Transformative change of paddy rice systems for biodiversity: A case study of the crested ibis certified rice system in Sado Island, Japan

Innovation history analysis of the transformation of paddy rice system on Sado Island from 1999 to 2019, which progressed with the reintroduction of crested ibis (Nipponia nippon), identified three key levers, i.e. multi-stakeholder collaboration, integrated local policies, and incentives, which, interacting one another and with seven leverage points and six exogenous factors, drove the development and deployment of the Crested Ibis Rice Certification scheme, resulting in a quarter of all staple rice paddy area on the island being certified by 2016. The results suggest two potential levers to further expand the certified area beyond this equilibrium for a wider transformation.