How ‘gentle power’ can preserve traditional biodiversity in Tokyo

A study published in Frontiers in Water examines the Zushi-Onoji Historical and Environmental Conservation Area in suburban Tokyo, where local farmers took over land management from outside contractors in the 1990s after officials' hired help failed to maintain traditional satoyama ecosystems. The area now hosts endangered species including the Tokyo Daruma pond frog and Tokyo salamander.

Researcher Mikiko Sugiura coined the term “gentle power” to describe the collaborative arrangement between farmers, volunteers, and Tokyo's government, contrasting it with top-down conservation efforts that ignore local knowledge. The farmers involved are aging, with the oldest in their late 80s, raising questions about how the knowledge gets passed on.

Outside experts call the model promising but note that similar citizen-government conservation partnerships elsewhere in Japan have stagnated, with volunteer numbers flat since 2012 and most participants in their 60s or older.

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