OSAKA — Home to a biologically diverse "satoyama" ecosystem, a Nagoya land tract is at the center of a struggle between the owners who want to develop it and local citizens who want it preserved to demonstrate environmental responsibility.
Nagoya will host a U.N. biodiversity conference in October, and the central government at that time will push its "Satoyama Initiative" to promote protection worldwide of natural habitats from urbanization. Thus if the site comes under development, this would be a major embarrassment.
Satoyama, literally "livable mountain," traditionally refers to forested areas among small farm communities that help in the sustainable management of ecosystem diversity.