Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In … · Environmental Conservation through...

The Japan Foundation

JENESYS East Asia Future Leaders Programme

March 3 – 14, 2009

Environmental Conservationthrough Biodiversity:In Search of Sustainable Development

Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity:In Search of Sustainable Development

JENESYS East Asia Future Leaders Programme 2009 Report

Published byThe Japan Foundation

Date of publicationDecember 2009

©The Japan Foundation 20094-4-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 160-0004Tel: +81-3-5369-6070Fax: +81-3-5369-6041URL: www.jpf.go.jp/e/

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ISBN: 978-4-87540-112-4

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior permission of the publisher of this book.

Printed in Japan

Contents

Foreword 1

About JENESYS 2

Programme Overview

Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development 4

Participants 6

The Japan Foundation 7

Programme Schedule 8

Objectives 11

Profile of Lecturers 12

Programme Photographs 15

Key Lecture

Programme Advisor Report Tetsukazu YAHARA 26

Programme Advisor ReportHiroki OIKAWA 40

Group Presentation

Group A Essay “Building a Global Community through Biodiversity Conservation” 48Narae JEONG (Republic of Korea) Petchrung SUKPONG (Thailand) Saidal UDIN (Malaysia) Tegan BURTON (Australia) Vincent John D. OLIVEROS (Phillippines)

Group B Essay “Sustainability and Biodiversity Essay for the 2009 JENESYS Group D Program” 58Arianto A. PATUNRU (Indonesia)Ang Eng Hu JEREMY (Singapore)Rebekah J. M. FULLER (New Zealand)Chu Ngoc QUAN (Vietnam)Bounthanom BOUAHOM (Laos)

Group C Essay “Role of Various Organizations to Conserve Biodiversity: A Case of Isahaya Bay” 63Rebecca Marney KEATING (Australia) Jing LI (China)Bibhu Prasad NAYAK (India)Haymar HEIN (Myanmer)Rithy CHANN (Cambodia)Norkhatijah Binti Haji ZAINAL (Brunei)

Contents

Individual Reports

“People – Nature – Biodiversity – Our Future”Tegan BURTON (Australia) 72

“Lessons from the JENESYS program” Rebecca Marney KEATING (Australia) 75

“What have you learnt from this program?”Norkhatijah Binti Haji ZAINAL (Brunei) 77

“Sustainability and Biodiversity: A new experience for Cambodia”Rithy CHANN (Cambodia) 80

“Individual essay – JENESYS Group D”Jing LI (China) 82

“Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development: a Perspective from JENESYS Group D Programme”Bibhu Prasad NAYAK (India) 84

“On Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation”Arianto A. PATUNRU (Indonesia) 87

“To reach on common goal for the Earth”Narae JEONG (Republic of Korea) 90

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development – Lessons Learned through the JENESYS Program”Bounthanom BOUAHOM (Laos) 92

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”Saidal UDIN (Malaysia) 94

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”Haymar HEIN (Myanmar) 96

“Learning from Human Diversity to Manage Bio-diversity”Rebekah J. M. FULLER (New Zealand) 98

“Building a Global Community through Biodiversity”Vincent John D. OLIVEROS (Philippines) 100

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”Ang Eng Hu JEREMY (Singapore) 103

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”Petchrung SUKPONG (Thailand) 106

“Individual report”Chu Ngoc QUAN (Vietnam) 108

1

Foreword

The Japan Foundation organized the East Asia Future Leaders Programme in March 2009, inviting young intellectuals with various backgrounds from 16 countries to understand and discuss environmental conservation. As there are various kinds of approaches toward environmental conservation, we have especially focused on the conservation of "biodiversity’" in this program, for the following reasons.

1. Although biodiversity is fundamentally indispensable for human life, its importance and the level of

emergency of the current situation is poorly understood.2. It is urgent to start conservation projects before the devastation becomes too advanced to be restored, since

it is far beyond our knowledge to fully capture the interconnectedness of nature and thus we do not have the methodology to completely restore biodiversity once it is lost.

3. The loss of biodiversity in Asia can significantly and directly affect Asian countries as well as all countries in the world, as Asia holds a very rich biodiversity.

The 12-day-program under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS)

Programme was composed of lectures, discussions, visits to public and private organizations in Tokyo and other localities, as well as writing and presenting a group paper in order to discuss and contemplate what each country, local government, civil society, as well as the region as a whole can do to tackle the issue.

We all know the importance of nature and its conservation; however, situations of environmental conservation are never simple. Indeed, we have learned about and witnessed various cases of environmental conservation that have often been in conflict with the economic development, with the result that nature was sacrificed in the process. This lesson has made us turn our eyes on another facet of environmental conservation: sustainable development.

Within the short stay in Japan, the participants were given chances to actually see and talk with the people who are struggling for the conservation of biodiversity and searching for a balance between development and conservation. Their energetic and patient efforts in their fields have brought both participants and organizers the excitement and the encouragement of working together toward environmental conservation.

We would like to especially thank Dr. Tetsukazu Yahara and Dr. Hiroki Oikawa as the Program Advisors and for sharing their extensive knowledge and incomparable passion for environmental conservation with our participants, as well as to all the public and private organizations, municipalities, and ministries who kindly agreed to welcome our delegation and share their invaluable experience and ideas through the on-site visits and lectures.

Environmental problem itself is a serious issue, but it is not just burden for us to work on it. By tackling the common problem together, we might get even closer to each other. With this view in mind, we hope to continue raising public awareness on environmental conservation, including biodiversity.


2

About JENESYS

At the Second East Asia Summit (EAS), held in January 2007, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, announced a large-scale youth exchange initiative of US$315 million, inviting around 6,000 youths every year to Japan mainly from the EAS member states, which consists of ASEAN countries, China, India, Korea and New Zealand for the next five years. Based on this initiative, the Government of Japan has launched the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme, which aims to deepen understanding of the different facets of the Japanese society including politics, diplomacy, economics and culture and to form the basis of future vision and construct firm solidarity among the East Asia Community through the promotion of mutual understanding among the younger generations in the region.

The Japan Foundation has been organizing a series of “East Asia Future Leaders Programme” as part of the JENESYS Programme, to promote intellectual exchanges among young intellectuals in various fields who have high potentials to become the future leaders in Asia and Oceania.

Programme Overview

4

Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity:

In Search of Sustainable Development

The Japan Foundation organized an East Asia Future Leaders Programme to Japan in March 2009 under the Japan–East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme. It is funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration fund, and aims to deepen understanding of the different facets of the Japanese society including politics, diplomacy, economics and culture and to form the basis of future vision and construct firm solidarity among Asian countries which will promote mutual understanding of the future generation of the East Asia Community.

<Concept of this Programme>While the importance of environmental conservation is widely recognized, there are cases when the environment is victimized in the process of economic development. Although in the aim of sustainable development, it is urgently required to achieve “the harmonious balance between the economic development and the environmental conservation”, especially in Asian and Oceania region which holds large population within, it is often seen a conflict of interest among various stake-holders, which makes solutions difficult to be realized.

In these situations, the term “Biodiversity” has drawn people’s attention, and the 10th conference of Biodiversity Treaty (COP 10), which is ratified by 190 countries plus EC (European Community), will take place in Nagoya in 2010.Needless to say, Nature directly benefits human beings for its safe supply of air, water, timber, food, medicine, and mineral substance, which is vital for economic activities and human’s existence itself. It strongly influences the overall social activities of human, including religion, culture and arts, and leisure activities such as trekking and sea-bathing. Thus, gift from Nature is truly invaluable and “Biodiversity” provides us not only with its economic value but also ethical guidance for co-existence with the nature.

This program is composed of lectures, discussions, visits to public and private organizations in Tokyo and other localities and writing and presenting a group paper on the said topic. We would like to invite young intellectuals who are already engaged in the concerned field to discuss the potential of economic development from such viewpoint as biodiversity.

Duration : March 3rd to 14th, 2009 (12 days)Place : Tokyo, Kyushu Region (incl. Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, and Nagasaki)

<Key Words>• Environment and Development• Sustainable Development• Biodiversity• Co-existence with Nature• The Role of Governments in Environmental Conservation• The Role of Civil Societies in Environmental Conservation

5Programme Overview

<Expected Participants>Politics and Public Administration: Central and Local Government Officials and International Officials dealing with

Environmental Conservation, Economic Development, Tourism, and International Exchange.

Business: Businessmen and Entrepreneurs being engaged in Agribusiness, Energy, Manufacturing, Services (such as Eco-Tourism and Financial Institutions which deals with Financial Products from viewpoint of Environmental Conservation).

NGO/NPO: NGO’s being engaged in Conservation of Forestry and Ocean, Rural Development, Environmental Conservation, Antipollution, and Recycling.

Media or Academia: Journalist, Researchers, Economists who specialize in the above topic.

<Requirements for the Participants>Candidates for this programme will need to meet the following criteria:

- Be 35 years or under as of March 1, 2009, and currently engaged with intentions to continue to play a leading role in such fields as academics, politics, government services, business, journalism, and NGOs

- Nationality in one of the following countries (currently residing within the country is desirable): ASEAN (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), Australia, China, India, Republic of Korea, New Zealand (15 countries in total)

- Fluency in English to make presentations about his/her occupational experiences and opinions on the theme of the programme

- Utilize the knowledge and network gained from this programme for their career and future activities

<Obligation of the Participants>- Submit the following to Japan Foundation by the designated time.

(1) Write an essay (maximum: two A4-size pages) on their motives to participate, with reference to their specialty and occupation. (Deadline: February 6, 2009)

(2) Prepare and give a short presentation on the first day of the programme, which will introduce the participants career background related to the topic and on the current situation of their country. (Country Report, 10 minutes each. Details will be sent out once the participation is confirmed). (Deadline of the paper: February 25, 2009)

- Give a group presentation and write a group paper regarding the findings at the end of the programme. (The volume, deadline and theme will be indicated during the programme)

- Actively participate in the entire programme as a member of a team. - Cooperate in answering questionnaires, completion report and follow up programmes, etc that the Japan Foundation

may ask for after the programme.

6

Participants

Australia Tegan BURTON

Ranger, Central Branch, Sydney North Region, Lower Hawkesbury Area, Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW

Rebecca Marney KEATING

Aquatic Biodiversity Project Officer, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria

Brunei Norkhatijah Binti Haji ZAINAL

Master Student in Environmental Management, University of Brunei Darussalam

CambodiaRithy CHANN

Quality Engineer, Pasteur Institute of Cambodia

China Jing LI

Reporter, China Daily

IndiaBibhu Prasad NAYAK

Assistant Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change

IndonesiaArianto A. PATUNRU

Associate Director, Institute for Economic and Social Research, Department of Economics, University of Indonesia

Korea (Republic of Korea)Narae JEONG

Coordinator for Special Committee to Counter the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Incident, Korea Federation for Environmental Movement

LaosBounthanom BOUAHOM

Head, Natural Resources Research Unit, Agriculture and Forestry Policy Research Centre, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute

MalaysiaSaidal UDIN

Assistant Manager, Batu Puteh Community Eco-Tourism Cooperative (KOPEL Bhd.)

7Participants

MyanmarHaymar HEIN

Deputy Programme Officer, Department of Agriculture Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation

New Zealand Rebekah J. M. FULLER

Ph.D Candidate, Botany Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa

PhilippinesVincent John D. OLIVEROS

Restoration Coordinator/Biosand Filter Technician, Palawan Conservation Corps

SingaporeAng Eng Hu JEREMY

Conservation Officer, National Park Board

ThailandPetchrung SUKPONG

Project Officer (Marine & Coastal Focal Point), International Unions for Conservation of Nature - Thailand Program

VietnamChu Ngoc QUAN

Officer, Forest Protection Department, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development


Tadashi OGAWA

Managing Director, Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept.

Satoshi HASEGAWA

Director, Asia and Oceania Div, Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept.

Yojiro TANAKA

Senior Officer, Asia and Oceania Div, Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept.

Mariko MUGITANI

Chief Officer, Asia and Oceania Div, Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept.

Mika MUKAI

Program Coordinator for JENNESYS Programme, Asia and Oceania Section, Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept.

*The position and biography of the participants are as of March, 2009

8

Programme Schedule

Day 1 March 3, 2009 (Tuesday)

Arrival in Japan19:00 - 21:00 Welcome Dinner

Stay in Tokyo

Day 2 March 4, 2009 (Wednesday)

9:00 Orientation 9:20 - 10:20 Introductory Lecture 1 “Significance of Biodiversity: Needs and Tasks for its conservation” Prof. Tetsukazu Yahara, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University10:40 - 11:40 Introductory Lecture 2 “Low and Biodiversity from Resources to Resourcefulness” Dr. Hiroki Oikawa, Graduate School of Environment and Informational Sciences,

Yokohama National University 14:00 - 18:00 Country Report from the Participants19:00 - 21:00 Welcome Reception

Stay in Tokyo

Day 3 March 5, 2009 (Thursday)

10:00 - 12:30 Ministry of the Environment Lecture “The Approaches of the Japanese Government Toward Conservation of Biodiversity.” Mr. Tomohiko Hideta, an Assisting Director of Natural Environmental Strategy Division,

Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment14:00 - 16:00 FoE Japan Lecture “Japanese Companies’ Approaches toward Conservation of Biodiversity.” Prof. Masahiro Miyazaki, Atomi Univ.Evening Field Trip to Kyushu Region Leave Tokyo for Fukuoka

Stay in Fukuoka

Day 4 March 6, 2009 (Friday)

10:00 - 12:30 Visit to Kyushu University- Site Visit at Ito Campus- Lecture “On a New Approach of Kyushu University Ito Campus Toward Biodiversity Conservation.”

