for conservation of coastal areas in the Satoumi of Japan

To sustainably manage coastal areas and conserve coastal biodiversity, the participation of local residents and other stakeholders is indispensable. In the coastal areas of the Satoumi in Japan, where biodiversity and production have increased through human involvement, participatory management has become an urgent matter because of a reduced number of fishermen. Previous studies have identified that people's sense of place could affect their willingness to conserve the coastal area. Meanwhile, intergenerational equity-the relationship between current and future generations in terms of sustainably utilizing natural resources-has become an important component of environmental ethics. We conducted a survey in two study sites in Japan to understand how local residents' sense of place could affect their attitudes towards future generations regarding conserving coastal biodiversity. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the conceptual framework of sense of place, which is well tested in Western countries, had validity and reliability in a different cultural setting (Japan). Moreover, SEM showed that the Biophysical variable (e.g., “I think it is good to have coastal area biodiversity”) had the strongest effect on residents' attitudes towards future generations, meaning respondents who agreed with biophysical statements, such as those who had positive attitudes towards biodiversity more likely wanted to preserve the coast for future generations. However, in one study site, the Political-economic variable (e.g., “I am willing to invest my time and effort to make the coastal area a better place”) had a negative effect on residents' attitudes towards future generations, meaning those respondents who had willingness to engage in certain behaviors at the moment were less likely to want to preserve the area for future generations. Our results provide instructive insights for promoting people's attitudes towards future generations in terms of coastal area conservation. For example, environmental education programs could focus on increasing residents' interest in the biological features of the coastal areas, which in turn would foster a willingness to conserve these areas for future generations.