Understanding Forest Volunteer Activities: Hatonosu Field as a Commons Promoted by Urban Inhabitants

DOI Web Site
  • TOMII Hisayoshi
    Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 森林ボランティア活動における社会的意義の語られかた──都市住民が形成するコモンズとしての鳩ノ巣フィールド──
  • 森林ボランティア活動における社会的意義の語られかた : 都市住民が形成するコモンズとしての鳩ノ巣フィールド
  • シンリン ボランティア カツドウ ニ オケル シャカイテキ イギ ノ カタラレ カ タ : トシ ジュウミン ガ ケイセイ スル コモンズ ト シテ ノ ハト ノス フィールド

Search this article

Abstract

<p>The social significance of forest volunteer activities undertaken by urban inhabitants has been widely discussed in recent years. However, volunteers engage in their activities for a variety of reasons, not just for those limited to environmental issues. In such circumstances, how are these activities to be organized in order to best manage forest resources? This paper examines how and why urban inhabitants perform forest volunteer activities, focusing on their perception of the meaning of their activities.</p><p>In the case of Hatonosu Field (A mountainous area of natural beauty in Okutama, Tokyo), volunteers do not generally consider their activities from the perspective of social significance. This paper demonstrates that such behaviour represents a type of non-explicit regulation that serves to sustain the activities carried out in the area. This approach offers every urban inhabitant the right of access, regardless of his or her specific interests and motivations. Each individual is allowed to attach meaning to their activities in their own way, unrestricted by any formal pronouncement. This has led participants to continuously engage in the area's activities. Importantly, although participants are motivated by their own diversified interests at the level of recognition, at the level of action, every participant behaves according to the philosophy and plan of the activities. With this multi-layered meanings approach, urban inhabitants effectively manage Hatonosu Field, generating a commons open to all urban inhabitants.</p>

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top