Prof. Tetsukazu YaharaAfternoon Leave Fukuoka for Yakushima19:00 - 21:00 Dinner with the Rangers (Mr. Seishu Okuda and Ms. Yuki Mori) of Yakushima World Heritage Center

Stay in Yakushima

9Programme Schedule

Day 5 March 7, 2009 (Saturday)

9:00 - 10:30 Visit to Yakusugi Nature Museum Lecture “History of Harmonious Co-Existence between Yakusugi Trees and Human-beings” (Mr. Kaoru Matsumoto, an Assistance Manager of Yakusugi Nature Museum)11:30 - 11:40 Visit to Kigen-sugi Cedar (A Japanese Cedar Tree which has lived for about 3,000 years)12:00 - 14:20 Trekking at Yakusugi Land15:30 - 17:00 Visit to Yakushima Island Environmental and Cultural Learning Center Lecture “History of Evolution of Biodiversity in Yakushima Island” (Mr. Hiroyuki Uchizono, Project General Manager at Yakushima) Environment and Culture Learning Center

Stay in Yakushima

Day 6 March 8, 2009 (Sunday)

9:15 - 9:30 Visit to Senpiro-no-taki Waterfall10:00 - 10:15 Visit to Nakama Banyan Tree10:35 - 11:00 Visit to Ohko-no-taki Waterfall12:30 - 13:45 Visit to Nagata Inaka-hama Beach14:10 - 14:30 Visit to Shitoko Banyan Tree ParkEvening Leave Yakushima for Minamata19:00 - 21:00 Dinner with the Victims of Minamata Disease

Stay in Minamata

Day 7 March 9, 2009 (Monday)

9:00 - 10:00 Visit to Minamata Disease Municipal Museum10:00 - 11:00 Visit to Relevant sites of Minamata Disease (Chisso Factory, Hyakken Drainage, Minamata Reclaimed Site)11:10 - 11:40 Visit to Settlements of Minamata Disease Victims (Tsuki-no-Ura and Yudo)11:50 - 13:00 Exchange Opinions with Victims of Minamata Disease At Minamata Hotaru no ieAfternoon Leave Minamata for Unzen

Stay in Unzen

Day 8 March 10, 2009 (Tuesday)

10:10 - 10:20 Have a Clear View on Isahaya Bay from the Aino-Tembodai Lookout10:30 - 12:00 Lecture “On Isahaya Bay Reclamation Project” (Mr. Ryoji Tokitsu: A Member of Ariake Kai Gyomin Shimin Network <Fishermen’s Network at Sea of

Ariake>)13:15 - 13:45 Visit to Central Reclaimed Land14:00 - 14:30 Visit to Dike Road14:30 - 16:00 Exchange Opinions with FishermenEvening Move to Nagasaki

Stay in Nagasaki

Day 9 March 11, 2009 (Wednesday)

Morning Sightseeing in Nagasaki (Individual)Afternoon Move back to Tokyo16:30 Arrive at the Hotel

Stay in Tokyo

10 Programme Schedule

Day 10 March 12, 2009 (Thursday)

9:00 - 18:00 Group Activities (Preparing for the Group Presentation)14:30 - 15:30 Courtesy Call to Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Stay in Tokyo

Day 11 March 13, 2009 (Friday)

9:00 - 12:30 Group Presentation15:00-17:00 Visit the Japan Foundation for Evaluation

Stay in Tokyo

Day 12 March 14, 2009 (Saturday)

Departure from Japan

11

Objectives

1. Introductory Lecture 1 by Dr. Tetsukazu YAHARA

• To fully understand the meaning of biodiversity.

2. Introductory Lecture 2 by Dr. Hiroki OIKAWA

• To learn about the recent international approach toward conservation of biodiversity.• To learn about the legal challenges/difficulty on conservation of biodiversity, from Japanese cases.

3. Country Report from the Participants

• To understand the status-quo of environmental conservation of each participating country.• To see how each participant works on the environmental conservation of their own countries.

4. Ministry of Environment

• To learn about the approaches and the plans of the Japanese government toward conservation of biodiversity, such as biodiversity strategies, COP 10, and SATOYAMA Initiatives.

5. FoE (non-governmental agency)

• To learn about the successful/unsuccessful cases of Japanese corporations on conservation of biodiversity abroad, especially in SEA region.

• To learn about the difficulty which corporations face, concerning conservation of biodiversity.

6. Kyushu University: Ito Campus

• To learn about one of the most pioneering approaches on conservation of biodiversity implemented by Kyushu University, as it conserved the whole biodiversity while moving their campus to Ito.

7. Yakusugi Nature Museum

• To learn about the history of co-existence of Yakusugi (Japanese cedar trees in Yakushima Island) and human-beings.

8. Yakusugi Land

• To enjoy our ‘biophilia’ by exposing to the great nature.

9. Yakushima Environmental and Cultural Learning Center

• To learn about the richness of the biodiversity of the whole island.

10. Yakushima World Heritage Center

• To learn about the approaches of the Japanese government on conservation of biodiversity in Yakushima Island as the world natural heritage.

11. Minamata Disease Municipal Museum

• To learn about the history of one of the four major environmental problems in Japan.• To see the impact and cost of the environmental problem once it occurred.

12. Isahaya Bay

• To learn about one of the most controversial policies of the Japanese government, concerning the biodiversity, known as “Guillotine of Isahaya Bay.”

12

Profile of Lecturers

Tomohiko HIDETA

Assistant Director of Natural Environmental Strategy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the EnvironmentHe started working for then-Environmental Agency in 1984. Since then, he has been engaged in various kinds of field works such as management of national parks, protection and breeding of endangered species, and administration of conservation of environment. From 2005-2008, he worked as a biodiversity conservation adviser at Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Forestry, in Indonesia. Today, he works for the promotion of domestic biodiversity strategies at Natural Environmental Strategy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of Environment.

Masahiro MIYAZAKI

Professor of Atomi UniversityA guest researcher at FoE JapanAfter graduation from Tokyo University, Department of Urban Engineering, he obtained his Ph.D degree on Management Science and Technology at Tohoku University. In 1977, he started working for Ministry of International Trade and Industry. From 2006, he teaches at Atomi Graduate School of Management until today.His major researches are;“Bioprocess Handbook – From Basics of Biochemical Engineering to Useful Compound Production and Environment Harmony Technology.”, NTN Ltd., (March, 2007), (thesis) “Economical Value of Microbial Resources”, Toyo Keizai, Inc., (November, 2006), ‘CSR on Conservation of Biodiversity: Trend and Challenges of Japanese Corporation in Comparison with Euro-American Corporations.’-“Sustainable Management”, Sustainable Management Forum of Japan, 2007, No. 6-2

Kaoru MATSUMOTO

Assistant Director of Division of Commerce, Industry and Tourism at Yakushima Municipal GovernmentAssistant Manager of Yakusugi Nature MuseumAfter the graduation of Kochi University (Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Forest Science), he worked for a construction company on planning and sales. In 1989, he started working for Yakushima Municipal Government at Exhibition Branch. At the time when Yakusugi Nature Museum was opened in October 1989, he worked for Culture Department. At present, he is in charge of administration and cultural activities of the museum. He also researches on monitoring and beneficial use of the domestic artificial cedar forests, and clarification of the distribution route of Yakusugi trees in the feudal society.

13Profile of Lecturers

Hiroyuki UCHIZONO

Project General Manager at Yakushima Environment and Culture Learning CenterUntil 2007, he worked for a primary school in Kagoshima Prefecture. In April, 2007, he changed his career and started working for Yakushima Environment and Culture Learning Center. The main work at the center is to support and promote the environment studies on nature of Yakushima as World Natural Heritage and the people’s lives and its industry.

Yoichi TANI

A Board Member of NPO Minamata byo Kyodo Center(Supporting Center for Minamata Disease Victims)In 1971, he participated in the founding of the Kagoshima Minamata Prosecution Group. Since then, he has been engaged in support activities for Minamata disease victims and lawsuits for more than 30 years. In 1984, he established Solidarity Network Asia and Minamata, working to support victims and do research on pollution in Indonesia, the Bhopal case in India, the Malaysian pollution export issue, and mercury contamination in Mindanao, the Philippines, and in Shokuka, China. In 1987, he established a group sending heath check-up vehicles to Vietnam, and supported victims and did research on Agent Orange victims in Vietnam. In1996, he joined establishing Minamata Hotaru no Ie (a supporting group for Minamata disease victims). From 1997-2007, he taught at Kagoshima University as a part-time lecturer. From 2007 to present, he works as Board of Directors, NPO Minamata Cooperation Center.

Ryoji TOKITSU

Member of Ariake Kai Gyomin Shimin Network(Fishermen’s Network at Sea of Ariake)Member of Wild Bird Society of JapanMember of WWF-JapanHe came to know about Isahaya Bay for its rare birds and the scenery of tideland about 20 years ago. At the same time, he became concerned about the Isahaya Reclamation Project. Once the guillotine project which shut down Isahaya Bay was broadcasted nationwide, he joined founding the emergent head office of saving Isahaya Tideland, which tried to unify all of the civil movements for the conservation of the tideland together. In 2000, he participated as a plaintiff to appeal the cease of government fund for the reclamation project. Until today, he has supported the lawsuit requiring the halt of the project.

Kozo OHSHIMA

Environment Counsellor (regd., Ministry of Environment)Isahaya Shiomaneki no Kai (Tide Inviting Association of Isahaya Bay)While he worked for Kenhoku Health Care at Nagasaki Prefecture, he became concerned about Isahaya Bay Reclamation Project which was promoted by the labour union at Isahaya region. Since then, he has been working for the opposition campaign toward the reclamation project for more than 30 years. He was one of the plaintiffs of Mutsugoro Trial (one of the major lawsuits against Isahaya Reclamation Project). After his retirement, he works for the educational activities on problems of Isahaya Bay, by conducting monthly talks.

Programme Photographs

16 Programme Photographs

Dr. Yahara of Kyushu University, at the introductory lecture

Participants listening to the introductory lecture

At Welcome Reception, Ms. Haymar from Myanmar made the speech on behalf of the participants

Cheers! At Welcome Reception Lecture by Dr. Miyazaki of Atomi University

Participants at the country report

17Programme Photographs

Tsukiji Fish Market, one way to understand biodiversity? Yes, We are ready for the program!

Big Orange at Kyushu University At Kyushu University, a man explaining his conservation work

Dr. Yahara explaining about the field

Ms. Kaneko, our escort, explaining about the Sake brewery


Everyone in front of the Kigen-sugi Cedar

At the Yakusugi Nature Museum

Kigen-sugi Cedar which is said to be 3000 years old

A staff explaining about the Yakusugi Cedar Trekking at Yakusugi Land

Look! One or two glasses of Sake, made us really happy!


A deer welcomes the participants from abroad.

A monkey, too, welcomes us! At Senpiro-no-taki Waterfall

Nice Smile, at Yakusugi Land

In front of the Senpiro-no-taki Waterfall

In front of Oh-ko-taki Waterfall


Dinner with Victims of Minamata Disease

Yes, found something!

Yes, it’s my hair! Banyan tree

Mr. Tani, explaining about the area of Minamata

At the seashore,,, found something?


Learning about what happened in Minamata Visiting the landfill area of mercury

At Unzen Hell Site

Mr. Tokitsu explaining about the reclamation project at Isahaya

Mr. Ohshima explaining about what happened in Isahaya

Mr. Tokitsu explaining about Isahaya Bay Project


At the Group Presentation

Back in Tokyo, everyone started preparing for the group presentation

With Mr. Minorikawa, the ministerial aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the Group Presentation, Arianto asking a question Dr. Oikawa and Mr. Tanaka, discussing

Exchanging opinions with Fishermen


At the overall evaluation session at the Japan Foundation

After the whole program is over, everyone says "Cheese!”

Ms. Minohara of FASID, asking a question

Key Lecture

26

Programme Advisor Report

Tetsukazu YAHARA

Present Position:Professor, Faculty of Science, Kyushu UniversityChair, IUCN – SSC (Species Survival Committee) Japanese Plants Specialist GroupA Board Member of Editors: Molecular Ecology

Education:Master of Arts from Graduate School of Science, Faculty of Science, Kyoto UniversityDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from Graduate School of Science, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University

Articles in English (selected)Tetsukazu Yahara “Assessment of the Impact of the Japanese 2005 World Exposition Project on the Extinction risk of Vascular Plants”. 2003, Chemosphere 53: pp. 325-336.Tetsukazu Yahara “Extinction risk Assessment of Threatened Species.” 2000, Population Ecology 42, pp.3-4.

Articles in Japanese (selected)Tetsukazu Yahara “Diversity of Species and Biodiversity”, Science of Life: Genes, No. 9, pp. 13-21Tetsukazu Yahara “Conservation of Biodiversity in New Campus of Kyushu University”, 2000, Kyushu University Press No.14, pp. 15-16

Books in Japanese (selected)Tetsukazu Yahara “Biology of Conservation and Restoration: A Scientific Thought to save Wild Life” Bun Ichi Co., Ltd, 2002Tetsukazu Yahara “Red Data Plants”, Yama to Keikoku Ltd, 2003.

27Programme Advisor Report

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Significance of Biodiversity: needs and tasks for its conservation(made by Prof. Tetsukazu Yahara)

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40

Programme Advisor Report

Hiroki OIKAWA

Present Position:Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environment and Informational Sciences, Yokohama National UniversityExecutive Secretary, Biodiversity Asian Strategy (BAS), Yokohama National University Global COE

Education:Master of Arts in Environmental Law, Environmental Administration, and Administrative Process, from Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido UniversityMaster of Arts in Public Policy, Comparative Politics, and Policy Action, from Purdue University (USA), under Fulbright Scholarship Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Environmental Law, Environmental Administration, and Administrative Process, from Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University.

Articles in English (selected)Hiroki Oikawa, “Environmental Policy Coordination at the Executive Level: The American Experience”, Journal of Hokkaido University, 1991, No.2, pp. 155-200Hiroki Oikawa “Improving Existing Recycling System”, Journal of Japan Society of Waste Management Experts (JSWME), 1996, No. 1, pp.79-84

Articles in Japanese (selected)Hiroki Oikawa “The Meaning and Challenges of Eco-management”, Journal of Japanese Association for Environmental Law and Policy, 1998, No. 2Hiroki Oikawa, “Ensuring the Effectiveness of Environment Assessment: A Fundamental Research on ‘Environmental Evaluation’ in the United States”, Journal of Tottori University 2006, No. 4, pp.27-39Hiroki Oikawa (2007) “The Comparative Research on the Prescription of the Concept and the Importance of Biodiversity in National Biodiversity Strategy,” Journal of Biological Environmental Risk Management, Ministry of Education and Science, 2007, pp. 248-254.

Books in Japanese (selected)“Decision Making Process of American Environmental Policy: The Function of President’s Council on Competitiveness”, Hokkaido University Press, 2003The Environmental Problems and System of Law in the United States: An Approach to Environmental Law”, Seibundo, 2007.


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Law and BiodiversityFrom Resources to Resourcefulness(made by Dr. Hiroki Oikawa)


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Group Presentation

48

Group A Essay

“Building a Global Community through Biodiversity Conservation”

Narae JEONG (Republic of Korea) Petchrung SUKPONG (Thailand) Saidal UDIN (Malaysia) Tegan BURTON (Australia) Vincent John D. OLIVEROS (Phillippines)

As field-based participants in the JENESYS program we have been invited to: consider the roles of practitioners in biodiversity conservation; provide practical examples from the field; and describe some of the elements learnt during this program. Our paper will achieve this by focusing on two main themes:

- Sharing the Concept of Biodiversity; and- Practicing Biodiversity Conservation.

In reality, these themes can not be separated, just as human society can not be separated from nature, however a more meaningful discussion will be facilitated through this theoretical separation.

Each of the two themes will be addressed through:- discussing what is meant by the theme, illustrated

through objectives;- outlining broad strategies for achieving these

objectives;- illustration through examples, both from our own

countries and our observations of Japan during this program; and

- summarising key lessons or messages coming out of the theme.

