IPSI Collaborative Activity Proposal Form
The following form is for use when submitting proposed IPSI Collaborative Activities for consideration by the IPSISteering Committee. See the Collaborative Activity Guidelines on p. 3 for more information.
Please return the completed form to the IPSI Secretariat (isi@unu.edu).
IPSI Collaborative Activities are the activities that shall be undertaken by more than one IPSI member
and constitute an important part of IPSI activities with the purpose of fostering collaboration within theIPSI membership and implementing the IPSI Strategy and Plan of Action. The IPSI CollaborativeActivities shall be developed and implemented with the endorsement of the Steering Committee inaccordance with the Collaborative Activity Guidelines. Resource mobilization for IPSI collaborative
activities shall be the responsibility of the implementing members in principle. – IPSI Operational
Guidelines, Chapter 5.4
Date of Application:

December 20, 2022

Project title:
Mutual learning on resilience of SEPLS through restoring rural landscape in Japan
Collaborating organizations (IPSI members):（*Please underline the leading organization)
Akita Satoyama Design, Akita International University, Conservation International
Other contributing organization(s) (including IPSI non-members):
Akita Prefecture, Oga City, people with knowledge and expertise in and around Oga City
Expected term (e.g. 1 January 2014 – 31 December 2015):
April 1, 2022 March 31, 2025
IPSI strategic objective(s) addressed (tick all that apply; see p. 3 for more details):
X

1. Increase knowledge and understanding of SEPLS
2. Address direct and underlying causes responsible for the decline or loss of SEPLS
3. Enhance benefits from SEPLS

X

4. Enhance human, institutional and sustainable financial capacities

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1Description of the activity:
Please provide as much information as possible on:• Background• Activities (including site locations if applicable)• Expected outcomes• Actors and task sharing• How the activity relates to the IPSI Strategy and IPSI Plan of Action• Resources, funding• Monitoring and reporting
Background
There are many locations around the world where societies have existed in harmony with nature for centuries
but now threatened by rapid socio-economical changes. In Japan, these changes have surfaced mainly as thedeterioration and abandonment of farmland or production forests due to the aging and shrinking population ofrural villages, and the consequent decline in local culture and biodiversity in production landscape. In suchabandoned land, the well-balanced ecosystem has been disrupted and invasive alien species are threatening
local species. And the production forests that are not properly managed will lose their water-holding capacity
and the disaster-prevention function. In addition, the traditional wisdom and culture that have been passed
down in these production landscape will also be lost. It is urgently required to restore sustainable landscapesand balance biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in those areas.
In April 2022, two IPSI member organizations, Akita International University and Conservation International,
along with another organization Akita Satoyama Design who is applying for the membership, have started acollaboration in a production landscape in Akita where depopulation is happening at the fastest rate in Japan.
We aim to redefine satoyama within the local community from a modern perspective, working with local
communities, governments, and other stakeholders, by developing programs for building capacity and creatingand rediscovering knowledges from satoyama.
Objective
The aim of this project is to build capacity of landscape management in SEPLS in rural Japan by collaboration andmutual learning between the implementing organizations and people in the community.
Activities
1. Assessment of the resilience in the target community by using the Indicators of Resilience in SEPLS
2. Value creation of the abandoned farmlands in the target area by reusing them in multiple ways, such ascultivation, education, and so on. (Collaborative activities with Akita prefectures are going to be held)
3. Public Relations activities through both online and offline media about lifestyles in the target area.
4. Study sessions to share knowledges and skills, case studies which will support improving site-based actions
and mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes
5. Community survey on flora, fauna and traditional culture
6. Recommendations for the regional biodiversity strategy to integrate practice at community level
Expected outcomes
1. Community will understand the issues in the target area and share their vision with stakeholders to work
together on adaptive management of their landscape.
2. Community’s capacity of landscape management will improve.
3. Local flora and fauna will be made known, effectively conserved and become indicators of biodiversity inthe area. Traditional knowledge and skills are protected and will go down to future generation.
Actors and task sharing
Akita Satoyama Design is leading the on-the-ground demonstration to restore production landscape andincrease the value of the landscape, make it widely known to the public, with its knowledge partners Akita
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International University (AIU) and Conservation International (CI). These partners will focus on knowledge
generation and recommendations. AIU will leverage its network of foreign academic institutions and students tobring external perspectives and scientific knowledge to the activities in Kotokawa to discover new value in thesite. CI will support capacity building and knowledge sharing based on its landscape approach and extensive
experiences in adaptive management of SEPLS.
Relevance to the IPSI Strategy and IPSI Plan of Action
This project will address priority actions under Objective 1 of IPSI Plan of Action 2013-2020:b. Promote mechanisms for effective knowledge sharing, utilizing the full range of communication materials
from organizations working with SEPLS-> Information collected in the field will be used to generate knowledge products, such as visual book forawareness raising.
c. Build on and further map SEPLS around the world at local, national, regional and global levels to further
enhance knowledge generation and sharing, and communicate lessons and experiences.
-> Information collected in the field will also be integrated to a map.
g. Exchange knowledge and lessons learned, and feed synthesis into relevant policy discussions-> Exchange of knowledge and lessons learnt will be performed in study sessions.
There will be other actions which falls under Objective 4 of the Plan:
b. Facilitate efforts to feed and implement the SEPLS concept into key policy programmes and plans, including
NBSAPs/LBSAPs.
-> Lessons learnt and knowledge obtained will inform the regional biodiversity strategy of Akita Prefecture in
the next revision in 2026.
c. Increase awareness of policy and decision-makers on SEPLS and IPSI by promoting education, information
dissemination and document production.
-> An awareness raising event will be organized in partnership with Akita Prefecture per the Prefecture’s
biodiversity strategy.
Resources and funding
The project is proposed as a three-year activity to Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF). JPY2,680,000(approximately USD20,000) has been granted, , and another JPY11,578,000 will be requested for the second andthird years.
Project Period: April 2022 – March 2025
Monitoring and reporting
The progress is reported bi-annually to the donor, Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund, and summary updatewill be provided to the Steering Committee using Annex 1 annually.

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