Sustainability of Mount Fuji

Question 1

Positive social sustainability

Answer 1

The abundant and high quality groundwater at Mt. Fuji has been used for daily living and agriculture since ancient times by the people who lived nearby

Question 2

Negative social sustainability

Answer 2

• Mountain people have to endure harsh climatic and environmental conditions, remoteness and often difficult access hamper development in mountain regions
• They have a lack of access to such basic services as health and education

Question 3

Positive environmental sustainability

Answer 3

Mt. Fuji gives us gifts of clear, clean water and mineral rich soil thanks to volcanic ash deposits.

Question 4

Negative environmental sustainability

Answer 4

Since hundreds of thousands of visitors climb Mount Fuji each year, pollution, caused primarily by tourism, has been an issue of great concern for the mountain’s environmental and cultural values

Question 5

Positive economic sustainability

Answer 5

• Some of the goods and services provided by mountain environments, such as timber, hydropower, and minerals, have a measurable economic value
• They nourish ecosystems, nurture biodiversity, bestow food and livelihoods for local populations, and bolster national economies

Question 6

Negative economic sustainability

Answer 6

• No roads and lots of cars
• Costs money to build roads and not sustainable
• Costs money to maintain environment