Sharing the Concept of Biodiversity‘Sharing the concept of biodiversity’ means increasing community awareness and understanding of ‘biodiversity’ and why we as a global community must conserve it. The primary objective of sharing the concept of biodiversity is to achieve the protection and maintenance of biodiversity. More specifically, it is demonstrating to our community the importance of biodiversity, and involving the entire community in working together to achieve conservation into the future.

When we say community, we mean everyone in the global community – people living in local villages, people living in large cities; those working directly with the environment, those working at great distance from the

environment; every level of government, within every governing system; recreational users, non-government and non-profit organisations, consumers and so on.

Community engagementThere exists a multitude of opportunities for sharing the concept of biodiversity with the community. Here we will focus on just two broad strategies. The first is that of community engagement. Effective community engagement must by necessity follow a natural progression that commences with the provision of information, later stepping up into education and finally the embracing of values and participatory involvement. Much work targets the provision of information but it is effective education which builds a value system within individuals, eventually leading to capacity building and active involvement in conservation.

The Yakusugi Museum in Yakushima, Japan, illustrates a multi-layered strategy of community engagement. The listing of Yakushima as a natural World Heritage Site in 1993 resulted in a rapid increase of visitors to the island curious about its special natural values. The Yakusugi Museum provides a different draw card for visitors – the Yakusugi tree – being one of the oldest trees in the world and an interesting example of the co-existence of man and nature. The Yakusugi tree as a part of human history is the attraction that draws visitors to the museum. But once there, a suite of effective communication tools talk not only about the tree and its use by man but also about its role in the ecosystem and protection of the unique natural environments of the island.

Turning now to Malaysia and the community-based KOPEL ecotourism cooperative, the use of a draw card is again instantly apparent – the strong desire to see wildlife provides visitors with the motivation to participate on a tour. Local tour guides show a captive audience the wildlife they came to see, and then the well-trained guides

49BUILDING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY THROUGH BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

demonstrate to participants how they themselves can contribute to the protection of wildlife through habitat conservation.

Palawan Conservation Corps working in the Philippines also uses the draw card concept to attract an element of the community who may not otherwise readily engage with the environment. This program encourages out of school youth to enroll in a 6 month residential program resulting in accredited certification. While certification is often the initial motivation, through the program participants also gain an understanding of the environment and the role people can and must play in its conservation.

The draw card used by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) at first glance appears quite separate from environmental conservation. The Korean government established a nationwide program of volunteering where volunteer hours accrued with any recognised volunteer organisation can be stored as credit and later used by individuals to gain access to community support mechanisms. KFEM therefore recruits volunteers from non-environmental backgrounds through the option of building credit within this national volunteering program. Once recruited, volunteers participate in on-ground conservation activities such as civil monitoring, in which their participation helps individuals gain a better understanding of the importance of their local environment.

Linkages between stakeholdersBuilding and maintaining linkages between a variety of stakeholders is the second strategy we’ve chosen for sharing the concept of biodiversity.

Returning to Yakushima, a variety of stakeholders operated essentially independently and sometimes in conflict prior to its declaration as a World Heritage Area. Declaration of a substantial area of the island as World Heritage provided a strong motivation for many of these stakeholders to come together around a single table. Relevant stakeholders currently include the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, local prefecture administrators and the local community-based Yakushima Overall Conservation Association (YOCA). Coming together around a single table is an important step, but it is just the first step. The next step is establishing effective communication methods which in this case were establishing a management group with a single goal, being World Heritage Area management, and developing of an agreed cooperative management plan.

In Thailand, the IUCN works extensively to develop meaningful linkages between stakeholders in

environmental protection. Stakeholders in this process include national, state and local governments, non-profit and non-governmental organisations and local communities. Linkages are developed by involving all stakeholders through a number of mechanisms including meetings, field trips, training courses, monitoring activities and formal networking arrangements.

While the examples provided to illustrate ‘sharing the concept of biodiversity’ are diverse, several key messages are instantly apparent. The first is the use of a draw card to attract members of the community who may not otherwise engage with the natural environment. Once community has been drawn in, so to speak, the use of simple and effective communication tools is essential. In these examples, such tools ranged from personal guides to museum based or on-site interpretation, and hands-on education or experiences in the field. A final message is the importance of developing partnerships at the local, national and international level in order to achieve long-term positive outcomes for our shared environment.

Practicing Biodiversity ConservationPracticing biodiversity conservation is about taking action on the ground – action either to protect existing high quality environmental values or to increase the biodiversity values of degraded environments.

The primary objective through such action is the protection and maintenance of global biodiversity. Within this exists a number of other objectives, including involving the community in conservation; working together to achieve protection; and the fundamental concept of creating an environment where man and nature can exist in harmony.

‘Environment’ exists in many different forms, faces a wide range of challenges, and exists within a multitude of management systems. Naturally this has resulted in the development, implementation and adaptation of numerous protection and restoration strategies, just of few of which can be covered here. In reality a continuum exists between protection and restoration, however once again we will separate them in order to facilitate illustration through example.

Environmental protectionExamples of broad strategies for the protection of biodiversity include:

- ecotourism and environmental education;- civil monitoring and evaluation;- inter-agency network building;- enhancing existing natural environments;

50 BUILDING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY THROUGH BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

- community-based sustainable development; and- developing ‘green belts’ and habitat corridors.

With increasing awareness and valuing of the environment, for example through triggers such as climate change, experiencing nature has become the new tourism market. Many a skeptic may perceive this as a trend based primarily on the opportunity to generate income. However it also provides an invaluable opportunity to present real environmental conservation messages to a captive audience, such as that being implemented through KOPEL’s community-based ecotourism in the Sabah region of Malaysia.

Korea’s largest non-profit organization, KFEM, runs a comprehensive eco-education program. KFEM utilises a range of strategies to engage with diverse members of the community, for example given children, students and adults opportunities to participate in bird watching, or showing local women how to make eco-DIY products. Informing and then educating participants through programs such as those being run by KOPEL and KFEM builds a community that values environment, achieving one of the key steps in effective long-term conservation of our environment.

As we saw in sharing the concept of biodiversity, inter-agency networking and community engagement also play a fundamental role in taking action to conserve biodiversity. Yakushima Island’s YOCA participates in stakeholder networking with other members of the local community, each of the levels of government, educational institutions and academia through the Yakushima Biodiversity Council. YOCA is also taking on-ground action to protect the environment through community-based ecosystem survey and monitoring.

The Palawan Conservation Corps in the Phillippines enhances local forests and thus local wildlife populations by introducing endemic tree species before environments become severely degraded. This example takes us in the direction of the more interventionist approach of environmental restoration.Environmental restorationExamples of broad strategies for environmental restoration include:

- campaigning for corporate social responsibility and polluter pays programs;

- fostering natural regeneration;- implementation of translocation and planting

programs; and- community engagement.

The significant and ongoing challenges being faced by the sufferers of Minamata Disease highlight the importance of corporate social responsibility and the accountability of the polluter in effective environmental restoration. The example of Minamata also brings to the fore the creation of opportunity – an opportunity to educate and learn from our mistakes in order to prevent similar catastrophes from occurring in the future anywhere in the world.

KFEM in Korea undertakes a range of activities targeting environmental restoration at the site of the Samsung-Hebei Oil Spill of December 2007. We talked earlier about some of their activities associated with eco-education. KFEM also conducts an ongoing campaign urging Samsung to take responsibility for the oil spill, just as Chisso must take responsibility for Minamata. While another core activity is undertaking civil monitoring, or community-based data collection and analysis, in order to demonstrate the ongoing impacts of the oil spill on the local ecosystem.

In construction of their new Ito Campus, Kyushu University has moved away from traditional approaches, instead finding a way to blend the natural and built environments under the leadership of Dr Tetsukazu Yahara. Here, the preservation of biodiversity in the face of development was addressed through relocation of ecosystems using a range of restoration methods – seed bank relocation intact within the soil structure; complete relocation of individual canopy forming deciduous trees; collection, propagation and planting out of seed stock; construction of wildlife movement tunnels.

In Thailand, the IUCN is involved in a comprehensive program addressing post-Tsunami recovery needs. The natural recovery process going on within beach forest, sea grass and coral reef ecosystems is being fostered and monitored. With the site receiving international recognition through the IUCN’s hotspot program, community engagement plays a key role whereby local communities and fisherman are encouraged to undertake essential monitoring and integrated research programs draw on the knowledge of both the scientific and local community.

In Australia, widespread volunteer bush regeneration programs involve the local and international community in hands-on weed control and restoration projects. This strategy enhances the limited resources available for biodiversity conservation and also fosters ‘sharing the concept of biodiversity’ through real-time community engagement. Again taking a hands-on approach, KOPEL’s forest restoration project in Malaysia involves the local community in seed collection, propagation and planting.

51BUILDING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY THROUGH BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Environmental protection and environment restoration are entire industries in their own right so the examples given above understandably only just scrape the surface. Even within these examples, key messages run throughout.

Biodiversity conservation is environmental conservation at the top level. Effective environmental conservation naturally achieves biodiversity conservation. As practitioners, we can lead by example, making environmental conservation an element of every-day life and showing those around us, both professional and personally, that change for the better is achievable. A key message coming from examples within Japan is that conservation of the environment is strengthened by spiritual values and attachment to nature. Finally, nothing happens overnight – persistence, dedication and determination are essential, as is coming together in an environment of open communication and community participation.

Additional Information:Yakushima – World Heritage Site

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/featuredarticles/worldheritage/c_12_yakushima.html

Batu Puteh Community Ecotourism Co-operative (KOPEL)http://www.mescot.org/KOPEL_Home.html

Palawan Conservation Corpshttp://www.pccphilippines.netfirms.com/index.htm

Korean Federation for Environmental Movementhttp://english.kfem.or.kr/

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Group B Essay

“Sustainability and BiodiversityEssay for the 2009 JENESYS Group D Program”

Arianto A. PATUNRU (Indonesia)Ang Eng Hu JEREMY (Singapore)Rebekah J. M. FULLER (New Zealand)Chu Ngoc QUAN (Vietnam)Bounthanom BOUAHOM (Laos)

BackgroundWith the use of the environment and its’ natural resources comes an inevitable conflict with human living objectives. Economic and social activities many times degrade the environment and deplete the natural resources contained in it. At the same time humans have come to understand that exploitation of the nature world in an unsustainable way. This significantly reduces its capacity to support human life in the future – to some extent this intended consequences are already visible today.

Therefore preservation and conservation is pivotal. But doing them would require a compromise with regards to ensuring the livelihood of human population. This all comes down to striking the right balance between the usage and the preservation/conservation of environment/natural resources. This short essay attempts to offer a perspective on this line, with a focus on biodiversity – defined here, following the general consensus, as “the variety of life: the different plants, animals and microorganism, their genes and ecosystems of which they are a part”. An illustration from a field visit to Yakushima Island, Japan, would be used as an example to show how the approach would be implemented.

The Conflicting Interests and Their Common GoalsAgainst the background of the tension between nature and human interests, “sub-problems” emerge. These include conflicting interests between conservation and tourism1, economic progress and pollution2, agricultural farming

1 This is obvious in the case of Yakushima forest preservation. Part of the forest has been designated as one of the protected world heritage. But because of its attractiveness, more and more tourists come to the area to the level where the conservationists worry about the impact on the forest and the species in it and its surroundings. 2 This case is exemplified by the case of Minamata disease. It is clear from the visit that the local economy depends heavily on the contribution of Chisso factory. However, the factory has been found guilty of polluting the bay that resulted in the Minamata disease.

and fishery3, invasive species and local native species4, as well as institutional conflicts (e.g. ministry of agriculture and forestry agency on the one hand and ministry of environment on the other hand).5

Such conflicting interests can be traced back to the objective of each stakeholders of the nature. For local communities at large, for example, income sources would arguably be the main consideration. In addition, they put also a high value on cultural and social heritage. For business, on the other hand, profits are the main concern. On the other hand visitors (e.g. tourists) are likely to concern mostly on the amenity and recreational values of the nature. Such conflicting interests cry out for the establishment of a common goal that would help minimize the negative impacts on each party, including the environment. The common goal, to our view, is to ensure the sustainability of the environment while still creating economic opportunities for the people.

In an ideal world the common goal would be achieved without compromises. To this end, the government along with NGO/NPO and researchers should go hand-in-hand to guide such goal. That is, to seek the balance between the interests of all parties affected – again, including the nature and the environment.

3 This is the case of reclamation of Isahaya Bay, Japan. Fishermen object to idea closing of the bay to benefit the farming in the reclamation land. According to them, the project has resulted in a significant deterioration on fish and other aquaculture in Isahaya Bay as well as Ariake Sea. This in turns has led to significant drop in the fishermen’s incomes.4 There are cases when conservation of local amenity means protecting it from “invasive species”. But to others, such invasive species might be seen as having the same right to the nature. For example some type of raccoon is considered invasive species that endangers the other species (both animals and plants in Yakushima).5 As in many other countries, Japan government and bureaucracy therein are characterized by budget politics where some ministry/agency is benefited at the cost of the others.

59Essay for the 2009 JENESYS Group D Program

Bringing Them TogetherIn this section we would lay out our proposed approach and use the case of Yakushima Island as an example for its implementation.

After identifying the key stakeholders, as mentioned above (local communities, visitors, business, government, researchers, and NGO/NPO) and recognizing the common goals, the next steps would include establishing the right institution, construction of monitoring scheme and planning the way forward. These would involve the following activities and stages:

• Baseline studies. Such studies should cover at least social, economic, and environmental aspects. The main parties involved here are government, researchers, NGO/NPO, and businesses.

• Planning development. This would mainly be done by the government together with the stakeholders. Amongst the key points to be considered in this stage are income of the locals, lifestyle and alternative use of resources (e.g. timber vs. NTFP). A range of options would be suggested.

• Impact assessment. Conducted by the government with inputs from researchers it would describe the social and environmental impacts of each option.

• Roundtable discussions. A series of roundtables is needed to measure the degree of acceptability of policies. In addition to all parties considered above, a key component in this stage is the local community’s representative. The roundtable would agree on a planning option.

• Monitoring. Constant and regular monitoring is needed to ensure that the whole system works as expected. Therefore a coordinated mechanism between government, NGO and communities would be important. Such monitoring schemes can take the form of regular tracking of: tourist activities, ups and downs of the contribution to the (local) economy, and the flow of population and labor force (i.e. in-migration as well as out-migration).

Illustrative Case: Yakushima Island.The problem faced by Yakushima Island is the fact that there are now too many tourists visiting. On the one hand it is expected to attract more investment and to give incentive to economic growth. However, at the same time, many of the tourists do not necessarily appreciate the nature to the extent that they might actually endanger the existing environment.

