International Symposium on Biodiversity and Sustainability

25 July 2009, Elizabeth Rose Hall

“Satoyama” is a Japanese term which refers to the Japanese countryside composed of various types of ecosystems in a mosaic pattern that have been created and maintained by local inhabitants engaged in farming and forestry. Rural/cultural landscapes like Satoyama provide various ecosystem services, such as food, fuel, and materials. As such, the Satoyama landscape embraces the notion of socio-ecological production. 　

The MOE-J and UNU-IAS are working together on the International Satoyama Initiative in the lead-up to　its launch at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to be held in Japan in October 2010. One of the goals of the initiative is to collect and disseminate information on Satoyama-like sustainable management practices worldwide through international partnership.

The objectives of the meeting are to (1) discuss if Satoyama can offer a management approach to optimize ecosystem services while minimizing the loss of biodiversity, (2) introduce the International Satoyama Initiative, its objectives and targets, and invite reactions to help design the initiative for maximum effectiveness.



Afternoon session 1