Are cultural ecosystem services expressed in school songs associated with nature-related educational activities?

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are increasingly recognized not only for their symbolic and experiential values but also for their potential to shape human behavior. Song lyrics incorporate natural motifs; however, these references are often generic and not tied to specific places, raising questions about their ability to foster place-based attachment or local engagement with the ecosystems. School songs are institutionally embedded and repeatedly performed within defined communities, which could be making them reinforce local ecological identity. This study examined whether ecological terms in school songs are associated with nature-related education activities. We focused on public elementary and junior high schools in Hachioji City, Tokyo, where Mt. Takao represents a dominant natural landmark. The lyrics of school songs were collected, and keywords related to mountains were extracted. Information on nature-related educational activities was obtained through a questionnaire survey of schools, with valid responses from 63 schools. A statistical test was conducted to determine whether schools with mountain-related terms in their songs were more likely to conduct nature-related educational activities. Results indicated that schools whose songs contained mountain-related terms had educational programs using local green spaces more often than those without such terms. This finding suggests that cultural representations embedded in school traditions may influence educational practices. Our study suggested that CES expressed through place-specific song lyrics can mediate concrete human-nature interactions.