Multilevel stakeholder relationship analysis in co-management has not been comprehensively documented. Most studies focus on one actor level such as the micro or mesostate actors. Using social network analysis, we examined co-managers relationships at all levels of co-management including macro, meso and micro actors. We focused on communication/information exchange, consultations, collaborations and conflicts encountered in the co-management. Fifteen organizations identified as central to the research and involved in co-management of the Aberdare forest participated in this study. Data were analysed by use of UCINET 6.4 software. Our results indicated that the most popular and influential organizations in the co-management were mainly the meso and micro actors. 10 out of 14 organizations had strong communication ties for both indegree and outdegree. Successful collaborations among comanagers such as the annual Ndakaini half marathon on catchment conservation were identified. However, decision-making collaborations were the least yet crucial in co-management. Conflict on resource sharing and minimal consultations across organizations on co-management issues were also identified. In analyzing stakeholder relationships, this study contributed to the assessment of the progress and applicability of co-management in protected forests.

Dominant algae have been changed from cyanobacteria to diatoms since 2000, as a consequence of the massive discharge of Tone River water, and the dominant diatom has been reported as Skeletonema potamos and small Thalassiosirales, although the species of the latter have not been identified. In this study, the dominant species of the small Thalassiosirales in the Lake Tega water from spring (April) to autumn (November) in 2017 were identified in detail by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that small Thalassiosirales were mainly composed of five genera, such as Cyclostephanos, Cyclotella, Discostella, Stephanodiscus, and Thalassiosira. The seasonal trend showed that the most abundant species in April, May, June, and November were Stephanodiscus binderanus, Cyclotella atomus, Discostella pseudostelligera, and C. atomus, respectively. Although Cyclotella meneghiniana occupied a small portion in April, it highly increased and became dominant from July to October.

This study interpreted and classified the meanings of the horizontal tablets in Chinese and Vietnamese imperial villas. At the same time, the spatial features of gardens at these villas were compared and analysed on the basis of the building functions. The following conclusions were drawn. The meanings of the horizontal tablets in Changchun Garden provided comprehensive description of the emperor’s daily life and personal preferences. The horizontal tablets of the Vietnamese imperial villas expressed the solemn royal atmosphere and the emperor’s exhortations to his descendants. The Vietnamese imperial villas were influenced by Chinese Confucianism, but also reflected characteristic Vietnamese thought and culture, in a very different manner to the Chinese imperial villas. This study presented a comprehensive overview of the spatial features of Chinese and Vietnamese imperial villas against a background of cultural exchange between the two countries.

This paper analyzed the characteristics of rice stores with high sales of biodiversity-friendly agricultural products. Results of a postal questionnaire survey of Japanese rice stores selling biodiversity-friendly agricultural products (one or more of three rice brands) were used for analysis. Rice stores with high sales of biodiversity-friendly agricultural products were characterized by the following. They (1) started selling biodiversity-friendly agricultural products early on, (2) implemented various sales methods and sales channels aimed specifically at these products, and (3) cooperated in various ways with farmers engaged in biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices. Cooperation with farmers is important for successful sales of biodiversity-friendly agricultural products. Such cooperation includes efforts aimed at deepening a mutual understanding between farmers and rice stores (for example, inspections of production areas and the regular exchange of views), and the promotion of products (for example, signing transaction agreements, collaborative events, and joint development of products and brands). Through these diverse methods of cooperation, rice stores have established sales methods and sales channels aimed specifically at biodiversity-friendly agricultural products, thereby increasing their sales amount.

The aim of this research is to verify the effect of a direct payment program for farmers practicing environmental conservation agriculture on the spread of this type of agriculture. This program was a community-based scheme and participation was voluntary. Since voluntary participation is fundamental, there is a selection bias in the policy effect. Therefore, in order to estimate the policy impact, it is necessary to estimate the causal effect by complementing counterfactuals and comparing them with actual data. So we use propensity score matching method to estimate the policy impact. The results of the investigation indicate that even if the selection bias is removed, the program has a positive influence on the spread of environmental conservation agriculture. In addition, past efforts, existence of leaders, and local social capital were identified as factors that promoted participation in the program. This result suggests that the formation of steady human capital is necessary to promote the program.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off northeastern Japan on 11 March 2011. The subsequent tsunami wrought destruction on a massive scale. Kesennuma City was one of the most heavily damaged regions in Miyagi Prefecture, where more than 1000 people were killed by the tsunami and resulting fire; 215 people are still missing. Here we analyzed historical landuse changes in the tsunami-affected area of Kesennuma city center, Miyagi Prefecture, using topographic maps from 1913 and 1952 and vegetation maps from 1979 and 2011. The area consisted of 7.3% urban land use, 10.5% dry field, 55.5% rice paddy field, 4.7% wetland, 0.3% grassland, 5.3% forest, and 16.3% water body in 1913 and 76.1% urban land use, 1.7% dry field, 17.9% rice paddy field, 0.9% wetland, 1.6% forest, and 1.6% water body in 2011. During the period, the area of urban land use increased more than 10-fold, while that of rice paddy field sharply decreased from 55.5% to 17.9%. The 77 Bank estimated that the total economic damage in Kesennuma City was 232.4 billion yen, representing annual production value of all companies located in the damaged area. Our calculations for urban land use, dry field, and rice paddy field showed losses of 112.7 billion yen and 69 million yen due to the tsunami in the areas of urban and agricultural land use, respectively.