How bountiful is the ocean? Participatory valuation of human–nature relationships in Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa, Japan

Abstract

Valuations of nature are vital for effective conservation planning, and discussions are underway globally on improving the valuation process. Plural valuations of human–nature relationships are the key for better, more inclusive decision-making, which is demonstrated in this research using a case study on human–ocean relationships on Ishigaki Island, a part of the Yaeyama archipelago, Japan. We applied a network analysis to text data obtained from answers on questionnaires with open-ended questions to quantify the importance of values with respect to the pluralities among local people. Therefore, five core elements encompassing the values of the human–ocean relationships on Ishigaki Island were proposed as follows: “Livelihood,” “Attachment and inspiration,” “Local marine culture,” “Respect and fear for nature,” and “Anthropocene environmental problems.” The “Anthropocene environmental problems” element included social and environmental problems caused by various human activities including excessive tourism development, and the data collected through tourism market value analysis implied that past ecosystem service assessments may have over-valued or even triggered this issue. The “Respect and fear for nature” element was found to be important as a potentially unique value in these regions, but this is currently understudied within the literature related to ecosystem services and nature’s contributions to people. This study is among the first works to extract and visualize place-based human–ocean relations in an Asian country. We hope that our methods and findings will be applied to other areas, especially to the local communities of understudied countries and regions, to drive the transformative change of coral reef governance in the Anthropocene.

Use and Experience of Tourism Green Spaces in Ishigaki City before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Web Review Data

“…Therefore, this study aimed to examine the changes in tourist behaviour by studying their utilisation of UTGSs during the crisis. The findings of this research will be particularly valuable for urban planners and tourism operators as the findings can inform the development of effective crisis response strategies and guide the sustainable development and attractiveness of urban tourism areas [9,10].…”

“Future Compass”, a Tool That Allows Us to See the Right Horizon—Integration of Topic Modeling and Multiple-Factor Analysis

“…These studies are primarily about quantitatively assessing the scientific health status and economic value of natural ecosystems to make sense of and support paying for their conservation efforts. However, cultural ES, which was defined as the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems [16], for example, had been criticized for its limited evaluation within the ES monetary valuation framework, such as the one with WTP (willingness to pay), because of its intangible, (inter-) subjective, and incommensurable characteristics generated by the complex interrelation between people and nature [17][18][19]. Also, previous studies on public perceptions have utilized Likert-type questionnaires in an attempt for quantification.…”