Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan

The application of regulations for the development of renewable energy facilities is one of the key environmental conservation strategies being implemented in Japan. However, regulations are only applied if the degree of environmental degradation falls below the “reference point.” Thus, impacts of p...

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Main Author: Satomi Kohyama
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/51
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author Satomi Kohyama
author_facet Satomi Kohyama
author_sort Satomi Kohyama
collection DOAJ
description The application of regulations for the development of renewable energy facilities is one of the key environmental conservation strategies being implemented in Japan. However, regulations are only applied if the degree of environmental degradation falls below the “reference point.” Thus, impacts of project development that are remarkably limited to scenic values of landscapes are largely overseen in Japan. On the other hand, establishing standards for the “reference point” is challenging, and existing scientific approaches and legal frameworks for conserving “daily landscapes” are largely absent. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a set of standards for “reference points” or indicators to classify landscape inventories, particularly those with scenic values. This study explored the potential of development-compensated implementation in Japan by scrutinizing relevant compensation measures in other countries. The results revealed that adding the aesthetic degradation of landscapes as an object in development compensation is challenging, as its value is difficult to monetize. Further, the evaluation of landscape degradation may be insufficient. Hence, there is a need for objective-driven indicators and methods that measure landscape degradation, particularly the effect of renewable energy facilities on the scenic values of “daily landscapes.”
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spelling doaj.art-3682fa34a2324672be001e1a4aa45cdb2023-11-30T23:03:37ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2022-12-011215110.3390/land12010051Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in JapanSatomi Kohyama0Faculty of Social Sciences, Academic Assembly, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, JapanThe application of regulations for the development of renewable energy facilities is one of the key environmental conservation strategies being implemented in Japan. However, regulations are only applied if the degree of environmental degradation falls below the “reference point.” Thus, impacts of project development that are remarkably limited to scenic values of landscapes are largely overseen in Japan. On the other hand, establishing standards for the “reference point” is challenging, and existing scientific approaches and legal frameworks for conserving “daily landscapes” are largely absent. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a set of standards for “reference points” or indicators to classify landscape inventories, particularly those with scenic values. This study explored the potential of development-compensated implementation in Japan by scrutinizing relevant compensation measures in other countries. The results revealed that adding the aesthetic degradation of landscapes as an object in development compensation is challenging, as its value is difficult to monetize. Further, the evaluation of landscape degradation may be insufficient. Hence, there is a need for objective-driven indicators and methods that measure landscape degradation, particularly the effect of renewable energy facilities on the scenic values of “daily landscapes.”https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/51landscapescenic valuesrenewable energycompensated measureslegal frameworkJapan
spellingShingle Satomi Kohyama
Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan
Land
landscape
scenic values
renewable energy
compensated measures
legal framework
Japan
title Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan
title_full Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan
title_fullStr Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan
title_full_unstemmed Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan
title_short Taking/Compensations or Regulations? Balancing Landscape Conservation and the Development of Renewable Energy Facilities in Japan
title_sort taking compensations or regulations balancing landscape conservation and the development of renewable energy facilities in japan
topic landscape
scenic values
renewable energy
compensated measures
legal framework
Japan
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/51
work_keys_str_mv AT satomikohyama takingcompensationsorregulationsbalancinglandscapeconservationandthedevelopmentofrenewableenergyfacilitiesinjapan