Empowering nature conservation in Japanese rural areas: a planning strategy integrating visual and biological landscape perspectives

There has been much discussion about the importance of nature conservation, but a concrete strategy has been lacking. Most conservation measures are reactive to development projects that threaten the sites' conservation values. There is little synergy between nature conservation and other competing land-use policies. Furthermore, conservation messages are not communicated well because there are few opportunities for those involved in research, policy formation and policy implementation to interact. We illustrate the methodological framework that can be used to address these issues in rural nature conservation by presenting our research conducted in the Arai-Keinan district of Niigata, Japan. The proposed methodological framework consists of integrating visual and biological landscape approaches to understand the area's natural environment and using participatory research to narrow the communication gaps among those involved. We stress the importance of expressing the research results and recommendations on a map as a strategy for effective nature conservation. The graphical presentation of a map not only allows for clearer delivery of messages from researchers to government officials and residents, but also facilitates coordination among competing land-use policies. The map is the central ammunition in reversing the reactive nature of conservation policies to that of a “preemptive” nature. Future research directions to gain stronger political support are also discussed.