Using the framework proposed above, the following stages will be taken:

• To develop a baseline study, there needs to be a regular survey on incoming and outgoing visitors. This would include questionnaires given inside planes and ferries aiming to elicit information on visitors’ preferences and demographics (intention of visits, days of stay, average spending on site, willingness to pay for entrance fees, sex, education, country of origins, etc). It also might use electronic surveys depending on the technology available. For local communities, information needed include their perception on the tradeoffs between conservation and economic opportunities. Such information might be elicited through telephone survey. Finally, for more specific aspects and issues, a researcher-administered survey might be employed. This is used on issues like ecotourism, service industry, and conservation groups.

• In the planning development, coordination and cooperation among government in various levels are essential (the fact that Yakushima Island has been officially designated as a world heritage site makes its stake higher at the national level). However, there needs at least some rounds of consultation with the local community’s representatives with regards to the values they would like to maintain (social as well as environmental). In this stage such involvement might be less formal than the roundtable discussions that in turn would feature the already more structured planning.

• Impact assessment of each option would be conducted by independent researchers from universities with existing regulation or policies as the guidelines.

• Roundtable discussions would include representatives from prefecture government, university experts, local leaders, representatives from tourism business (hotels, restaurants, etc) and rangers. The roundtable would agree on the most suitable option.

• Monitoring would then be conducted based on key performance indicators. Feedback loop into future planning stages.

ConclusionLife is about tradeoffs. In the case of environmental and natural conservation in general and biodiversity in particular this is even more pronounced as the level of complication is very high. Therefore the main challenge is how to strike the right balance between conflicting interests. One of the ways to find this middle ground is to develop a range of options and the final plan to be agreed on by the stakeholders.

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Group C Essay

“Role of Various Organizations to Conserve Biodiversity: A Case of Isahaya Bay”

Rebecca Marney KEATING (Australia) Jing LI (China)Bibhu Prasad NAYAK (India)Haymar HEIN (Myanmer)Rithy CHANN (Cambodia)Norkhatijah Binti Haji ZAINAL (Brunei)

Biodiversity is defined as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems’1. Biodiversity is an integral part of our life and livelihood, and constitutes the crucial resource base for the very sustenance of the human civilization Conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity is fundamental to ecologically sustainable development.

Biological diversity is essential not only for maintaining the ecological balance in the nature but also to meet a variety of human needs. A rich biologically diverse resource base expands the choice for a range of sustainable economic activity and hence increases the human welfare. Loss of biodiversity has serious economic, social and economic costs for any country as well as for the whole world. The experience of the past few decades across the globe has shown that the dominant development strategies can over-exploit the natural environment for economic prosperity, without any regard to the sustainability of these very resources for future generations. The resultant environmental degradation has adversely affected the flow of various economic and non-economic ecosystem services in a significant way. These changes in the natural environment has also impacted the very life supporting ecosystem services of nature which led to the extinction of several living organisms thereby reducing the floral and faunal biodiversity in different parts of the world.

Conserving biodiversity is a difficult task, especially in the face of increased anthropogenic pressures on natural environment and other significant challenges including climate change, population growth and urban expansion. This essay explores the role of each of the various

1 UNEP (2001), State of the Environment India 2001.

organizations to conserve biodiversity, using Isahaya Bay as a case study from our study tour in Japan.

The Isahaya Land Reclamation ProjectThe Isahaya Land Reclamation project in Ariake Sea in Japan is one such example on economic and perhaps social development that has led to a significant decline of marine and aquatic species diversity as well as other significant environmental problems. This project was designed to control flooding of the coastal town Isahaya and develop agricultural land by closing the tidal flats and shallows of the Isahaya Bay by building a 7 km sea dike across the bay. The closed off area was then divided into agricultural land and a reservoir which store the water from rivers for irrigation. However, this closure has resulted in changes in the prevailing ecosystem and has led to severe damage to fisheries as well as species diversity in both sides of the dike in the Ariake sea region. Specific environmental problems include the resultant changes in tidal flows, toxic ‘aoko’ algal blooms in reservoir water and ‘red tides’ and deoxygenation of sea bed water. This ‘reclamation’ project was planned without the proper understanding of eco-system functionings which are very complex in the nature and needs a holistic approach.

Over 25,000 million yen has been spent on this project; conversely millions of yen has been lost from the local economy previously generated by fisheries. The problems associated with the Isahaya Bay project are complex and there is no clear solution, however some of these negative effects could have been avoided had appropriate government approvals, independent environmental impact assessments and key stakeholders consulted with during the proposal phase of the project. As the natural process of eco-system functioning is quite complex, enough care needs to be taken when planning or implementing any projects that involves interferences in natural processes. This needs a

64 Role of Various Organizations to Conserve Biodiversity: A Case of Isahaya Bay

trans-disciplinary approach and extensive consultation with all the stakeholders involved. The implementations of such projects also need active cooperation of several agencies and department of the government and different organization. Given the complexity of issue there is a need for different stakeholders and agencies to come together and efforts should be made at different levels across the spatial hierarchies. Each stakeholder or organization has a role in conserving biodiversity, from academics and research institutions, to government, non-government organizations, environmental educators and even the media.

Role of Academics and Research InstitutionsThe research institutions have a greater role in designing strategies for biodiversity conservation through research as well as information dissemination. The research institutes need to identify issues concerning biodiversity and develop research proposals to study the issues in detail. This involves identification of research problems/ researchable issues, designing the research process/methodology. The complexity of the natural ecosystem functionings demands the process to be interdisciplinary and involve all stakeholders to have a deeper understanding of the issue. Finally there is a need to prepare scientific and objective research outcomes and disseminate these research findings in various national and international forums. Given the complexity of ecosystem functionings and interdependencies of diverse biological species and organisms for their very sustenance, a deeper and through understanding of these complex systems is critical to policy making and design of appropriate strategies for the management of these resources. The academics and research institutions also plays a crucial role in environmental education by designing the curriculam as well as content. The scientific and objective research outcomes also make the people understand the complexities and hence make the process of awareness creation and community sensitization easier.The increased level of awareness leads to popular lobbies and builds pressure on government or legislating authorities to act.

In India research institutes and academics has influenced the policies towards environmental conservation in a significant way. The recent changes in the forest policy in India are based on series of research reports carried out by different scholars in various parts of the country. The new forest policy 1988 for the first time recognized the role of communities in management of forest and this policy changes has led to evolution of

several participatory institutions. Later different research on national parks and biodiversity also influenced the policies towards better conservation of forest as well as biodiversity.

Environmental Education (EE) has been acknowledged as the most appropriate mechanism for ensuring a sustainable Brunei Darussalam. EE is an across-the-curriculum approach to learning which helps individuals or groups to understand the concept of sustainable environment. The Ministry of Education (MoE) in Brunei Darussalam is committed to provide quality environmental education. School programmes such as PRYNSA (Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award), BASE (Base Association for Science Education), BNSC (Brunei National Science Camp) and The STEP (Science, Technology and Environment Partnership) have been organized annually which aims to enhance the student’s achievement in fields relating to environment, science, mathematics and technology.

Role of Non-Government OrganisationsNon-government organizations (NGO’s) play an

important role in conserving biodiversity. They have an understanding of the field situations and direct linkages with local community. They have a very unique and critical role in that fact that they can act globally and are generally not limited to geography or politics. NGOs can also influence policy and lobby governments for action, create awareness of significant issues to the general public and develop significant linkages with research and media.

In Cambodia, NGO’s play an important role in the not only helping supply drinking water to various villages and communities, but they also lobby government for support.

Role of Government to Conserve BiodiversityThe government has an important role in engaging stakeholders in the formulation of policy, development of guidelines and implementation of relevant legislation to conserve biodiversity. Without effective stakeholder engagement, the policy will not be as effective as it could be. A major challenge by government is the ability to conserve biodiversity with competing pressures from politicians for social issues and economic development. There needs to be appropriate legislation that can be used to guide and implement relevant permits and offsets to mitigate the threats of developments to Biodiversity.

This problem is evident with the example of the Isahaya Bay reclamation project, where issues and objectives conflict between the Ministry for Agriculture,

65Role of Various Organizations to Conserve Biodiversity: A Case of Isahaya Bay

Ministry for Environment and local government. This is a challenge world wide to not only gain agreement between stakeholders, but agreements between local, state and central government and departments within each government. Economic development will continue, so governments need to develop guidelines, management plans and implement legislation to ensure biodiversity is conserved during major economic development projects.

In Victoria, Australia, there are many government proposals and plans for the state to respond to population growth, urban expansion and securing drinking water for the future. These major projects could potentially impact on biodiversity. The largest marine infrastructure project was recently undertaken, the controversial Channel Deepening of Port Phillip Bay. The project was undertaken to deepen the main commercial shipping channels in Port Phillip Bay to allow larger container ships to enter the port.

The project was heavily criticized and securitized by media, NGO’s, lobbists, researches and the public. The project was approved by the government under various acts including the Coastal Management Ac 1995 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, but with significant conditions including the proponent adhering to the project’s comprehensive Environmental Management Plan, the appointment of an Independent Environmental Monitor to ensure the project was given the scrutiny it requires and the proponent had to provide an environmental performance bond of $100 (Aus) million to ensure the project had a dedicated funding stream to undertaken any remedial action or post dredging recovery if required. A detailed environmental effects statement was prepared with over two years of detailed investigation.

This project is an example of the type of legislation, guidelines, approvals and conditions involving many different stakeholder groups including business, researchers, government, media and community that is required to balance the pressures of economic and social development with minimal impact on the environment.

Another example of the role of government comes from Myanmar. Myanmar is well known for its rich biological diversity and diverse ecosystems throughout the country as a result of the two distinct climates namely: temperate north and tropic south. Myanmar forest covers over 50 percent of the total land area. A large area of rice and other crops are under cultivation in rural areas providing good crop diversity. Traditionally, the concept and awareness of conserving environment has existed among Myanmar people for many years.

Reflecting its commitment to the integrity of environment to the development, Government of Myanmar established the National Commission for Environmental affairs (NCEA) in 1990 as the coordinating agency for environmental matters. The strong environmental commitment became more evident when Myanmar became a member country to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in February 1995 and has actively participated in global and regional affairs on the conservation of biological diversity.

In January 2000, an agreement was reached on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a supplemental agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Cartagena Protocol aims “to contribute in ensuring an adequate level of protection in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health and specifically focusing on transboundary movements”. In Myanmar, modern biotechnology is recognized as having great potential for the promotion of human well being, particularly in meeting enhance productivity in food, agriculture and health care services.

Recognizing the twin aspects of modern biotechnology, Myanmar became one of the signatory countries of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which was opened for members’ signatory on January 29, 2000. The protocol entered into force on September 11th 2003, 90 days after the 50th ratification. Currently Myanmar is in the process of ratifying the protocol. Though Myanmar is not in urgent need of “modern biotechnology” as defined by the protocol for the sake of its food security; but it has utilized other biotechnology techniques for production of vaccines, for detection of viral diseases in fish and animal; and for plant variety development.

Role of MediaThe fundamental responsibility of media is to inform the public of what is going on with the conservation of biodiversity. Discovering a new species, or finding the existence proof for endangered animals easily become the front page stories.

To achieve this goal, the media workers need to work really closely with academic researchers, government officials and NGO personnel, develop the whole picture of the story and make it attractive to the common readers.

Reporters need to maintain a very stable connection with academic researchers or scientists to get the first-

66 Role of Various Organizations to Conserve Biodiversity: A Case of Isahaya Bay

hand results on the latest findings on biodiversity conservation or environmental protection. With this information it is necessary for reporters to consult with researchers and translate the scientific findings into the language that common readers can understand, as well as their significance to improve the current situation. Making biodiversity and environment issues relevant to the readers can help raise the public awareness of conservation.

Media also work closely with non-government or not-for-profit organizations, help them to get a louder voice among the public, which in turn can arouse wider public attentions and involve more people to participate.

For example, Environmental Defense, an international NGO headquartered in US, launched a campaign in Beijing to promote public transportation in 2005, after finding the links between vehicle emissions and Beijing’s air pollution. With the help of publicity from many newspapers, and Television programs, millions of Beijing’s’ citizens joined the team, traveling by bus, subway, bicycle, walking or carpooling, and accomplished what might have been the city’s largest environmental campaign in the run-up to the Olympic Games: green commuting. Voluntary initiatives were pushed into full swing while Beijing municipal government implemented the two-months odd-even numbered road access scheme according to the vehicle’s license plate number. After implementing the rule, about 2 million vehicles have been moved off the road everyday and about 4 million people have turned to green means of commuting. Though the Beijing Olympic Games have past, no driving for at least one day per week has remained a practice for Beijing citizens.

Media is also able to influence government through doing policy reviews, usually from working with researchers and experts’ opinions about the environment and biodiversity-related policies. According to China’s Environment Impact Assessment Law, which took effective in 2003, an environmental review report, which not only identifying a project’s potential impacts to the environment but also proposing measurements to mitigate them, should be finished before any construction project starts.

But such reviews are usually done by organizations affiliated with Ministry of Environmental Protection in China, instead of a neutral third-party consulting group. After a wide media coverage about the negative impacts of such practice, which is believed to be conducive to corruption, China’s top legislature has decided to amend this law.

By doing reports on the burgeoning green industries, such as solar power, sustainable buildings, more business

opportunities could be revealed to the industry, in this sense the media could also be helpful to involve more inputs from the business and private sectors in conservation of environment. But unfortunately, media is also influenced by the industries and government through censorship or funding from the company. For instance, the advertisement clients of a newspaper seldom get negative reports from that media organization.

ConclusionIn conclusion, all of the organizations and stakeholders discussed above have an important role to play to conserve biodiversity in the face of economic development. Given the importance of the roles of these organizations it is imperative that they carry out their main roles effectively as well as work in tandem with each other. The Isahaya Bay land reclamation project is very complex, but perhaps if each organization were involved and appropriate approvals, guidelines and legislation were implemented, some of the severe environmental damage to marine biodiversity may have been mitigated. The whole concept of ‘reclamation’ may also be debated in all spheres and at different levels. How long we human beings will keep rationalizing our greedy encroachments by using the words like ‘reclamation’? The past cannot be changed, but this mistake provides an opportunity for the whole world to learn and understand the complexity of ecosystem functionings and the importance of biological diversity in every ecosystem around the globe. However the learning should not only be limited to the mistakes, but also all the countries need to learn the best practices and approaches of some successful initiatives towards conservation of biodiversity in different parts of the world.

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Individual Reports

72

“People – Nature – Biodiversity – Our Future”

Tegan BURTON (Australia)Ranger, Central Branch, Sydney North Region, Lower Hawkesbury AreaDepartment of Environment and Climate Change, NSW

Ms. Burton received her Bachelor of Applied Science in Research and Environmental Management at the University of Canberra in 1996, and Master of Applied Science Parks, Recreation and Heritage at Charles Sturt University in 2008. Since 1998, she has been working as a ranger in Sydney North Region, undertaking a wide range of activities associated with protected area conservation including fire management, pest control, threatened specifies conservation, and heritage management, developing and implementing effective solutions for long-term environmental conservation.

