A Sophia University researcher has proposed a new conservation framework called “gentle power” after studying four decades of community-led ecosystem management at the Zushi-Onoji satoyama, a traditional Japanese mosaic of forests, wetlands, and rice paddies in Tokyo, with findings published in Frontiers in Water on March 4, 2026.
Professor Mikiko Sugiura from the Graduate School of Global Studies at Sophia University argues that effective conservation depends on trust, demonstrated expertise, and collaborative learning rather than government regulation alone. Her study draws on 40 years of joint effort between local farmers, public agencies, and citizen volunteers to sustain the wetlands, rice paddies, forests, and endangered wildlife of the Zushi-Onoji area.
Sugiura observes that “influence comes not from formal authority, but from proven knowledge,” a principle visible in how local farmers secured formal institutional recognition of their traditional practices over time. This included successfully negotiating tax relief measures and a commissioned management system that transferred conservation authority from outside contractors to the local farmers’ association itself.
The Zushi-Onoji landscape depends not on untouched wilderness but on active, sustained human involvement to support its biodiversity. The area hosts several endangered species listed in Tokyo’s Red Data Book, including the Tokyo Daruma Frog, the Japanese fire-bellied newt, and the Tokyo salamander. The study also highlights the ecological relevance of traditional farming methods. Intermittent irrigation techniques known as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), long practiced by local farmers, may help reduce methane emissions from rice cultivation, directly linking community-level conservation to global climate mitigation goals.
One of the study’s most instructive findings involves how the governance model adapted to demographic change. As older farmers aged, their roles evolved from direct land managers to mentors and instructors, gradually passing ecological knowledge to younger citizen volunteers. That intergenerational knowledge transfer has kept conservation efforts viable across generations without requiring institutional restructuring.
Sugiura acknowledges the study’s geographic scope as a limitation and calls for comparative research across different ecological and cultural settings. The research nonetheless offers practical guidance for governments and conservation organisations seeking to support community-based environmental management without defaulting to top-down control, positioning local communities as ecological partners rather than obstacles.
