2023 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 3-9
Soshi Aiba, Saki Nishikado, Kazuhiro Harada: Current Status of Forest Management and Stakeholder Relations in Kotohira-gu Shrine, Kagawa Prefecture. Ap. For. Sci.
This study focused on the current status of forest management and the involvement of stakeholders in shrines, using Kotohira-gu shrine in Kagawa Prefecture as a case study. During the Edo period, Konpira temple (now known as Kotohira-gu shrine) managed and regulated forest use. The forest was maintained as shrine property throughout the Meiji and Showa periods, and the shrine's forestry department conducted regular patrols and management of the area. However, the number of staff involved in forest management had been decreasing due to the downsizing of the shrine organization in recent years. Governments relied on the owner (shrine) for forest management policies, so the shrine had hoped for support from them. The majority of the local residents agreed that forests should be managed as necessary and few suggested that shrines or government should take the initiative in managing the forests. On the other hand, some respondents did not specify the entity that promotes management. Further research revealed that interest in the Kotohira-gu shrine itself was not low, it did not extend to an interest in the forest. The above-mentioned information led to the conclusion that shrine forests have been neglected because the key actors in forest administration lack visibility. Raising public awareness of forests through the related institution would be effective in eliminating the neglect of forests.