You think you have to Want more than you need Until you have it all You won’t be free

Society You’re a crazy breed I hope you’re not lonely Without me

‘Society’, Jerry Hannan

Japan – a nation of over 3,000 islands which house approximately 128 million people yet retain 70 to 80% forest cover with immense beauty and remoteness. What better place to bring together a diverse group of youth from across the Asia-Pacific to consider biodiversity and its conservation in today’s world.

I have been working at a field or operational level with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (now part of the Department of Environment and Climate Change) for 12 years. Given my length of involvement with this leading conservation agency I was well placed to share my knowledge of protected area conservation and management here. While Australia still has a long way to go in many ways, sharing stories of the positions of some of our closer and more distant neighbours re-enforced the strong basis of conservation in my country. The strength of legislation, inclusion of environmental considerations in development planning, the potential for environmental polluter prosecutions, threatened species protection… the list goes on.

While it is possible to gauge the positions of other nations through literature reviews or similar, it is not until you start discussing realities with those who are living them every day that the truth of the situation is driven home. This was made possible through the inclusion of

participants in this program from not only a wide range of countries but also a wide range of backgrounds – academia, manager, practitioner, activist, media and so on.

Being a Ranger is the most amazing job in the world. We are the front line, The Thin Green Line (www.thingreenline.info). From this, you would guess the highlight of this trip, for me, to be our time spent on Yakushima Island, and you would be correct. What an amazing place, from the moment we stepped off the small plane and looked towards the mountains to the moment just two days later when we had to leave.

The presentation given by Ranger Seishu Okuda followed by conversation over dinner was the perfect introduction to both Yakushima and Japan’s protected area system. In just a short time, assisted by a full spectrum of images, the passion and the challenges were there for all to see. One thing is clear – World Heritage comes with it’s own challenges, not least of which is an exponential growth in visitors to a place lacking the infrastructure to minimise their impact on the values which earnt the listing. However, it also comes with benefits, just one of which is the creation of a common goal around which a wide range of once competing stakeholders has been brought together.

Yakusugi Nature Museum also left a lasting impression. I can’t help but make this personal in order to truly share my experience – I felt so sad inside this building that I just had to go outside. There was so much timber, some highly worked but others still in a quite natural state. Of course we are surrounded by timber every day and I would much rather choose a house of wood than one of concrete. But the minimal processing utilised for the purpose of display

73Tegan BURTON

also meant it was so easy to imagine the timber out in the forest, whole and alive, rather than harvested and moved inside, for people. To think of those ancient trees being cut down in a moment . . . perhaps ‘humbling’ is the word.

Immersion in Japanese culture also continued in Yakushima – we drank green tea, ate traditional food both in the restaurant and on the road, slept on tatami mats and experienced the onsen (although some of us still only from afar). Even the walking tracks reflected local culture through the level of paving and hand rails that launched us on our walk. Although, just like at home, as we roamed further afield, the level of infrastructure lessened and the potential to be immersed in nature grew.

The beauty and energy of Yakushima, along with the positive example of Kyushu University, gave us the strength to face the challenges that came next . . . Minamata, Isahaya, Nagasaki. As participants on this program we were presented with so many ideas, challenges and lessons to be learnt. Too many to put to paper here and do them justice. I have talked about the positive aspects of Yakushima, although not all in the history of the island is positive. Now I will look briefly at the negative side of Isahaya Bay.

Firstly, I must thank the Japan Foundation for including Isahaya Bay in the program. It takes great strength and courage to share places such as Minamata and Isahaya with an international audience, but without seeing and discussing their histories we can never learn from our past for the benefit of our future.

The Guillotine of Isahaya Bay is an incredible feat of engineering but it is also an incredible example of how a localised action with a specific goal in mind can have widespread consequences. This is particularly the case when it comes to the environment, given that we still have a very poor understanding of ecosystem functioning.

It was such a brief visit and there are still many questions to be answered in trying to understand how Isahaya got to where it is today. And many more questions to be answered in trying to find a way to move forward. It is clear however that a precautionary principle is essential in any steps taken now to avoid worsening the impacts. This is not an excuse to do nothing but rather an encouragement to ensure that what is done is well considered, well communicated, planned and monitored.

In thinking about Isahaya Bay in the context of the current challenge of climate change, my first thought was about how rising sea levels would impact on the dyke, and if this had been considered amongst the multitude of complexities around this site. I then wondered if this type of civil work is going to become the norm, to protect

low-lying communities from rising sea levels . . . and at what cost to the environment upon which we are all dependent? I also began to wonder about the effects of the global economic crisis on the environment. I can think of numerous negative implications, but the one that came to mind initially was where costly public works might be required to restore sites, such as Isahaya Bay, it is unlikely they will be high in the list of priorities.

Thoughts of this program awaken a multitude of additional themes, just some of which I will also now share.

While flicking through some photos taken at Nagata Inakahama Beach, Yakushima, someone alongside me said ‘surely there is something we can do about all the rubbish on the beach.’ As I thought more on this it became another example of how things that are taken for granted in one place can be completely new ideas in others. Sydney led the world with Earth Hour (www.earthhour.org). Why is it that Clean Up Australia Day (www.cleanup.com.au) has not been embraced across the world with the same passion?

Australians, and others, have a saying: Reduce – Re-use – Recycle.

We heard about the positives coming out of Minamata, including rebuilding the community as a modern environmental city. One of the first grass-roots steps in this process was tackling the concept of recycling, but recycling must be the last step in reducing waste generation. Continuing to follow the story of Minamata you can see that they have also begun to tackle the first step – reducing waste generation through cutting down on the use of packaging in stores. This is about making changes at every level, in every facet of life, if you want to effect real change.

There is a consistent message every where I go – COMMUNICATION – with each other, with every stakeholder, open, honest, transparent. Communication amongst the participants in this program worked really well. People were willing to ask questions, voice thoughts, raise challenges and share experiences. It is my hope that we can all maintain this into the future – through discussion groups, shared papers, perhaps even joint projects – and that we can translate the practice into every day work and life.

People talk about a multi-cultural Australia – we come from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, over 25% of Australians were born overseas, and over 200 languages are spoken. This is reflected in the way we dress, the food we eat, and living in a big city it is easy to think that everywhere else is the same, but they are traditions which

74 People – Nature – Biodiversity – Our Future

are influenced by everyone else around us. Interacting with the other participants subtly highlighted cultural differences and similarities that persist more deeply within the cultures of home nations. Individuals drew together in an instant because of their cultural similarities. Others took longer to find those they were most at ease with, and yet others would float comfortably between everyone, depending on the mood and the moment.

Those working in the international arena would be familiar with Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org). Today we are developing Guardaparques Sin Fronteras or Park Rangers Without Borders. What we really need is conservation without borders – the environment recognises no boundaries. In Yakushima we were told how pollutants from China and even Europe are travelling by air and poisoning the trees towards the tops of the mountains. Effects in one place can be caused by actions in another distant place, one in which we here have no control. How do we overcome this and operate as the single Earth that we truly are? JENESYS brings people together around a common theme and provides an exciting tool for breaking down our politically imposed boundaries through better understanding of the culture and the challenges each other face.

It is easy in modern western society to separate ourselves from nature, but if you look around you the inseparable landscape interaction between people and nature remains. Tomohiko Hideta briefly introduced the concept of the satoyama, or traditional rural landscape, which is being lost as the rural population moves to the cities and those who are left steadily age. This resonates with a concept which comes in and out of fashion in Australia, that of the ‘cultural landscape’. And the challenges they pose in terms of getting recognition, being valued by the community and by land managers, and then what exactly it means to conserve them.

Prior to my participation in this program I stated a belief that ‘many of our current environmental challenges draw from the increasing urbanisation of our societies and the imposed separations from nature that result’. Today I feel this stronger than ever. To live and breathe Tokyo is to be so distant from nature, from sources of food, energy, drinkable water, all the resources essential for survival. But even within such an immense and fast-paced city there are opportunities to connect with nature, with our spirit, if you choose to see and experience them. Just a short walk in any direction from the Tokyo Prince Hotel would reveal a temple or a shrine, and every one sat within spacious and green grounds. Then there were

the beautifully landscaped parks and gardens – highly modified but nature all the same. Places to escape to and breathe deeply, before heading back into the noise of the streets.

Thank you, once again, to the Japanese government for the foresight in creating the JENESYS program and to the Japan Foundation for bringing us together in the way that they did and providing such an invaluable experience.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

75

“Lessons from the JENESYS program”

Rebecca Marney KEATING (Australia)Aquatic Biodiversity Project Officer, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria

Ms. Keating received her Diploma of Ecotourism at University of Ballarat in 1998, Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) at Monash University in 2002, and Graduate Diploma of Education, Monash University in 2007. After working as an Aquatic Biologist at Ecowise Environmental during 2004-2005, and as Aquatic Scientist at the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, Mildura during 2005-2007; currently, she is Aquatic Biodiversity Project Officer at Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria.

To conserve “biodiversity” or “biological diversity” through sustainable development is an interesting and challenging concept. In order to do this effectively we must first define and understand the term biodiversity, which is commonly used in government policy development and academia today. Most biologists agree to the broad definition of the “totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region”.

So what does this concept mean in reality? How do we effectively conserve our world’s biodiversity when there is so much direct pressure through destruction of habitat, harvesting of resources and the introduction of exotic species, as well as indirectly through the development of cities, pollution and most recently and possibly the greatest threat, climate change.

My motivations for participating in the JENESYS future leaders study tour were to exchange ideas, discuss challenges and gather solutions to biodiversity protection through sustainable development in a global context. In my current position as an Aquatic Biodiversity Project Officer with the Department of Sustainability and Environment, I have gained insight into the broad range of issues and challenges to conserve biodiversity in Victoria. Victoria’s growing population (and Australia’s) is creating a need for more land to be available for urban development. The population growth is also dictating projects for new transport, as well as water and energy infrastructure, which will result in an impact on biodiversity.

It was interesting to learn that Japan has some similar biodiversity challenges as Australia with regard to significant land use changes. In Japan, the “Satoyama” or traditional landscapes are under threat as the population is ageing and younger generations are moving into cities and away from this traditional way of life. Similarly in Australia, we are facing changes in land use due to

an ageing population of farmers and the challenges of attracting and keeping young people in rural areas, which will have significant challenges for conserving Biodiversity in these areas.

The four case study examples we witnessed in Japan were beneficial in gaining an insight into the past problems and issues of conserving biodiversity in Japan, the trade off ’s that occur and the future challenges. It was also encouraging and perhaps surprising to witness the power and amazing positive impacts a small number of individuals can have on Biodiversity.

The visit to Kyushu University to witness the preservation of forest that would have otherwise been lost without the hard work and effort of a small number of individuals lead by Professor Yahara was encouraging. Given the limited time and resources available, the opportunity to conserve 100ha of forest that would have been destroyed was impressive. There are many lessons to be learnt from this example that may be implemented in future developments. For future projects, a more detailed consideration of biodiversity prior to the design and construction of any building could include a rigorous environmental impact assessment, a more sustainable and environmentally friendly building design, with minimal disturbance to the natural environment to fit with the natural landscape.

Similarly, the efforts being made by non-government organisations, local communities and researchers on Yakushima Island were inspiring. The visit to the World Heritage listed island of Yakushima was a privilege and a highlight of the study tour. To witness such majestic ancient cedar trees, the vertical distribution of vegetation and the vast number of waterfalls and rivers was outstanding. Given the destruction of biodiversity in the past and

76 Lessons from the JENESYS program

the pressure on the natural resources of the island, it is encouraging to see the efforts to conserve this landscape, with all of its unique values.

In contrast were the destruction and negative impacts to not only biodiversity but also human suffering as seen in the examples of Minamata and Isahaya Bay. The environmental pollution disaster of mercury compounds into Minamata Bay and the resulted impacts to human suffering was astonishing. The world can only learn from this disaster and ensure that such actions are never repeated.

In Isahaya Bay, although the impact to human life was perhaps less severe, the damages to the environment are many. The construction of a 7 km sea dike to reclaim land for agricultural and flood mitigation purposes has resulted in severe environment problems including red tide, toxic blue-green algae blooms, severe loss and decrease in fish and changes to tides. The challenges and solutions into the future are so complex, given the significant impacts to the environment. Perhaps the only positive outcome from this example is the pressure that was placed on the government to stop the reclamation of land at Fugimae-higata Bay in Nagoya city which is a Ramsar site.

The JENESYS study tour was designed in such a way as to highlight both positive and negative examples of managing the challenges to conserve biodiversity in Japan. The opportunity to discuss these issues, using examples from our own countries was very beneficial. I gained insight into the challenges and issues of other neighbouring countries, especially through the diverse experience of each participant’s areas of expertise. The opportunity to discuss this issue in an international setting was a unique, amazing and incredibly worthwhile experience. It is something I will remember forever, as I will continue discussions with international friends and colleagues, which will have a great impact on my future career.

It was an honour and a privilege to be involved in this well organised and insightful program, and I have gained new understandings and knowledge from not only Japan, but other neighbouring East-Asian countries also.

77

“What have you learnt from this program?”

Norkhatijah Binti Haji ZAINAL (Brunei)Master Student in Environmental Management, University of Brunei Darussalam

Ms. Zainal received her Bachelor of Arts in Education at University of Brunei Darussalam in 2006 and pursue her master in Environmental Management at the same institution completing her dissertation “Spatial analysis of forest fires and recovery in Brunei Darussalam using SPOT imagery and GIS”. Also, as a member of Asean-Europe Foundation (ASEF), she gets involved in their activities that seek to promote mutual understanding and continue collaboration among the people of Asia and Europe.

I attended the JENESYS East Asia program and achieved the following; during my stay in Tokyo, Japan, I learnt that despite her strong economic development, Japan also faces several environmental crisis and challenges. One of the challenges is that many development projects carried out in Japan proceeded with insufficient interest in biodiversity conservation. Furthermore existing laws in Japan cover environmental protection and conservation but not biodiversity conservation. As a result, Japan is experiencing a series of tragedies such as Minamata disease caused by the release of methyl mercury in the industrial wastewater that still goes on, the worst illegal dumping case in Teshima and Naoshima islands and the case of Isahaya land reclamation project which has caused serious damage to fisheries.

