Title: Community coordination for addressing local environmental challenges: application of the Australian Landcare model to Japan

Authors: Tomomi Maekawa; David Aron

Addresses: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 263-8522, Japan ' Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Ten-noudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan

Abstract: Australia has a community-based natural resource management, conservation, and regeneration movement called Landcare. Landcare has been changing the environmental landscape of Australia through promoting activities planned and implemented by groups of private citizens. In this study, we aim to show how networking within Landcare is promoted and also show the potential for implementation of a similar system in Japan. From this perspective, we will discuss what Japan can learn from Landcare, using a farming area-based network as an example. Through in-field research in Australia, we found that coordinators link information sources, human resources, funding, training, and also build networks of partnership within Landcare. We found that coordination with respect for the voices of stakeholders is the key for assisting stakeholders to collaborate.

Keywords: citizen participation; collaboration; partnership networks; community coordination; local challenges; environmental challenges; natural resource management; rural areas; Japan; conservation; regeneration; Landcare movement; Australia; farming networks; information sources; human resources; funding; training; stakeholder voice.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2016.080224

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2016 Vol.17 No.3/4, pp.167 - 181

Received: 22 Jun 2015
Accepted: 14 Apr 2016
Published online: 08 Nov 2016 *

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