About / Satoumi Creation
Satoumi creation must be advanced through flexible management to achieve its goals, based on the three basic principles set out in the “Recommendations on Satoumi Creation.”
Principles / Basic Principles of Satoumi Creation
- Conservation, restoration and creation of a sound marine environment
- Utilization of local resources and formation of a virtuous cycle
- Participation and collaboration of diverse stakeholders, grounded in local history, traditions and culture
Conservation, restoration and creation of a sound marine environment
Conservation
Where a sound marine environment currently exists, protecting that environment securely
Restoration
Where a sound marine environment has been damaged or degraded, returning it to its original good condition
Creation
Where the former marine environment has been lost due to urban development or the like, creating an environment suited to the characteristics of that area
In conservation, restoration and creation, we aim for high biological productivity and the conservation of biodiversity through “appropriate human intervention.” Continuing efforts so that people can enjoy the blessings of Satoumi into the future also means manipulating the marine environment and ecosystems. It is therefore important to work with due consideration for nature's resilience and the delicate balance of ecosystems.
Utilization of local resources in Satoumi and formation of a virtuous cycle
To make Satoumi creation a sustainable activity, it is essential to form a virtuous cycle that generates “people, goods and funds” and returns them to marine environmental conservation and other purposes. It is important to aim for improved well-being of local residents and stakeholders and for regional revitalization, through Satoumi creation that also helps solve problems such as the decline of biodiversity and biological productivity, depopulation, and the falling birthrate and aging population, and through conserving the area's distinctive nature, history, traditions and culture.
Examples of activities that help form a virtuous cycle
- Appropriate utilization of local resources
- Tourism activities focused on local endemic species and ecosystems
- Creating blue carbon credits by focusing on the ability of seaweed and other organisms to store carbon dioxide
Participation and collaboration of diverse stakeholders that respect local history, traditions and culture, as well as autonomy
In Satoumi creation, which faces many challenges such as shortages of personnel, funding and information, it is necessary to build a framework in which various stakeholders—residents, fishers, government and private companies—can collaborate. By building on local history, traditions and culture and on participants' autonomy, we aim for sustainable activities rooted in the community.
Adaptive Management
In Satoumi creation, it is necessary to steadily carry out the project's objectives while flexibly responding to the uncertainties of the natural environment and social conditions. To cope with situations that do not proceed as initially predicted or planned, we adopt the method of “adaptive management,” which incorporates uncertainty into the plan in advance and adjusts flexibly according to the situation.
Monitoring and feedback
- We regularly monitor the degree of achievement based on the overall goal (KGI) and evaluation indicators (KPIs) set at the planning stage
- We share and visualize the monitoring results among stakeholders—for example, by preparing reports, publishing them on the web, and presenting them at briefings—and feed them back into the plan
Flexible adjustment of activities
- If a goal is not achieved, we verify whether the evaluation methods and indicators were appropriate and redesign the management measures
- In principle, we do not revise the “goal” itself, but flexibly update the “means”—such as the scale and location of activities, technical methods, implementation period, and participation structure
Activity Area / Approach to Defining the Activity Area
When considering the activity area for Satoumi creation, it is necessary to take a broad perspective that also includes the connections of “forests, villages, rivers and the sea,” such as satochi-satoyama (rural landscapes) and river basins.
Approach to comprehensive area setting
- Because Satoumi is a coastal zone adjacent to inland living areas, it may include the satochi-satoyama behind it
- We consider not only the coastline but also the watershed, groundwater sources, and even land use such as agriculture that affects the coast
- By linking efforts such as forest maintenance and farmland management with Satoumi creation, we enhance the synergy between environmental improvement and regional revitalization
A unit for sustainable community development
- It is important to set the activity area as a unit in which the community can proactively grasp its challenges and continuously work to solve them, thereby carrying out “sustainable community development”
- This shares the concept, in the Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere, of an activity area as a “community that can keep solving its own issues”—a community that aims to develop autonomously through collaboration among diverse stakeholders while generating a virtuous cycle within the connection between the coastal zone and the land
Points to consider when setting the area
When setting the activity area, it is necessary to consider it in terms of ecosystems and watersheds rather than being bound by administrative boundaries, and to strive to build a framework in which all stakeholders can participate and collaborate. In addition, the following social and ecological conditions must be carefully considered.
Ripple effects on ecosystems
- We examine the entire scope of impact in advance so that activities in a particular area do not adversely affect other areas
- Flexible responses are required according to the complex environmental conditions of the surroundings, such as topography, water quality, sediment quality and biodiversity
Coordination with existing rights and management frameworks
- Coastal zones contain legal management divisions such as fishing rights, sea-surface use rights, protected areas including national parks, and port areas
- In Satoumi creation, while respecting existing frameworks, it is important to carry out sufficient coordination and consensus-building among multiple parties such as local governments, fisheries cooperatives and landowners
Importance of a small start
- For sustainable activities, it is also important not to expand the activity area too much at the outset, but to start from a scope that can be implemented steadily
Steps / The Five Steps of Satoumi Creation
Step01
Preparation
- Understanding the local situation and organizing the issues
- Selecting the preliminary survey items
Step02
Goal setting and planning
- Setting the future vision (KGI/KPI)
- Formulating the project plan and funding plan
Step03
Implementation of Satoumi creation
- Conservation, restoration and creation based on KGI and KPIs
- Ocean education, outreach activities, and utilization of local resources
- Communication and information dissemination
Step04
Monitoring
- Conducting monitoring based on KGI and KPIs
- Grasping progress and checking the status of Satoumi creation
Step05
Evaluation and review
- Evaluation based on KGI and KPIs
- Improvement of the plan