On the first day, I enjoyed the wonderful presentations by lecturers and participants from various countries. I got some ideas and valuable information of current situations in each country, particularly regarding their best practices in conserving biodiversity. The next day, Professor Tetsukazu Yahara from Kyushu University introduced the background and concept of biodiversity. He presented the different biodiversity crises on a global level, such as forest loss in USA, plant extinction in Japan, the decline of fish biomass and the melting of polar ice caps. He also discussed several strategies that could reduce these effects. Using Kyushu University as an example, he showed that the local community, researchers, students and lecturers can work together in the same place and develop a good relationship in conserving biodiversity. Dr. Hiroki Oikawa from Yokohama National University also introduced the idea of resourcefulness and the way of looking at resources whereby he used the example of people living in Hokkaido, who make resourceful use of their winter season as by

making “ice bars” or hot springs on ice. Next we went to Yakushima Island. When I arrived in

Yakushima, a two-hour flight from Tokyo, I immediately felt as though I had travelled to a different country. The pace was more leisurely, the food was completely different and the people were friendlier. We stayed in a beautiful hotel where all of us got to enjoy the view of a beautiful beach and the sunset and at the same time experience living in a traditional Japanese home (wearing the kimono and soaking in a hot spring). We had the chance to meet Yakushima ranger officers who introduced us the background of Yakushima Island. I also learnt about the historical background of Yakusugi’s forest and the different types of plant species found on Yakushima Island during our visit to Yakusugi museum. Similarly, a visit to the Yakushima environmental cultural learning centre also provided me with more professional information and knowledge about Yakushima’s nature.

Then we went to Kyushu University. At present, some of the areas nearby Kyushu University were being cleared to build a new faculty. From the lecture given by Professor Yahara, I learnt that the students and the lecturers were all involved in a biodiversity conservation project to ensure that there will be no species and forest loss during the clearance. Forest conservation was being carried out in many ways, such as transplantation of the understorey, the transplantation of tall trees, stump transplantations and many other types of transplantations. The students, lecturers and local community also conducted monitoring in this area to ensure long-term survival of plant and animal species. For example, cameras tracking with infra-red sensors were used to monitor mammals such as the Lepus brachyurus (rabbit).

Next we went to Unzen where I learnt about Minamata

78 What have you learnt from this program?

disease and had a chance to talk with the Minamata victims who willing to give personal, first-hand accounts of their experience. I also gained valuable information and understand more of the issues surrounding the Minamata disease during our visit to the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum. One issue that has not yet been fully dealt with, is that of the potential contribution to the disease victims and a full assessment of the damage done to the human environment by methyl mercury poisoning. It seems obvious that Chisso and the prefectural and federal governments are totally incapable of coming to terms with the multitude of problems centring around this massive pandemic since there was no indication of whether or not compensation could be attained in the foreseeable future. Thus the adequacy of the work ahead depends upon how positively the socially weak disease victims are allowed, and able, to participate in the much needed overview of the problem, as well as in the process of finding solutions.

Then we went to the Isahaya Land Reclamation Project of Isahaya Bay where I learnt about the damages caused by the development of a sea dyke across Isahaya Bay. Meeting with the local fishermen also gave me the general overview of the conflicts going on between the local fishermen and the government. It is believed that to create a healthy environment on the bay, the sea dyke must be removed so that the tidal land can be recovered. However, the government still insists that Isahaya Bay’s closure has had nothing to do with the deterioration of water quality in the Ariake Sea. The continuation of such environmentally unacceptable development without having a long-range perspective will definitely kill all the living beings and at the same time affect the ecological diversity. Thus central and local governments, together with the local fishermen should work together to find out alternative measures to restore the Isahaya Bay for a fruitful future life that can be enjoyed by wildlife as well as human beings.

Finally, we went to Nagasaki prefecture, where I learnt more about the historical background of atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was here that I learnt about the plight of the 50,000 Koreans who died during the nuclear bomb explosion; and that the Japanese were not the only victims who died of the nuclear explosion on 6th August 1945. The Koreans had arrived in Japan to work as forced labourers. We also visited the Nagasaki Memorial peace park. Thousands of colourful paper cranes, the symbol of peace, were scattered around the Peace Park. Other memorials found in this park included the Children’s Peace monument, monument in memory of the Korean victims, the peace bell and the atomic bomb memorial mound, to name a few.

How this program will help you in the future career?Brunei Darussalam is in great danger of losing some of its pristine forests, specifically wetlands, as a result of rapid development activity and forest fires. There were only a few conservation and management practices by Brunei government to promote and enhance habitat quality and biodiversity conservation. Strategic planning to maintain the environment in the process of development is still vague as there is no strong evidence showing the effects of current control and management. This is because most of the large projects are influenced by political decision with insufficient consideration regarding the environment.

As a teacher and environmentalist, I have made a pledge to myself to teach and talk to my students about the importance of conserving biodiversity. In Brunei Darussalam, the concept of biodiversity conservation is still new. As a teacher, I will use this opportunity to start introducing the concept of biodiversity and the importance of conserving biodiversity. I have come to the realisation that youths are the best people to mobilize this idea because they have a high level of tolerance in conserving the environment. I’m also planning to share the idea of ‘biodiversity conservation’ to relevant stakeholders to promote and to have them acknowledge the meaning and importance of biodiversity conservation.

Another activity is to search out the possibility for schools and local communities to work together to conserve biodiversity, much like the ‘biodiversity conservation project’ of Kyushu University that involved the public, students and the lecturers.

I also intend to set up an eco-club or also known as environmental club, for teachers and students. Basically, the club will deal with all environmental issues and activities, such as recycling. Visits to some forest areas in Brunei or outside Brunei will also be planned for the students so that they can learn and study more about biodiversity conservation.

Overall evaluation of the program?There is a great concern over the loss of biological diversity around the world, but at the same time, only a few people are fully aware of what is happening to the world’s biodiversity. Thus, I believe that network building and follow-up sessions on the best practices of biodiversity conservation in Japan and East Asian countries would be very fruitful in promoting biodiversity conservation for it to be more sustainable in the future.

There is no doubt that the programme greatly enhanced my understanding of the challenges and approaches of

79Norkhatijah Binti Haji ZAINAL

the Japanese government toward the conservation of biodiversity. Not only was the programme bursting with dedicated and motivational speakers, valuable knowledge and information, but it was also a good opportunity to experience life challenges outside my daily routine, including a first hand life experience in Tokyo and other prefectures in Japan. On top of that, the opportunity to interact and discuss with participants from different countries of different backgrounds was immensely rewarding. However the greatest benefit that I have gained from the programme so far has been a greater awareness of the importance of conserving biodiversity.

Last but not least, I am very grateful for the generosity of the Japan Foundation and I truly appreciated the warm hospitality of the Japan foundation’s staffs and representatives in this programme. Thank you very much.

80

“Sustainability and Biodiversity: A new experience for Cambodia”

Rithy CHANN (Cambodia)Quality Engineer, Pasteur Institute of Cambodia

Mr. Chann obtained his diploma in Chemical and Food Engineering at Institute of Technology of Cambodia in 2003. Then, he moved to France for his Professional Master in Analytical Chemistry and Quality Assurance at Paris XII University and to Mauritius for Professional Master in Entrepreneurship at Francophone Institute. He currently works at Pasteur Institute of Cambodia in Quality Assurance Department as a qualified engineer, specializing in the quality control concept in the analytical and research laboratory.

1- Summary of biodiversity in Cambodia Cambodia is situated in South-East Asia along the Gulf of Thailand, with a land area of 181,035 square kilometers. The territory is characterized by a central floodplain surrounded by the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest, Dangrek mountains in the north, and the coastal-marine ecosystem in the south.

The Mekong River and the Tonle Sap Lake are the most important freshwater bodies of Cambodia’s central flood plains, which form a unique and complex ecological system containing a rich natural resource base for the Cambodian economy and its population (Ministry of Planning, 2001). Little is known about the extent of Cambodia’s biodiversity, but it is believed that biological resources of the country remain largely intact due to the country’s slow development and low population density. Moreover, the area protection system of the country also plays a paramount role in the preservation of important habitats and wildlife. The significance of Cambodia’s biodiversity is also recognized by its high productivity and ability to support even highly human populated areas such as the Tonle Sap Lake floodplain. Estimates show that Cambodia has over 2308 flora species, 486 freshwater fish, 357 marine fish, 500 birds, 82 reptiles, 123 mammals, and more than 40 invertebrates (Biodiversity Status Report, 2001).

2- Lesson learn from the program2.1 The construction of new Kyushu University

campusThroughout the presentation and the visit to the University Campus, I was very impressed by the project and the role

of the community in environmental protection. Before the project began, Kyushu University carried out basic surveys of relevant matters such as the relocation site’s terrain, geology, groundwater, climate, plant and animal ecology, and buried cultural artifacts. The university performed further studies based on those findings, and listened to on-and off-campus researchers. It then decided on a Basic Plan for Development after making bold revisions in order to give maximum consideration to co-existence with the environment. This included the use of natural greenery resources and the subsumption of historical artifacts. This incorporated the creation of a futuristic campus, utilizing new technology such as effective use of reclaimed water for water, information, transportation, and energy infrastructure.

2.2 Yakushima Island-World Natural Heritage Center

Yakushima is a round-shaped island situated approx. 60 km south of the southern end of Osumi Peninsula in the southern part of Kagoshima prefecture. One-fifth the island is registered as a natural heritage site. I had the opportunity to learn from a presentation made by the Rangers of the World Natural Heritage: The way that they control the visiting of tourists to the island, environmental protection and national park management. The problem faced by the Yakushima Island is the numbers of tourists visiting. On the other hand it is expected to attract more investment for the economic grove and the prosperity if the people on this island. The authority must deliberate this problem in detail, in order to make a good decision.

81Rithy CHANN

2.3 Teaching the lessons of Minamata disease to the world

Minamata disease is methyl mercury poisoning caused by mercury contained in effluent discharge into the Shiranui Sea from the Chisso Minamata factory, causing the accumulation of methyl mercury in the tissues of fish and other aquatic life, which were then consumed by the local population. My experience of visiting the Minamata disease Municipal Museum and exchanging opinions with victims of Minamata disease made me realize the effects of environment pollution and the responsibility of the company to the society more clearly. The experience taught me the countless tears that have been shed; the health and life lost cannot be restored. My hope is that governments and industries in any developed country will reflect about the consequences of their activities and that the lesson learned in Minamata will prevent another such disaster from ever occurring again.

2.4 Isahaya bay The Isahaya bay land reclamation project in Ariake Sea is one such example that has led to a significant decline of marine and aquatic species diversity. Before the project, Isahaya Bay was the largest remaining marine wetland in Japan and a major stopover for birds migrating between Siberia and Australasia. Moreover, as development devoured the coastline of the Ariake Sea, the importance of Isahaya Bay had grown as a refuge for species unique to this special corner of the western Pacific. Two hundred and eighty two species of benthic fauna have been identified in the bay. The project was designed to control flooding and to develop agriculture. Sixteen hundred hectares were slated to be reclaimed as agricultural land; the rest were to be a freshwater catchments reservoir. While visiting the bay and speaking with the fishermen, I found that the government had spend a lot of money on the project and that the fishermen on the other hand had been paid millions of yen for damage caused to the fisheries sector. These losses could have been prevented if the planners had sought opinions from various organizations and stakeholders in the process.

3- Japan- clean country and rich in cultureSince I was young, I had a dream of visiting Japan one day. Through the JENESYS program, my dream came true and I am so happy for my first trip to this country. My first impression of Japan was the propriety of the cities and the living environment even in the countryside. This it clear to me that the Japanese people are very concerned about their own environment and the environment of other

country. In Japan I got to meet participants from Korea, Thailand, Philippines Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Laos, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Myanmar, Brunei Darussalam and China. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I learned a lot from this program, not only from my observations but also from the group discussions with all of the other participants. We visited many places that made me understand more about Japanese society and culture. I am very impressed with Japanese food, accommodations and hot spring baths.

4- How Eat Asia country can work together in term of Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity after the program?

In my personal opinion, it is a big challenge to work together in this field, as the environment and biodiversity is a big issue in Asia. With the network that we set up (Google group discussion), I am hopeful that we can keep in contact and exchange all information and experiences of each country, for adaptation to one another.

Once again, thanks to the Japan Foundation Organization for offering good opportunities for all participants from many countries in the regions, to meet each other and to learn about Japanese experiences regarding the environment and biodiversity.

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“Individual essay – JENESYS Group D”

Jing LI (China)Reporter, China Daily

Ms. Li received her bachelor in English at Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2004 and her master of Art in Cultural and Creative Industries at King's College London in 2006. She got her position as a website editor at culture sector of China Daily which covers issues on cultural events, China’s heritage protection and cultural exchange programs. She is currently working at China Daily as a reporter, specializing in China’s environmental protection policy, international cooperation and China’s role in this field, climate change including greenhouse gas emissions reduction issues.

Ever since the industrial revolution in the 19th century, rapid development has always been accompanied by the deprivation of natural resources, degradation of environment, and loss of biodiversity.

China, in the course of its rapid economic growth, has also paid too much of a price, as seen in environmental deterioration and social problems aroused by pollution. As a media worker, I have been following such stories and thinking of possible solutions. So, before joining the JENESYS program, I wished to share experiences and exchange ideas with other participants, who are from different countries and diverse backgrounds, as well as learn from the Japanese cases.

And the lectures, the trips and the discussion we had during the 12-day program show that the conflict between development and conservation virtually lies everywhere and in every case.

For instance, Yakushima island, after being enlisted as a World Heritage Site, is attracting more tourists and trekking fans, who at the same time are bringing more disturbances to the natural ecosystem. Similarly, construction of Kyushu University’s Ito campus in the mountains also threatens the integrity of the local biodiversity.

The same is true with the cause of Minamata disease, one of the most severe environmental tragedies in history: the government did not immediately request the Chisso factory to stop production after finding links between the disease and the company’s pollution, as it was providing materials for almost half of the chemical industry in Japan at that time.

How to settle conflicts between development and conservation, or in other words, how to ensure the maximum benefits for every stakeholder of any project, is at the core of sustainability.

To achieve this, the role of different organizations, government bodies, enterprises, research institutes, not-for-profit organizations and media, should be fully functioning to make sure that the natural environment and ecosystem do not become victims of economic benefits.

The cases of Yakushima Island and Kyushu University’s new campus have set positive examples of putting biodiversity conservation at the center of the decision making process.

To prevent concrete damages from happening to Yakushima Island, the park rangers are already worried about the increasing number of trekking fans and toilet problems, and are seeking for solutions from both economic measures (levying a trekking tax) and encouraging public participation.

Also, Ito campus gives a perfect example of how the construction project does not necessarily cause a loss of biodiversity. The goal of not losing plant and animal species in the area should become the standard of any construction project in the future, even if it means larger investment.

The Isahaya Bay reclamation project was the most interesting and inspiring topics for the study tour, not only for the controversies it aroused, but also because it is still lacking of a best solution at the moment.

People love nature there. Fish, seaweed, clams and migrating birds - nature in harmony with an age-old rural lifestyle has been sacrificed for the sake of reclaimed farmlands behind the dikes.

