Reflections on United Nations SDGs:
n.15 Life on Land

Sophia University has realized this insight through the written article of Mikiko Sugiura, Professor in the Graduate School of Global Studies, and the video of Otoha Kawada, undergraduate student in Global Studies

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 with the goal of providing a path for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The core of the Agenda is represented by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which represent an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership to adopt strategies that aim to end poverty and other deprivations, improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth. The Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities is collecting insights from SACRU experts and students on the SDGs. This contribution is by Sophia University on SDG n15: Life on Land

Satoyama: Showcase of Reconciliation Ecology

Written by Mikiko Sugiura, Professor in the Graduate School of Global Studies

It is important to remember that the 17 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are all interconnected. Human activity is the nexus that links these goals together. Living on this planet, we produce food, manufacture products, transport them as commodities, consume them, and dispose when they are no longer in use. For example, our water use extends beyond drinking to showering, we water our greens, use it for cooking or flush our toilets. As a result, the supply of water can become insufficient, contaminated, or may not reach the people in need. The various challenges of the SDGs result from human activity, and we see a reflection of ourselves in a mirror named the environment.

Assuming human activity is the nexus of each goal, what can we do for a sustainable future? Besides scrutinizing historical behavioral patterns and undertaking meaningful transformations, learning from our predecessors’ wisdom while respecting local diversity can also provide great insights. An exemplary embodiment of this ethos is found in Satoyama, a traditional Japanese human-induced production landscape. It represents cohesive ecological mosaics of biodiversity that emerged as a result of long-term human-nature interactions. It comprises forests, grasslands, farmlands, rice paddies, irrigation, reservoirs, streams, and human settlements. The traditional farming practices employed in Satoyama, particularly in wet rice cultivation, serve to preserve rich biodiversity through water level control, conducive to the reproductive cycles of amphibians and insects.

For the past few years, students at Sophia University have regularly participated in conservation activities with the understanding of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and local groups, learning how Satoyama contributes to sustainability, which implies human involvement is essential for a sustainable future. Contributing to biodiversity conservation (n.15) is also a vital climate change response as an example of Nature-based solutions (n.13). In the modern context where multi-purpose solutions are required, why not join us on a journey to explore human involvement with the wisdom of our predecessors respecting local diversity?