Long Abstract:

In this paper, I review the evidence for human impact on ecosystems in Japan and its feedback on human societies, starting from prehistoric societies and continuing through historic periods until the present. The aim of this exercise is to provide input to the debate on frameworks for sustainable development in the Anthropocene. The recent acceleration of ecosystem change under the influence of social and economic trends is a cause for concern: intensification of land use as well as abandonment of former land use practices can have negative impact on biological diversity and ecosystem services. The concepts of biological diversity and ecosystem services - the former referring to the variability of phenomena related to living organisms including genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity and the latter representing all processes in ecosystems that are considered beneficial for humans such as provision of food and raw materials, regulation of environmental conditions and contributions to cultural identity and mental well-being - have gained increasing attention in international discussions about sustainability. The uptake of these concepts is visible in Japan from the level of national institutions to local initiatives. However, the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into a comprehensive system for sustainable development poses serious challenges. Policies aimed at reducing climate change-related risks while maintaining established models of social and economic organization may change land use systems at an even faster rate than hitherto experienced. Knowledge about which ecosystems are likely to be affected to which degree is crucial in this situation, and estimates of their resilience are required to identify opportunities for sustainable development. I provide an overview of classification schemes for ecosystems that have been proposed for Japan, focusing in particular on the 'Actual Vegetation Map' compiled by the Japanese Environment Ministry for the whole country. This is combined with an outline of current estimates of the biological diversity, ecosystem functions and services in different regions of Japan. I conclude with a synopsis of scenario analyses on possible future trajectories of ecosystems in Japan.