Researchers Suggest How Wild Cherry Blossoms Could Save Forest Landscapes

Symbolic species have been discovered to be useful in the conservation and community-based management of traditional forest landscapes, according to researchers.

The researchers looked at how various socioeconomic groups in a particular community regarded wild cherry trees, a significant plant in Japan that helps people connect with nature.

To enhance community-based management of such landscapes, disparities in knowledge and prioritizing of values must be addressed within local communities, according to the findings.

Cherry blossoms save the day

(Photo : TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba discovered that wild cherry blossoms might be utilized as symbols for conservation and community-based management of traditional forest landscapes in Satoyama ecosystems in a study published this month in Ecosystems and People, as per ScienceDaily.

In various contexts, symbolic species can have cultural importance.

Because they may strengthen people's cultural ties with the natural world, these species are frequently used to represent environmental challenges.

However, depending on where people come from, their socioeconomic background, and their experiences and understanding of nature, various social groups have very diverse perspectives on their significance.

The researchers investigated people's attitudes about wild cherry trees and the societal value placed on the ecosystem services supplied by this species to learn more about these viewpoints.

Wild cherry trees are extremely important in Japan for maintaining human-nature relations.

Local people, visitors, and high school students were the subjects of the study.

The findings indicated significant disparities between the groups.

Residents and visitors selected "aesthetic in spring" as the most important value, whereas high school students valued various qualities equally.

Furthermore, the majority of students mistook wild cherry trees for a popular variety, suggesting that the students' perceived values were impacted by their poor knowledge.

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Forest landscape restoration

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is a continuous process of restoring ecological function and improving human well-being in deforested or degraded forest environments, as per IUCN.

FLR entails more than just planting trees; it also entails restoring an entire landscape to satisfy current and future requirements, as well as providing different benefits and land uses throughout time.

This takes many forms, including new tree plantings, controlled natural regeneration, agroforestry, and enhanced land management to suit a diverse range of land uses, such as agriculture, protected wildlife reserves, managed plantations, and riverbank plantings, and more.

According to a worldwide evaluation of restoration potential, there are more than two billion hectares of deforested and deteriorated land where restoration interventions might be implemented.

Forests and forest landscapes must be restored for these ecosystems to regain their health and functionality.

IUCN works with FLR partners to gather information, create and deploy tools, and build capacity for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and landowners all around the globe.

IUCN and WRI have also established a tried-and-true Restoration Opportunities Methodology Assessment (ROAM) with practical procedures for restoring landscapes of any size.

It incorporates several guiding ideas, such as:

FLR occurs inside and across large landscapes, rather than individual sites, and represents mosaics of interconnected land uses and management methods under multiple tenure and governance systems.

Ecological, social, and economic interests may be harmonized at this scale.

FLR does not result in the conversion or destruction of natural forests or other ecosystems within landscapes. Instead, it improves forest and other ecosystem conservation, recovery, and long-term management.

It actively includes stakeholders at many scales, especially vulnerable populations, in planning and decision-making regarding land use, restoration goals and strategies, implementation techniques, benefit-sharing, monitoring, and review procedures.

Lastly, FLR adapts a range of methodologies to the local environment, including social, cultural, economic, and ecological values, requirements, and landscape history.

It uses the most up-to-date research and best practices, as well as traditional and indigenous knowledge, to local capacities and existing or new government systems.

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