Whether the reclaimed land is as productive as people originally planned is still unknown, but the damages to the tidal flat, the precious ramsar system, has already been confirmed, with local fishing communities suffering most.

83Jing LI

In the group paper, we tried to analyze how the current situation could be avoided if every organization worked out its own responsibilities to a full extent while working with each other to exchange necessary information for decision-making.

But what is more urgent now is trying to find a solution for the current problems; whether opening the gate is a cure-for-all, or whether the move will arouse new problems, requiring even more input from different organizations and their close cooperation.

Through discussing with the participants, I learned that conflicts between development and conservation actually exists in every country. I also learned that to solve this universal problem, it is urgent to change the mindset: throughout history, people have paid too much attention on having better living standards.

People tend to think that natural resources and the ecosystem cannot be used up, at least in their own generation, thus don’t care about the impacts their urge for development might bring.

But as the planet becomes increasingly fragile, it is time to change this belief. Nature and biodiversity is not valueless, it is priceless.

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“Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development: a Perspective from JENESYS Group D Programme”

Bibhu Prasad NAYAK (India)Assistant Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change

Mr. Nayak received his PhD in Economics specializing in Natural Resource Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Institute of Economic Growth in 2008. He is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. ISEC is an inter-disciplinary research institute established in 1972 with the principal objective of conducting research and training in social sciences. This includes studies on socio-economic and ecological problems and political issues of the country.

At the outset I would like to thank Japan Foundation for giving me an opportunity to participate in the JENESYS Group D programme on “Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”. This programme has given me a great exposure to a variety of issues related to environmental conservation efforts as well as ecological tragedies in Japan. This learning exposure has deepened my understanding of sustainable development issues, which have become a matter of concern for all countries and across all income groups.

Sustainable development has emerged as a new paradigm of development in response to the current discourse of development that over-exploits the natural environment for economic prosperity without any regard to the sustainability of these very resources for the future generations. The resultant environmental degradation has adversely affected the flow of various economic and non-economic ecosystem services in a significant way. These changes in the natural environment have also impacted the very life supporting ecosystem services of nature, which have led to the extinction of several living organisms thereby reducing floral and faunal biodiversity in different parts of the world. The ominous signs like global warming, increasing natural calamities, desertification, water scarcity and increasing incidence of environmental pollution related health problems in all countries irrespective of their economic stratum, has led to a widespread concern for environmental conservation all over the world. The churning among the leaders, intellectuals, visionaries as well as grass root level workers in the developmental

sphere has resulted in a model of development reconciling economic growth, social development and environment protection as interdependent and mutually supportive elements of long term development termed as sustainable development, as first concretized in the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. However there is long way to go towards achieving this very goal of sustainable development.

The underdeveloped and developing countries have more pressing priorities of achieving a higher level of economic development which often is in conflict with environmental conservation. The challenges for the developed countries in this regard may be different. Nevertheless the threats associated with degraded natural environment have severe consequences for all the countries in the years to come. However, it’s not just the natural environment that has been victimized by this dominant economic philosophy. It has altered the traditional living style and several underlying institutions evolved through continuous human-nature interactions over the years. These changes in institutions as well as living patterns also influence the conservation efforts significantly and often adversely. So, in this context, the discourses on environmental conservation and biodiversity are of great relevance for India and all the countries which have a great tradition of living in harmony with nature.

Based on this background, my interest in this JENESYS Group D programme was to learn more about the various initiatives in Japan as well as to learn more about the experiences of other Asia-Pacific countries from my fellow participants. It’s needless to mention here that the

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programme gave me an excellent opportunity to learn and I greatly benefited from the programme in terms of my understanding of the issues concerning environmental conservation. This programme has not only influenced my perspective of environmental issues in our country India, but also provoked my conscience to think about what happens beyond our political territory. The classroom lectures in the programme exposed me to a better understanding of issues like biodiversity conservation and its challenges, environmental conservation policies, and corporate role in environmental conservation as part of corporate social responsibility. The presentations by all my fellow participants were also very informative and sensitized me greatly about conservation issues in their respective countries. The most noteworthy thing about the programme was its extensive field exposure trips in the Kyushu region covering a wide range of issues. The site visit to the Ito campus of Kyushu University exposed us to the idea of the ability to plan a new university campus without any biodiversity loss. The lecture as well as the guided campus tours by Prof. Yahara was really enlightening. What if all the cities and human habitations all over the world had been planned like this? Maybe the world would have been a better place to live and we could have saved many of the extinct species. The city planners and architects of the modern world have lots of things to learn from this Ito campus experiment.

The visit to Yakushima Island exposed me to a variety of issues ranging from a new forest ecosystem to conservation practices. The lecture by young forest rangers and the subsequent interaction with them made us understand the uniqueness of the Island in terms of its importance as a World Natural Heritage Center and its biodiversity profile. The trekking in Yakusugi land and visit to Cedars like Kigen-Sugi was exciting. The idea of having a museum like the Yakusugi Nature Museum to sensitize visitors about the ecosystem of Yakushima Island is impressive and the visit to this museum reminds us of the age-old human-nature resource interaction. Visits to other places of ecological importance on the Island like Nagata Inakahama beach, Nakama Gajumaru Banyan, Senpiro and Ohko waterfalls, was a wonderful experience. The splendid scenic beauty of these places will never fade away from my memory. Apart from such trekking and visits, lectures and interactions with several resource persons during our stay in Yakushima Island has enriched my understanding of ecosystem functioning as well as conservation efforts of both government and non-government organizations.

Our visit to Minamata educated us about the grave

threats of industrial pollution to the very existence of human civilization. Though I was aware of this infamous Minamata disease from newspapers and other published sources, the visit to this city and face-to-face interaction with the victims over dinner as well as at Minamata Hotaru no ie made my understanding about this tragedy much better. The suffering of the victims even today bears the poignant testimony of such environmental tragedies and callousness of public authorities when it comes to dealing with such cases. Several victims are yet to be identified and rehabilitated even after all these years. But what is noteworthy is the response of the city authority in cleaning up the pollutants released to sea by Chisso factory and subsequent eco-friendly initiatives ranging from municipal solid waste management to legislations to regulate the emission of pollutants. Many countries have their own Minamatas and unfortunately many of them don’t really recognize these as environmental tragedies. These are just industrial accidents for them. The irony is that few countries have learned the lessons from such incidents and many such tragedies are in the offing in different places around the world. The Minamata Disease Municipal Museum is also a wonderful idea to sensitize global citizens about the grave consequences of such problems. Such museums should be planned in all of the places that have seen such tragedies.

The visit to Isahaya Bay exposed us to the problem of excessive human interference in the natural process of ecosystem functioning and its resultant loss of valuable marine and aquatic diversity. The very idea of ‘reclaiming bays’ is regressive. Is it reclamation or encroachment? It symbolizes the obsession of greedy human beings to conquer nature and control natural processes. Nature has responded to these encroachments in the form of ecological tragedies. Here in Isahaya bay too, the Guillotine project resulted in not just loss of biodiversity in the sea but several environmental problems like toxic ‘aoko’ algal blooms, deoxygenation of sea-bed water and red tides on the other side of the dam. This project has also affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen adversely. Our interaction with fishermen informed us of how bountiful the sea was to them before this intervention. We often fail to understand the profundity of natural processes and their complexities and end up in planning such shortsighted projects.

So with all of this exposure to a variety of situations, I have gained a new insight to the approach of studying environmental issues. The programme has not only enriched me with Japanese experiences but also similar experiences in different countries from which my fellow

86 Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development: a Perspective from JENESYS Group D Programme

participants belong to. We had several formal as well as informal occasions to discuss these issues among the participants and resource persons. The group presentations on the final day was a brilliant idea and made our professional interaction much deeper. So the programme provided us a great platform for future interactions across disciplines, occupations and national boundaries. Apart from this professional networking, my participation in this programme enhanced my appetite to learn more about the underlying institutions in Japan which made some efforts successful and at the same time allowed some activities that resulted in ecological tragedies. Maybe my country as well as all countries need to understand this and learn from it, for a better future.

The sightseeing tour to Nagasaki reminded us of the tragedies caused by mindless actions of so-called civilized nations of the world. It was a different feeling to visit the peace park, ground zero venue and the museum in Nagasaki. The interaction with the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo was also very encouraging.

I don’t have words to express my feelings about the warm hospitality offered by Japan Foundation and all the logistic arrangements during the whole trip.

Apart from these educational tours and visits, the most exciting aspect of the programme was our social life during these two weeks. There was a wonderful chemistry among all the participants. We started with our national identities but at the end, we were citizens of a single earth living in different places. There was something unique about the programme that made our regional identities disappear in just two weeks. We even did things together in our free time. The way the whole programme was planned was simply superb and is a model in itself. I will never forget that sake night in the ryokan (Japanese style Inn). In fact, all the occasions that we spent in group are exceptionally memorable. This programme has not just enriched my knowledge and experiences but also endowed me with many wonderful brothers and sisters from different corners of the world.

87

“On Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation”

Arianto A. PATUNRU (Indonesia)Head, Institute for Economic and Social Research, Department of Economics, University of Indonesia (LPEM-FEUI)

Mr. Patunru received his master in Policy Economics and International Economics in 2000 and PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Economics, and Econometrics in 2004 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Working at the department and Environmental Council as a research assistant during this period, he later pursued his career as a lecturer and as a researcher mainly focusing on trade, natural resource and environmental economics. He also actively writes many journal articles and reports in many fields.

This essay consists of three parts. The first part expresses my expectations for this 2009 JENESYS Group D Program, ex ante. It is a revised version of my motivation essay that was required as part of the application to the program. The second part contains what I learned during and after completing the program. Finally, the third part teases out, albeit suggestively, what the group might do to continue the network and to contribute to the good cause of preserving the world’s biodiversity.

Part One: Joining the Good CauseMy main motivation to participate in the JENESYS Program this year was firstly its theme, namely “Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development.” Sustainable development has long been one of my key interests. I am afraid that current economic practices might have overlooked, or at best underestimated, the role of the underlying fundamentals that support all three aspects of development: economic, social, and environmental. Such fundamentals involve sustainable development whose idea is to strike a balance between the three dimensions as well as across generations.

Secondly, the term biodiversity itself can not be more relevant and timely for Indonesia. The country has the largest collection of biodiversity in the world. Alas, it has been abandoning the potentials and at the same time allowing developmental practices in a business-as-usual manner, that deteriorates biodiversity at large.

As for environmental conservation, complementarities between environment and development is, I think, not a

myth -- as some people have come to believe. It is true that in the early stages of development, some environmental resources need to be used as factors to ensure economic advancement. However, as the economy progresses, technological innovation as well as human capability will allow more environmentally friendly development practices. Indeed, it is a necessary condition to sustain development. I expected that by participating in this program, I could learn more on how biodiversity can help conserve the environment and hence lend itself to the pursuance of sustainable development.

In addition, the program could further accommodate my interest in elaborating the interconnection between economic growth and environment. I would like to contribute to the debate of the trade-off between preserving the natural environment and pursuing economic growth and development. I believe such trade-off has been overstated. Discourse about climate change; for example, have many times been blown out of proportion, or else been completely and falsely ignored. What really matters for a country like Indonesia, for example, is how it could respond to the climate change problem while still being able to manage its energy demand, natural resources supply and to ensure the progress of poverty alleviation. Environmental issues (including energy, natural resources, and environmental conservation) might not be very popular in Indonesia at present, as people are more concerned about malnutrition, hunger, and infrastructure. But sooner or later, all the environmental problems will become major issues to be considered. In my role as a researcher as well as an educator at the University of

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Indonesia, I believe that this issue is extremely important. And that is why I looked forward to visiting Japan under this program, so that I could directly learn from and discuss this problem with experts. With that, my expectations were to be able to contribute more to the discourse in Indonesia when I returned home.

Part Two: Feeling the Biodiversity – and Its Problems

Once again I come to realize the importance of ‘being there.’ Economics, my discipline, has powerful tools to help analyze what people do based on historical observations on what the people in question have been doing. Most of the time, such ‘observation’ includes mainly statistics or data collected by somebody else or part of something else, e.g. household surveys, etc. Usually these are sufficient in inferring and predicting what people with the defined characteristics would do, under specific circumstances. Such inferences would be useful as part of a basis for policy making.

But there are times when such a typical approach will not work. That is when historical data are lagging or simply non-existent. Environmental and natural resources issues in general or biodiversity in particular fall into this category. One cannot make an informed decision about whether or not to preserve a certain degree of biodiversity (or simply, a particular species) only based on official statistics on (human) income, population, and at best basic counts of flora and fauna. This becomes even more difficult when such a decision involves spending public money, i.e. taxpayers’ money. Taxpayers are humans – and not uniform: there are people who love to see their money end up financing biodiversity preservation; but there are other people, with the same rights, who prefer their money going to building another school or a hospital. Here, even though economics might lend a useful framework, namely, cost-benefit analysis for public goods, it stops short of providing data. It might be easy to measure the direct costs of biodiversity preservation; but less so on the benefit side. Who will benefit from one less vanishing species? How would they benefit? For how long? What is the aggregate amount, i.e. the social benefits of such action?

That is why visiting the field becomes very critical: to get a sense of what the benefits are. Obviously a field visit is not just going to the field to observe nature but it also means interacting with people: locals, businesses, and government officials – all the stakeholders, if possible.

This JENESYS Group D program designed by The Japan Foundation is commendable. It allows the participants to get just what we (at least I) need as laid out above. I

even started to accumulate valuable lessons from the first lectures while still in Tokyo. After that, the real journey began. We visited, among all, Kyushu University whose natural landscape and development plan takes biodiversity into account very seriously; Yakushima Island where we observed first hand how the honor of being officially designated as one of the world’s heritage sites might bring in more and more tourists and hence become a risk against nature itself; Minamata, a place famous for its tragic case leading to what known as ‘Minamata Disease;’ and Isahaya Bay where tension between farmers and fishermen reflects that between agriculture and fishing businesses, and to some extent institutional conflicts in the bureaucracy.

What I learned most from the field visits and the cases we encountered is the fact that first, as confirms my long-standing belief, there is always some degree of trade-off between economic progress and environmental or natural conservation (biodiversity included), at least in the short run. But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, that this is not simple. In fact, when it comes to the biodiversity issue, the problem is far more complicated than arguably any other environmental case. Take the Kyushu University case.

The development of Kyushu University’s new campus obviously involved a huge amount of money, and hence interests. Yet, the presentation by Prof. Tetsukazu Yahara made it very clear that all vested interests had been brought into agreement, in favor of biodiversity preservation in that area. (This includes major amendments to the otherwise biodiversity-unfriendly blue print of the campus development). It is hard to imagine that the process was as smooth as silk. Of course compromises must have been needed. But the fact that the campus was built that way implies that the society values biodiversity more than its absence. This might not be the case in other places, nevertheless. Would the same degree of willingness to preserve biodiversity be found in a remote area on an Indonesian island? May be not that big? This is why capturing people’s preferences becomes important in order to be able to infer their willingness to pay for such causes.

