Sociological Study of Local Environmental Conservation : Community Organization, Citizen Participation and Expertise

在本研究中，我们主要考察了志贺县森山市的一个当地志愿者组织“Akanoi盆地保护委员会”，该委员会由当地居民管理，从事滨水保护活动。地方环保组织需要两个导向活动：自治和协作。自治活动包括保持足够的水量，清洁河流和水道，保护原有的水生动植物。协作活动包括向当地居民提供信息，并尝试与官方社区服务、社区协会和当地农民协会建立合作关系。自治活动对水环境的保护是直接的。协作活动是指与其他组织进行间接的环境保护合作。在委员会中，发生了一些冲突；一些成员强调自我管理活动，另一些成员则强调协作活动。本案例研究的重点是分析委员会如何成功地保持这两项活动的平衡。通过对环境保护体系重构过程的比较，我们可以发现一些基于社区组织的重构模式，但重构过程在不同地区有所不同。传统的邻里协会和志愿团体相互结合，并成长为相互合作和渗透。区域特征的差异可以解释环境保护系统重构过程模式的差异。我们需要更多地研究居民参与保护当地环境的各种方式。

In this study, we mainly examined a local volunteer organization 'Akanoi basin conservation committee' in Moriyama city, Shiga pref. This committee is managed by local residents for water front conservation activities. Local environmental organizations are required two orientation activities : Self-governance and Collaboration. Self-governance activity is composed of keeping enough water volume, cleaning river and water channels and preservation of original water flora and fauna. Collaboration activity is composed of providing information to local residents and trying to make cooperation relationship with official community service, neighborhood association and local farmers associations.Self-governance activity is direct for conservation water environment. Collaboration activity is cooperating with other organizations to conserve environment indirectly. In the committee, some conflicts occured ; some members emphasized on Self-governance activity and others claimed Collaboration activity. This case study focused to analyze how committee succeeded in keeping these two activities in balance.Comparing the processes of restructuring environmental conservation system, we can find some patterns Community Based Organization, but the restructuring processes are different in different locality.Traditional neighborhood associations and voluntary groups combine to each other, and grow up to cooperate and penetrate each other. The difference of the characteristics of the regions can explain the difference of the patterns of the process of restructuring environmental conservation system. We need more examination about various way of residents' participation to conserve the local environments.