Efforts, Experience in and Inspiration of Environmental …
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protection and preventing rural areas from declining include the Village Vitalization Act and the Special Law for Sparsely Populated Areas and Rural Areas. With
the law supporting specific non-profit activities, the government guided urban nongovernmental organizations to promote environmental protection in rural areas.
In the countryside development movement, Japan highlighted planning, and integrated agricultural development and environmental protection. The government,
businesses and consumers worked jointly for the operation, services and supervision of environmental protection projects. In particular, the country strengthened organizational efforts at basic-level agricultural associations. Other efforts
included increasing financial input, bringing in technologies and fostering people’s
environmental awareness.
4 Four Major Issues that Should Be Well Handled
in Environmental Protection in Rural Areas in the Future
Environmental protection in rural areas aims to improve people’s well-being. It is also
an important task of the rural revitalization campaign. Protecting the environment in
rural areas is also what needs to be done to complete the building of a moderately
prosperous society in all respects. Based on problems concerning environmental
protection in rural areas and drawing experience from foreign countries, the author,
speaking from his findings from field trips, believes that in environmental protection
in rural areas, the following issues need to be properly handled.
First, we should try to strike a between environmental improvement and rural
revitalization. Pollution control is the cornerstone of building a beautiful and livable
countryside. Rural revitalization is the safeguard for sustainable investment in environmental improvement. More specifically, after figuring out what rural areas have
and pooling resources for agricultural and rural development, the plan for environmental protection should be in tandem with local plans for rural revitalization.
In particular, it should be aligned with future population size and distribution, the
conditions of ecological elements such as farmland, water and forests, and the functional layout of villages in order to avoid redundant construction and mismatch of
resources. For example, road pavement in rural areas will drastically increase the
cost of sewage network construction, a large quantity of resources was invested
in sparsely populated remote areas without cost-benefit analysis. Meanwhile, the
implementation of the rural revitalization initiative should be spearheaded by green
development, and wisdom should be drawn from rural traditions. Highly profitable
and high-quality industries should be employed to spur growth of the rural collective economy. Fostering thriving industries should be incorporated into the broader
process of improving the living environment in rural areas. Environmental issues
in rural areas should be examined from a development-oriented perspective. The
ultimate goal is to bring both wealth and a good environment to the people.
123
protection and preventing rural areas from declining include the Village Vitalization Act and the Special Law for Sparsely Populated Areas and Rural Areas. With
the law supporting specific non-profit activities, the government guided urban nongovernmental organizations to promote environmental protection in rural areas.
In the countryside development movement, Japan highlighted planning, and integrated agricultural development and environmental protection. The government,
businesses and consumers worked jointly for the operation, services and supervision of environmental protection projects. In particular, the country strengthened organizational efforts at basic-level agricultural associations. Other efforts
included increasing financial input, bringing in technologies and fostering people’s
environmental awareness.
4 Four Major Issues that Should Be Well Handled
in Environmental Protection in Rural Areas in the Future
Environmental protection in rural areas aims to improve people’s well-being. It is also
an important task of the rural revitalization campaign. Protecting the environment in
rural areas is also what needs to be done to complete the building of a moderately
prosperous society in all respects. Based on problems concerning environmental
protection in rural areas and drawing experience from foreign countries, the author,
speaking from his findings from field trips, believes that in environmental protection
in rural areas, the following issues need to be properly handled.
First, we should try to strike a between environmental improvement and rural
revitalization. Pollution control is the cornerstone of building a beautiful and livable
countryside. Rural revitalization is the safeguard for sustainable investment in environmental improvement. More specifically, after figuring out what rural areas have
and pooling resources for agricultural and rural development, the plan for environmental protection should be in tandem with local plans for rural revitalization.
In particular, it should be aligned with future population size and distribution, the
conditions of ecological elements such as farmland, water and forests, and the functional layout of villages in order to avoid redundant construction and mismatch of
resources. For example, road pavement in rural areas will drastically increase the
cost of sewage network construction, a large quantity of resources was invested
in sparsely populated remote areas without cost-benefit analysis. Meanwhile, the
implementation of the rural revitalization initiative should be spearheaded by green
development, and wisdom should be drawn from rural traditions. Highly profitable
and high-quality industries should be employed to spur growth of the rural collective economy. Fostering thriving industries should be incorporated into the broader
process of improving the living environment in rural areas. Environmental issues
in rural areas should be examined from a development-oriented perspective. The
ultimate goal is to bring both wealth and a good environment to the people.