Just like in the last stages of traditional Japan, logging is one of the main threats to forests today, with illegal logging tied to 15-30% of global timber production with an estimated annual economic value of $50-150 billion. For more on the impacts of illegal logging on current ecosystems, read on here and here.

During the Tokugawa period (1603-1867), the last shogunate (or military dictatorship) of Japan, the shoguns consolidated power and enforced strict limitations on imports from foreign countries. Their rule created a tremendous amount of stability and encouraged environmentally healing practices such as kintsugi and philosophies like mottainai, which can be informative for us today.

The period also required taxes be paid in terms of rice, a system explained in this article, which ultimately led to the rice rebellions that marked the end of the shogunate.