Abstract
This article analyzes geoecotourism as a newly emerging variant of geotourism in Japan. Geoecotourism is defined as a special type of sustainable tourism that focuses on the interrelationship between geological and ecological systems and its primary aim is to provide knowledge about earth processes. Whereas standard geotourism activities mostly provide descriptive accounts of land-formation/landscaping, the narrative of geoecotourism is analytical—and it aims to explain cause and effect relationships between observed landscapes and past geological events . The article is based on two case studies of geoecotourism: the Hakusan mountain in Northwest Japan and the Bandaisan volcano in Northeast Japan. Both areas are parts of geoparks. Explanation is provided on the relationships between land formation, landscaping and species colonization by focusing on the vegetation patterns. It is clarified how even minute variations in the geological land-formation are reflected through subsequent ecosystem responses. The nature conservation agenda in Japanese geoparks has not matured enough due to an overemphasis on structural geology and geohazard related themes, and it is claimed that geoecotourism can address this vital gap by informing visitors about how abiotic and biotic processes are interrelated and how all of them are vital for the well-being of planet earth.
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Notes
Satoyama is a special type of semi-forested landscape which has a high degree of continuity of human managed ecosystems, and is therefore rich in biocultural diversity. Detailed description of satoyama, its management and tourism applications can be found in the works of Inui (2002), Yabu (2009) and Duraiappah et al. (2012).
Mt. Fuji and Mt. Tateyama are the two other prominent holy mountains. The ‘holy mountains’ are sacred in traditional Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, and were important pilgrimage destinations in the past.
Ishikawa, Toyama, Gifu and Fukui prefectures in the northwestern part of the main Japanese island of Honshu.
The steam explosion on Mount Ontake in September 2014 became the worst volcano related disaster in postwar Japan in terms of lives lost (The Japan Times 2014).
1868–1912: the reign of Emperor Meiji after the collapse of the feudal Edo rule and the unification of Japan.
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Koizumi, T., Chakraborty, A. Geoecotourism and environmental conservation education: insights from Japan. GeoJournal 81, 737–750 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-015-9660-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-015-9660-4