Extinction of nature experience: causes, consequences and implications

• Project/Area Number: 20H04375
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 64040:Social-ecological systems-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Soga Masashi 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 准教授 (80773415)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山野井 貴浩 文教大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (40567187) ; 土屋 一彬 国立研究開発法人国立環境研究所, 社会システム領域, 主任研究員 (40615639) ; 赤坂 宗光 東京農工大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 教授 (70446384)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
• Budget Amount: ¥17,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,990,000); Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2021: ¥8,710,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,010,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥6,890,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,590,000)
• Keywords: 都市生態学 / 保全生態学 / 生物多様性保全 / 環境心理学 / 公衆衛生学 / 生物多様性 / 経験の消失 / 文化的生態系サービス

Outline of Research at the Start

急速な都市化や生活様式の変化に伴い、我々が自然と接する頻度は減少の一途を辿っている。こうした現代社会に蔓延する「自然離れ」は「経験の絶滅」と呼ばれ、保全生態学や公衆衛生など複数の学術分野で重要な問題として認識されつつある。本研究では、経験の絶滅の実態（発生・伝播プロセスや人と環境保全に与える負の影響）を全国規模で把握するとともに、将来求められる緩和策を提案することを目標とする。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Due to rapid urbanization and lifestyle changes, over recent decades regular daily contact of people with nature has been in persistent decline. This ongoing separation of humans from the natural world is called “the extinction of experience”, which is increasingly recognized as an important issue in a wide range of fields. In this project, we explore the nature (causes and consequences) of the extinction of experience at a nation-wide scale in Japan, and make several strategic recommendations required to reduce and ultimately reverse this phenomenon.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本課題は、「身近にある自然」に対する新たな価値を付与するものである。本課題では、身近な自然との日常的な関わり合いが、人の健康および環境保全にもたらす便益を明らかにすることを目指す。この目的が達成されれば、これまで自然保護の主な対象とされてきた人里離れた奥山ではなく、都市のような場所で豊かな自然を守ることの意義を明確化でき、社会が身近な自然の存在意義を考え直すきっかけとなる。現在、我が国ではグリーンインフラの整備が国策として進められているが、本研究はこうした社会的機運を後押しする上でも貢献し得る。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] University of Exeter(英国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] University of Exeter(英国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] Australian National University(オーストラリア)
• [Journal Article] Global synthesis reveals heterogeneous changes in connection of humans to nature (2023)
  • Author(s): Masashi Soga, Kevin J Gaston
  • Journal Title: One Earth Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 131-138
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.01.007
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Nature benefit hypothesis: Direct experiences of nature predict self-reported pro-biodiversity behaviors (2023)
  • Author(s): Masashi Soga, Kevin J Gaston
  • Journal Title: Conservation Letters Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Pages: 1-9
  • DOI: 10.1111/conl.12945
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] The vicious cycle of biophobia (2023)
  • Author(s): Masashi Soga, Kevin J Gaston, Maldwyn J Evans, Yuya Fukano
  • Journal Title: Trends in Ecology and Evolution Volume: 38 Issue: 6 Pages: 512-520
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.012
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Transience of public attention in conservation science (2023)
  • Author(s): Ivan Jaric, Ricardo A. Correia, Marino Bonaiuto, Barry W. Brook, Franck Courchamp, Josh A. Firth, Kevin J. Gaston, Tina Heger, Jonathan M. Jeschke, Richard J. Ladle, Yves Meinard, David L. Roberts, Kate Sherren, Masashi Soga, Andrea SorianoRedondo, Diogo Verissimo, Uri Roll
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Volume: 21 Issue: 7 Pages: 1-9
  • DOI: 10.1002/fee.2598
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Societal extinction of species (2022)
  • Author(s): Ivan Jaric, Uri Roll, Marino Bonaiuto, Barry W. Brook, Franck Courchamp, Josh A. Firth, Kevin J. Gaston, Tina Heger, Jonathan M. Jeschke, Richard J. Ladle, Yves Meinard, David L. Roberts, Kate Sherren, Masashi Soga, Andrea SorianoRedondo, Diogo Verissimo, Ricardo A. Correia
  • Journal Title: Trends in Ecology and Evolution Volume: 37 Issue: 5 Pages: 411-419
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.12.011
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] A room with a green view: the importance of nearby nature for mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2021)
  • Author(s): Soga, M., Evans, M. J., Tsuchiya, K., & Fukano, Y.
  • Journal Title: Ecological Applications Volume: 31 Issue: 2
  • DOI: 10.1002/eap.2248
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Why do so many modern people hate insects? The urbanization-disgust hypothesis (2021)
  • Author(s): Yuya Fukano, Masashi Soga
  • Journal Title: Science of the Total Environment Volume: 777 Pages: 146229-146229
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146229
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on human-nature interactions: Pathways, evidence and implications (2021)
  • Author(s): Soga, M., Evans, M. J., Cox, D. T. C., & Gaston, K. J.
  • Journal Title: People and Nature Volume: 00 Issue: 3 Pages: 1-10
  • DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10201
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 自然体験の"質"が生物多様性保全行動に及ぼす影響 -生き物とのふれあいに注目して- (2023)
  • Author(s): 青田雄太郎
  • Organizer: 日本生態学会
• [Presentation] Extinction of experience: the role of birds in connecting people to nature (2022)
  • Author(s): Masashi Soga
  • Organizer: nternational Ornithological Congress 2022
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited