2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Multi-Stakeholder Environmental Assessment (MS-EA) in Small-Scale Private Industrial Forest in Kochi Prefecture
| Project/Area Number |
19K15130
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| Research Institution | Kochi National College of Technology |
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Principal Investigator |
Gain Dennis 高知工業高等専門学校, ソーシャルデザイン工学科, 准教授 (60815538)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | impact assessment / forestry / forest management / grounded theory / sustainablity / environment |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Research achievements this year include the successful analysis of the potential of implementing the recently established Japanese forester system into the collaborative risk management process of Local Expert Risk Mediation (LERM) for the possibility to introduce environmental impact assessment in local private industrial forest. A grounded-theory approach was conducted by collecting qualitative data from local forest officials. It was found that at the current time activities by foresters are usually limited to enhancing the efficiency of roundwood production, and therefore do not show characteristics compatible to the early stages of EIA. This is likely to the fact that management shows strict top-down characteristics. An implementation of foresters to take role of mediators within the core of LERM has, from a theoretical and practical perspective, the potential to enable bottom-up management, and therefore allow room for the implementation of EIA in small-scale private forestry.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
A grounded theory based analysis with open coding was conducted to analyze the potential of implementing the recently established Japanese forester system into the collaborative risk management process of Local Expert Risk Mediation (LERM) for the possibility to introduce environmental impact assessment at a large scale in local private industrial forest. Officials and foresters at two forestry related government and non-government offices in Kochi Prefecture were interviewed on two systematic issues (1) the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Risks, and implementability for incorporating EIA to the current purview of foresters, and (2) the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Risks, and implementability for incorporating the new forester purview into LERM as a means to take the role of Risk Mediation for stimulating decision-making processes between a) the private forest owner, b) the forest owners’ association, and c) the decision-making body for granting subsidies for forest work at the forest department of the prefectural government. Data could be summarized in a SWOT grid and relations between items within the finalized SWOT grid could be identified and discussed. Part of the research could be summarized in a research report. An analysis of low frequency sound in Kami City, Japan was conducted that may have the potential to affect forest biodiversity. Audible low frequency noise of up to 200Hz could be measured. Results were presented at an international conference in Tokyo.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The plan for the future research scheme is to analyze the complicity in how mediation and EIA are to be executed, which incorporates equal rights communication and decision-making processes among stakeholders through collaborative risk management. Especially the consultative role of risk mediation regarding authority structures, decision making processes, as well as the formulation and access to long-term participation strategies will be included. The results of this research scheme shall be summarized in a research report and reported at an international conference.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Continuation of research project
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Research Products
(2 results)
