Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Rural decline is a global concern, and Ecosystem Services (ES) play a crucial role in both rural revitalization and the Human Well-being (HW) of residents.In Japan, rural areas are facing economic stagnation, depopulation, and aging, while in China, rural depopulation due to population outflows is becoming increasingly evident.Both countries have implemented regional revitalization initiatives to sustain and invigorate local communities.However, previous evaluations of such initiatives have primarily focused on short-term economic effects, with limited academic research on their impacts on the human well-being of local residents derived by ecosystem services.Addressing this gap, this study integrates the perspective of ecosystem services into the analysis of rural revitalization cases in Japan and China, aiming to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and better understand the effectiveness of rural revitalization policies.This study investigated nine rural revitalization cases in Shandong China and five cases in Japan, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods.It confirmed the impacts on HW based on ES, using a comprehensive assessment framework covering local ecosystem services contribution and economic/social impacts derived from the Millennium Ecosystem Service Assessment (MA) and Japan Biodiversity Outlook (JBO) and consolidated variations into 4 ES dimensions from a HW perspective: (1) Foundations for a good life, (2) Interaction with nature and health, (3) Safety and security of life and (4) Life and culture with nature.Chapter 1 outlined the research background and objectives, providing an overview of China's rural revitalization strategy and Japan's regional revitalization policy, their connections to ecosystem services, and the current state of research in rural areas of both countries.Chapter 2 focused on the study based on nine rural revitalization cases in China Shandong province.Four common types of rural revitalization were identified: (A) Large-scale Agriculture, (B) Local Specialty/Brand Making, (C) Industry Integration, and (D) Urbanization Village, based on actors, core industries, and key revitalization activities.According to interviews with local residents, the residents express high levels of satisfaction with revitalization activities.The result of TOPSIS analysis showed that urbanization-led revitalization (D) excels in "economic/social" dimensions but falls short in "Interaction with nature and health" and "Life and culture with nature."In contrast, agriculture-based revitalization activities (A and B) offer a more balanced impact across various ES dimensions.The well-being of residents varies depending on how they utilize and connect with nature.These findings underscore the potential of large-scale agricultural development to address rural population decline and suggest that fostering a positive exchange of ES, HW and capital between rural and urban areas can enhance the resilience of the rural-urban system.These insights are especially relevant for addressing the urban-rural imbalances in developing countries experiencing urban expansion and rural decline.Chapter 3 focused on the case studies in Japan, five common types of rural revitalization were summarized based on actors, core industries, and key revitalization activities: (A-1) Large-scale Agriculture led by local company, (A-2) Large-scale Agriculture led by Farming Cooperatives (B) Local Specialty/Brand Making, (C) Industry Integration, and (D) Revitalization with concept of Biosphere Reserve.According to interviews with local residents, Type A2 (the case of Arai area in Sendai) and Type D (case of Minakami town) demonstrated higher satisfaction levels.Using TOPSIS analysis, we found that large-scale agricultural development (A-1, A-2) excels in the "Foundation for a good life" dimension, with the farming cooperatives led model achieving higher satisfaction levels among local residents compared to the local company-led model.Cases focusing on tourism (B and C) were leading in the social and economic dimensions but fell short in ES dimensions such as "Interaction with nature and health."In contrast, revitalization activities under the BR concept (D) demonstrated a more balanced impact across various ES dimensions.These findings underscored the potential of large-scale agricultural development to address rural population decline and highlight the BR concept's promise in addressing rural decline issues and contributing to sustainable rural revitalization.Finally, Chapter 4 presented a comprehensive discussion, highlighting the similarities and differences between the findings from China and Japan.The analysis offered deeper insights into rural revitalization in both developed and developing countries, summarized the study's strengths and limitations, and outlines prospects for future research directions.
DOI: 10.18880/0002001917
Authors: Xu, Xiaodai, ジョ, ショウダイ, 徐, 小黛
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7115194740
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