Sustainable conservation and food security

:Yakushima BR, JAPAN

Toshinori TANAKA, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, The University of Tokyo(Japanese Coordinating Committee for MAB)

Self-Introduction: WHO AM I?

Toshinori TANAKA (Mr/Dr)

・An expert in public policy for Nature/Culture conservation and sustainable tourism.

・IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law・MoE World Heritage Scientific Committee

March. 2016MAB-ICC@LimaDelegation of Japan

Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu Jima BR

Renamed and extended in 2016

Biosphere Reserves in Japan

7 BR, 4 WNH, 50 Ramsar Sites, and 8 Global Geoparks .

Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu-jima BR782km2 (69% land, 31% marine) ≒ Singapore

15% core25% buffer60% transition

13,000 residents (152 in K. Island)

Aerial photo from NW

Eruption in 2015, all evacuated

https://kyushu.env.go.jp/blog/2015/06/post-48.html

Marine Alps

A view from town hall

Island of Granite and waterfalls100% electricity from hydro -power

Symbolic Jomon -sugi ceder (2400-6400yrs)

A view of Mt Miyanoura (Above Forest limit)Scenes of Princess Mononoke

http://www.yakushima-marche.com/special/6901/

Vertical distribution of plants (OUV)biomes: sub-tropical, temperate, sub-arctic

Yakushima and K. BR

(International Level)

The World Natural Heritage UNESCO Biosphere ReserveRamsar Site

(National and local Level)National Park (MoE), National Wilderness Area (MoE)Natural Monument (CA),Forest Ecosystem Reserve (FA),Prefectural Wildlife Reserve (Kagoshima Prefecture)

⇒Conserved by many laws and institutions

Yakushima BR has huge potential for branding.

But….

Issues in Yakushima BR

Overuse (Tourism)Skyrocketing Yaku -deer and food security

Increasing pressure: Tourism

Famous Jomon-sugi cidar1993 Inscription on the World Heritage List

• Visitors increase from 10,000 (1993)30,000 (2000) 90,000 (2008).

Tanaka, T. (2014) “Implementing Sustainable Tourism in Complex Situations”, UNESCO World Heritage Paper Series 38.

Increasing pressure: Yaku-deer

Endemic species in Yakushima. One of the variety of Japanese deer (cervus nippon Yakushimae). - smaller deer (20-35kg) with short legs. Appx. 30,000. - no predator besides human in the island. - damage to agricultural products / endangered species

Deer used to be precious protein

• Islanders hunted Yaku-deer for protein and exchangeable resources until 1971.

• In 1960s, there were 50 professional hunters (Tetsuka et al. 2006).

• Large-scale logging and hunting pressure in50-60s decreased the deer down to 1,500 as of 1969 .

• In 1971, the prefecture designated the deer as “protected animal ” and banned hunting.

• Yaku-deer rapidly increased in late 90s to 2000s and governments started to subsidize “killing” the deer.

*Made from various sources inc. MoE, FA, Tsujino (2014)

Hunting prohibited 1971

Subsidy starts for killingYaku-deer WG set

Reproduction rate: 20%

Damage from Wildlife (mainly deer)

(Japan as a whole) Agricultural products $ 200 million every year .$100 million subsidies to fence/kill deer every year.

(In Yakushima island)Agricultural products $ 200,000 to 500,000.Decreasing endangered species by feeding damage.→killing 4,000-5,300 deer every year since 2011.(subsidy $100 per deer from 2010)

More than 90% are simply disposed !!!Hunting for money, not for meat.

Why disposed?Comparing to 1960s・・・

•Food Sanitation Act ask sellers to process meat in high standard factory (which incur costs).

•People can access protein much cheaper (pork from USchicken from Brazil, beef from Australia).→Venison of Yaku-deer is not necessary any more…..

Issues of ethics, culture and food security

The Statistic Bureau of Japanhttp://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/img/fig5_4.gif

Yakushima= only 18%

40%

Food Mileage / Carbon Footprint

Yakushima= worse

JAPAN

S.Korea

US

UK

Germany

France

Comparison of Food Mileage in major countries

Food security in Japan

BEEF(Wagyu)Self sufficiency=41%

BEEF x FEEDSelf sufficiency=11%

PORKSelf sufficiency=54%

PORK x FEEDSelf sufficiency=7%

Industrialized IntensiveHuge-scale Food Production

Negative ExternalitiesLandscape degradation

Biodiversity lossUnsustainable Soil, Water

and Nutrition Cycle

If we get it right on food , we get it right for both people and planet .

- Johan Rockstrom

Food issue is cutting-edgeissue in Sustainability Science.

Eat healthier, the less you affect the planet

• “unhealthier you eat, the more you affect the world’s climate system, fresh water use, biodiversity loss and eutrophication”

Venison of Yaku-deer

VenisonSelf sufficiency=100%

Venison××××FEEDSelf sufficiency=100%

To conserve our nature/culture, we should eat healthier.

Promoting Yaku venison is indispensable to respect lives, culture

and biodiversity in Yakushima.

Efforts in Yakushima BR

1. Promoting “local production & consumption” 2. Supporting the Venison factory

3. Promoting Venison

1. Promoting “local production and consumption”

• In 2007, the “Food Ordinance” aims to “promotion of local production and consumption”.

• Designate certain restaurants and hotels.• Give signs made of very precious Yaku-cedar.

2. Supporting Venison factory

• In 2015, private company set up Venison processing factory with support of Yakushima town.

• The factory can process up to 900 deer/y.

3. Promoting Yaku -Venison thru national-level “tax exemption scheme”

• If one make donation to any municipality, then the residence tax is exempted.

• Local municipalities can attract urbanites by their agricultural products as “quid pro quo”.

• Yaku-Venison is chosen as a gift from Yakushima town.

Promotion by town magazine

• Sharing recipe of Venison. (traditional and modern)

• we must help people to take the right choices for their own health, but at the same time make choices that also reduce the environmental impact on ecosystems.

- Rockstrom

FYI• Oct 27~29, 2016. Ishikawa, Japan“1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity”

(organized by: UNESCO, UNU, UNCBD, etc.)

• March 2017. Book edited by myself“Benefit of Nature and Biocultural Diversity”

[in Japanese]