Satoyama– tag –

Forests cover roughly two-thirds of Japan, yet many of its mountains are quietly growing weaker. Neglected plantation forests, a declining forestry workforce, expanding deer populations, and disappearing understory vegetation are changing the relationship between forests, water, soil, and communities.

30by30 aims to conserve at least 30 percent of the world’s land and sea by 2030. In Japan, OECMs and Sites Coexisting with Nature are expanding conservation beyond national parks and into everyday landscapes.

Why are bears increasingly appearing near homes, schools, and farmland in Japan? Behind these encounters lies a deeper transformation: rural depopulation, abandoned fields, neglected fruit trees, and the disappearance of satoyama—the traditional boundary between human communities and the mountains.