Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose of the research: To identify the gaps between the rhetoric and reality of the role of citizen participation and its role in maintenance and monitoring of heritages and resources (including biodiversity monitoring), we analyzed the discourse of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) at municipality level. Methods: As an analytical framework, text mining is applied to interviews of officers at the municipal level of GIAHS in Noto which was amongst the first sites in Japan. The identification of such gap is critical for sustainability and to prevent conflicts from tourism, agriculture or educations. Results: The results reveal that (1) there is a gap between the official goals of that designation at the international level and local needs, (2) role of citizens is emphasized in the applications and action plans at rhetorical level but remain rather limited in practice and that (3) municipalities composing the GIAHS often have different priorities, even within the very same GIAHS sites, some municipalities even calling themselves “just a transition point to other destination municipalities.” Conclusions: It is critical for municipal officers to collaborate with various stakeholders, especially citizens. As such, citizen science is a bottom-up approach to promote biodiversity conservation and facilitate GIAHS managements.
Highlights
The official record explanations for regional certifications or recognitions are frequently bottom-up with rhetoric of local initiatives
This study examined whether the ideas and practices of the initial Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) plan, statements on citizen-led monitoring of biodiversity, are mainstreamed among policymakers at the grassroots level of municipalities, who play a critical role in the sustainability of the system
We interviewed the officers in charge of GIAHS and examined which elements are mainstreamed among the policymakers by analyzing the results quantitatively
Summary
The official record explanations for regional certifications or recognitions are frequently bottom-up with rhetoric of local initiatives. In reality, it is often spearheaded by a leader or an organization serving as catalyst. This was presumably the case for the Noto peninsula, which was the first registration of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in Japan in June 2011. The efforts were endorsed and recommended by the local branch of United Nations organizations, as well as universities and prefectures, with support from the national government or the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
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