REGENERATION FOR SOCIO ECOLOGICAL PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE IN SERIOUSLY ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGEDRURAL AREA

Abstract

This research aims to explore the regeneration for socio ecological production landscape in
seriously environmental damaged rural area through the field survey of prior efforts around the area. In
Fukushima, six years have passed since the nuclear accident, and evacuation orders for about 32,000 people
living in Namie, Iitate, Tomioka and Yamakiya District of Kawamata, have been lifted by April 2017. However,
since the socio ecological production landscape has lost, the lifting of this evacuation order will not lead directly
to the return home of residents. The challenge is how to restore people’s former life which was based on
agriculture and forestry and this research looks into the ways of regenerating the socio ecological production
landscape, using interview with local community representatives and field observation. The case study has
revealed that the decontamination of the forest is still in a trial stage and the key obstacle is the fact that there
are still a few people who wish to return because the future concrete outlook is still not visible. However, a
new community has been gradually generating by the approach which a part of farmers resume farming with
external researchers and volunteers with interest. It seems to lead to the potential for regeneration of the socioecological production landscape