In recent decades, Japanese rural areas have been facing a variety of complex problems, ranging from ecosystem degradation to depopulation. To cope with such challenges, it is now necessary for many rural areas to propose visions of sustainable societies and implement strategic management, considering development of both human society and natural ecosystems at the same time. Therefore, this workshop aimed to canvas residents’ interests and opinions regarding their surroundings and their visions of the region in the future, and to include their views as important to discussions.

The Onuma region (Nanae town, Kameda district, Hokkaido) was chosen for the case study. This region includes the Onuma Quasi-National Park (designated in 1958), which encompasses the volcanic Hokkaido Komagatake as well as the Onuma and Konuma ponds. Onuma was registered under the Ramsar Convention as a habitat of wild birds in 2012. Economic conflicts among lake fisheries, tourism and agriculture have appeared as water quality has deteriorated due to human activities around the ponds. Therefore, principles and rules for environmental conservation are currently being considered.

In this workshop, students became organizers and facilitators in the workshop and its planning process. The kickstart session was held at the University of Tokyo on September 12th and 13th, 2017. In the leadup to the main workshop in the Onuma area of Hokkaido with local residents, Skype meetings were held almost every other week to discuss the content and the method of facilitation. The main workshop was carried out in Onuma from the 3rd to the 5th of November with 20 local people, and a feedback session was held on December 17th.