Approaching sustainability through landscapes helps appreciate the value of the diversity of human ways to live with nature that exists today. On the basis of fieldwork research in Japan, we explore the landscapes of natural parks, satoyama, and permaculture, all three recognized as sustainable and of high biodiversity value despite showing significant differences in terms of nature protection and landscape management strategies. We use the ‘framework of the milieu’ inspired by Watsuji Tetsurō and Augustin Berque to situate individual experiences and behaviours within the landscape’s dynamics. It sheds light on
the ideas of human-nature relations that underpin the understandings of sustainability as reflected in each landscape. We derive three corresponding landscape types: scenic, cultural, and ecotopian landscapes. We show that these types can be complementary insofar as they together support healthy ecosystems and fuel a sense of connectedness to nature.
