Mapping the Policy Interventions on Marine Social-Ecological Systems: Case Study of Sekisei Lagoon, Southwest Japan

Abstract

Using a case of the Sekisei Lagoon, Okinawa Prefecture, the southeastern tip of Japanese archipelago, this chapter discussed the interrelationships among the sectoral policy interventions by various marine-related ministries, and the whole structure of the integrated ocean policy. First, we developed the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Schematic, which summarized the main ecosystem structures, functions, use types, and the stakeholders relating to the Sekisei Lagoon. Then, sectoral policy interventions by various ministries were overlaid onto the SES schematic to graphically show their interrelationships. We found that the ecosystem structure and functions used by one sector is closely connected to other structures and functions, which are then used by other sectors. In other words, all the stakeholders in the social system are closely interlinked at the ecological system level. Secondly, all in all, sectoral policy interventions by various ministries are covering almost all part of the Sekisei Lagoon SES, and therefore, the total coordination of the sectoral policy interventions and the creation of the synergy effects are required. In this process, the cabinet office and the local government

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“…For the identification of "key stakeholders," i.e. those with close connections to marine conservation, we referred to past works (Hori et al 2017;Makino et al 2020) as well as ethnographic fieldworks that have been conducted by the first author since 2009. After the identification of the targeted groups, participants were selected in consideration of their willingness to attend the Workshop and availability given the limited period of fieldwork.…”

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“…Taking Japan as an example, the birth place of the Satoyama and Satoumi concepts, the local residents of Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido have become a vital part of the traditional water ecosystem in the area, positively maintaining the interactive effects between humans and the natural ecosystem [4]. A study of the Sekisei Lagoon in southwest Japan revealed that in the local lagoon socio-ecological systems, all stakeholders are closely connected at the socio-ecological level and completely linked to the lagoon's ecosystem services, where traditional users have a critical role to play in the sustainability of socio-ecological systems [5]. Therefore, the sea or ocean and coastal ecosystems have a close and complex connection with local users.…”

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