Similarly, we need to measure the importance of natural conservation on Yakushima Island in the eyes of different stakeholders: locals, visitors, businesses, etc., before we are able to determine the optimal number of tourists the island can take, in a given period. Success or failure to do this would have an impact on the economy of Yakushima Island as well as on its award-winning natural landscape and all of the heritage that goes with it. In fact, being designated as one of the world’s beautiful sites is dilemmatic: it raises

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the island to a world level prestige but at the same time, such a magnet might invite careless tourists. Developing systems to minimize negative impacts on the environment (e.g. a tourist tracking system, an incentive-disincentive system geared toward environmental care, etc.) is one way to solve this dilemma. But again, it might be costly. This in turn means certain reallocations of public funding for preservation purposes. Yes it is a short run reallocation, so it is possible to justify it when the long run benefits are in the equation.

Next, the Minamata case. Even though the case is not directly about biodiversity, it gives a picture on a grander scale: environment-economy dilemma. The Minamata case is another example of a trade off between economic pursuit and environmental (and then health) sacrifice. This is always a very difficult problem everywhere in the world. But what makes the Minamata case special is that it seems that Japanese society (business, government, and public at large) could have done something to at least reduce the risk if the expected consequences had been more disclosed by the Cisso factory at that time. The fact that this was not the case also revealed a social preference at the time before (and even during the time) the disease broke out: the area and the society needed the factory to drive the local economy. The accident happened already. And people (both Japanese and other people in the world) have learned a priceless lesson: impact assessment is pivotal. Minamata has taught the world how turning a blind eye to it could lead to catastrophic results.

Finally, Isahaya Bay is a demonstration of a property rights problem. Before the dispute between fishermen and farmers of the ‘new land’ took place, the bay was common property. Everybody had the right to do whatever he wanted there. Then gradually ‘ownership’ was shaped by whoever was stronger in the area. Even though there seems to be no clear assignment of property rights, the farmers in the ‘new land’ are benefited by the dykes installed on the bay to separate the water/currents. Fishermen on the other hand were disadvantaged as the fish biodiversity was destroyed by the change in the water environment. In the aggregate, the economy might seem fine. But reallocation within it might be very problematic. There are fishermen whose income dropped significantly (or who were even forced to quit), but there maybe some new farmers that enjoy a windfall. Of course simply switching the fate (e.g. by removing the dykes) might not be the right solution. Any analysis needs to focus on what is the impact on the public at large. As for the reallocation caused, we need to find some kind of compensation mechanism. This is where the role of government (both central and local)

becomes very important. Unfortunately, even in the government there is a certain degree of conflicting interests (for example between agricultural and environmental agencies). So the problem is more complicated than just some tension between two groups of a society; it also involves bureaucratic and governmental issues. Again, a measure of how a dyke (or no dyke) benefits the people is called for.

Part Three: Envisioning What Lies AheadThe program has met my expectations – and I have the impression that it has met those of others as well. Yes, it brings about more questions than answers, but it is definitely a good thing. Being able to frame the right question is part of the solution already, as the wise men put it. One thing is for sure: a cost-beneficial approach can be useful even in a non-economic sphere, as in the case of preserving biodiversity. However, it would involve a far more complicated process to finally come up with a number. The bigger challenge lies in the calculation of benefits. Going into the fields and feeling directly what it means to have biodiversity intact, for example, is one good way to get a sense of such benefits.

Going into the field also includes meeting with people. Different people have different interests, which are often conflicting. Finding a common goal can be very challenging. Nevertheless, it is critical in order to be able to proceed. So it is fair to say that the biggest challenge in the near future is defining a common goal among very many different interests.

The JENESYS program invited different people from different backgrounds. What was interesting was that we enjoyed the program and mingled so much that we could actually come into agreement (e.g. that biodiversity is important, and is a good cause to fight for). No, we have not gone so far as to pinning down the monetary value of preservation. But it is a matter of time. Valuation is a cross-disciplinary job. Certainly in this business, an economist is useless without help from the ecologist or botanist or aquatic expert who tells him what kind of species are at stake; from the environmental activist who tells him what advantages people can harvest from leaving the forest intake; from the media who spread the good cause, and from the government who has the power to reallocate resources.

Thanks to the JENESYS program, we now know each other well. That’s a good first step toward a continuing network. We hope to keep this rolling.

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“To reach on common goal for the Earth”

Narae JEONG (Republic of Korea)Coordinator for Special Committee to Counter the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Incident, Korea Federation for Environmental Movement

Ms. Jeong graduated from Ajou University in 2002, majoring in French literature and language. In 2008, she got her current position at Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) as a coordinator, coordinating environmental activities with focus on interaction with local people of the area where oil pollution has become critical, and also organizing exhibitions and civil campaigns to establish an awareness of ecology.

PrologueMy 12 days in Japan with an international group participating in Japan Foundation activities was a very useful and surprising experience. I appreciate their detailed preparation of our program without any delay or cancellations. We were able to learn not only the notion of “bio-diversity,” but also about “Japan,” through films, explanations on bus, and the fantastic experience of a “Hot Spring”.

2009 Korea -Crisis with MB (Mr. Lee, the President) on democracy and environmentAfter exponential growth, often referred to as the “Miracle on the Han River” lead by Mr. Park (dictator. assassinated in 1979), Koreans have thought of nature only as a target to be developed. The result has been large-scale reclamation, construction of dams and highways and the straightening of rivers. In 2009, Korea is facing its worst crisis. The Four River Improvement Project (budget: 15 billion USD) involves dredging, construction of dikes, dams, and beams across rivers. All life based on the rivers is endangered under heavy machinery. Citizen’s candlelight demonstrations weren’t enough to block this environmental disaster project.

NGO for environment and biodiversity in Korea Korea has environmental NGOs (KFEM-Korea Federation for Environmental Movement, Green Korea United, Korea Green Foundation, CMEJ etc.) with considerable membership and history. However, these days Korean NGOs are losing ground on acute strategies to conserve our environment because of quantitative developments

without ample knowledge. These include projects where Korean officials engage only in “Desktop Administration.” It is predicted that restricted campaigns toward certain targets will end them. KFEM started an antipollution campaign in 1991 and gained successful results. Biodiversity is not a familiar notion yet among the public. It is recognized only in the academic field. Climate change can be felt directly in the city these days. KFEM is looking for alternative campaigns to communicate with a new public, who have already started making social changes.

Japanese Green Examples - Before joining the JENESYS program I had found examples of “green” from some Japanese writers; <Tanoshii Fuben> by Fukuoka Kensei, <Slow life 100 No Keyword> by Tsuji Shinnichi etc. I respect those who consider the problems in today’s society and practice what they preach. I was still wondering how the Japanese government and local NGOs could cooperate efficiently to conserve the environment. I went to Japan to find examples of communication with role sharing between private and public groups.

JENESYS Group D - “Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity”The first two lectures from Prof. Tetsukazu Yahara and Dr. Hiroki Oikawa were a good introduction to this program with basic explanation, concrete examples and plenty of question time. The lessons I learned from Kyushu University’s new campus project and Teshima Island were; “Biodiversity is interesting enough to enjoy it together!” and “It is better to use a disaster site wisely than to remember the results of human egoism.”

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We visited two successful sites of biodiversity conservation; Kyushu University and Yakushima Island. I came to the realization that the Japanese have overcome a part of their consumer society. They didn’t use any special tools or construct a huge center there, but just have a cute “Orange Center” and “Yakusugi Nature Museum” to show the importance of biodiversity. There, we were able to enjoy wild nature and to appreciate the efforts of those who helped us to do so. My favorite thing was the narrow one-way road with Yaku-monkies. The hosts of this island and these roads were not human beings. We passed by them slowly, enjoying the wild nature. I can’t think of a similar case in Korea. I had always thought that Jeju Island the most beautiful place, where there will be a new construction project of a huge naval military base. Meeting with YOCA (NPO in Yaku) gave me another challenge and hope to work as campaigner. They are conducting very active and dangerous civil monitoring on Yakushima. It was started one person who was a foreigner. Slowly, he recruited local participation and support from the local government. The lessons I learned from the two on-site tours; Enjoyable ways to share biodiversity with the locals, and the importance of a round table of locals, NGOs and scholars, to co-operate efficiently together.

I saw Korea’s present and future at Minamata and Isahaya bay. Locals in Minamata were still suffering because of a reckless company - Chisso - and the government. I worry about the future of locals in Taean, the area affected by an oil spill, where I work. After a catastrophic oil spill (12,547 KL), the Korean government is putting all of its efforts into simply removing the “black” image and pouring a huge budget into converting the area into a tourist site. Considerable efforts are necessary in restoring the environment and local communities in Minamata and Taean. I heard that there haven’t been any government-led reclamation projects since Isahaya’s experience in Japan. I hope that this decision will influence other countries, including Korea. It is important not to repeat the same mistakes after realizing the results of one experience.

EpilogueI learned many things through Japanese cases and discussions with other participants who have various backgrounds. 1. Biodiversity is not a notion that comes from the desk.

It is an essential that includes all environmental issues.

2. Working together. Insisting on only my voice being

heard deprives me of the opportunity to persuade and communicate.

3. Civil monitoring by locals and non-locals – We can realize the real value of nature sharing together.

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“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: in search of Sustainable Development– Lessons Learned through the JENESYS Program”

Bounthanom BOUAHOM (Laos)Head, Natural Resource Research Unit, Agriculture and Forestry Policy Research CentreNational Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI)

Ms. Bouahom received her Bachelor of Arts in Geography at The National University of Laos in 2006. She currently works for The National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute of Laos (NAFRI) to develop a coordinated National Agriculture and Forestry Research System. Since 2007, as a program coordinator, she got involved in the national program called CATCH-UP Program (Comprehensive Analysis of Trajectories of Change in the Uplands).

First of all, I would like to thank in advance, the JENESYS Program under Japan Foundation for giving me this great opportunity. I feel very honored to be a part of this program, which gave me this chance to exchange knowledge with all of the friendly participants.

1. Brief country report As I was kindly asked to present a case study from my own country that was relevant to this seminar exchange program, I would like to introduce situation. Lao PDR is a landlocked country that shares its border with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China. Laos as a country has a great potential of natural resources, which serve as a strong base for development. The forest is an important source of food for the rural people and provides significant income for the local people. 95 percent of the rural population depends on agricultural production. Unfortunately, the last many years have witnessed heavy losses in biodiversity resources, due to the destruction of natural habitats caused by the unsustainable use of resources and increasing population pressures. These losses can be attributed to the population increase in rural areas, over-exploitation of NTFPs (Non-Timber Forest products) and wood resources made available through legal and illegal logging, and the absence of detailed planning. Furthermore, shifting cultivation practices, particularly pioneering shifting cultivation, the prevailing hunting and fishing practices and illegal trade of wildlife have accelerated the loss of the nation’s biodiversity. The

loss of forest cover and biodiversity each have short and long term negative impacts on the environment, socio-economic development, and particularly on the the livelihoods of the Lao people living in rural areas. Laos is a country with large amount of natural landscapes and vast areas with little human interaction. The land offers many opportunities for use and there is a variety of international claims for it. Mining, agribusiness, hydropower electricity… but also biodiversity conservation is among the most prominent claims. It is closely related to avoided deforestation. The international claims often clash with local and national interests such as food production: in rural areas of Laos, the direct links people have with natural resources are very strong. Their livelihoods directly depend on them: food is often collected directly from the forest or produced in small scale farming systems. The most important things for the concept of Environmental Conservation through sustainable development in Laos need more understanding.

2. Lessons learnt through this programI learnt a lot through the site study tours and discussions with stakeholders. I would like to say every case visited was very helpful for me to better understand each situation and to make comparisons with my own country.

The different lectures were interesting and important to compare the real situation by visiting the sites. In addition, great discussion from both sides; from the Japanese government, researchers and local people were satisfactory.

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The most important thing about this trip was that visiting different places gave me a better understanding of each Japanese situation and their problems event developed country but can not avoid the constraint and gaps as other developing countries. The most interested, I would like to learn new methods of tree transplantation as in case (1) New Ito Campus because it is an advanced technology for me: moving trees and planting them in other places. If I have chance to, I would like to present this concept to my institute, together with promoting tree planting by youth volunteers within building construction projects, because it is a hard activity. In this case, if we have a big enough budget to support them I would say it is good, but the day we do not have enough money, what will happen? I think the best way would be to promote tree planting and awareness of the project, based on the importance of environmental conservation. (2) Yakusima Island: it is a wonderful island. Part of its forest has been designated as a protected world heritage. So, its attractiveness brings more and more tourists to the island. The conservationists worry about the impact on the forest and surrounding species. By the way, I am not sure if this will become a big problem when I compare it with my own country When I discussed this with others in my group presentation, I did not see any negative points from our field surveys on Yakusima Island. I would say it is a perfect case. I would like to add more on trekking in Yakushima Land. It is amazing land with great nature, where big old trees (Yakusugi tree and Cedar) are alive. Being involved in wildlife conservation is fantastic. I was especially impressed to see dear and monkeys living together like best friends in the forest. (3) Minamata disease: it is difficult to explain how it was. Although, it was a sad story as an historic major environmental problem, I had great discussions with some of the patients. Everything they told me was very sad and I could not imagine how it must have been. Was it a real story? I would like to thank them for kindly sharing their sad experiences with us. (4) Isahaya Bay: It was a good opportunity for me to have the chance to exchange ideas with fishermen and staff who are working in the Land Reclamation Project. When we visited the site of the Land Reclamation Project, I had some questions in my mind regarding Isahaya Bay: What are the conflicts between the government and fisherman? (The government would like to provide irrigation for farming agriculture, but fishermen would like the government to open the water gates).

As I have mentioned above, I think my country statute reminds me to learn from Japan, to acquire knowledge and experience to contribute to the growth and development

of my country in the future. As a participant, I was quieter than the others were, because some of the issues were new concepts for me to discuss. I found Isahaya Bay to be an especially interesting case to study. We need to consider both sides; the government and the local people. It is important to look at government planning before construction and monitor the potential of each activity. I am interested in this case, as I am a government official as a researcher working under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. I will carry on working on environmental conservation as my main responsibility in the Environment Policy Research Section at the Agriculture and Forestry Policy Research Centre.

However, I really enjoyed learning about different ideas from all participants, especially from important Japanese sources. It was my goal to go to Japan to learn about environmental concepts and environment problems in this program. I feel that I reached my goal and I really learned and experienced something that I will never forget. I will save all of my experiences and lessons I learned during this program, from each participant who came from a different country and different background. We were able to share opinions as well, especially during group activities. In addition, I now have a better understanding of NGO and government views. I am very satisfied that I had the opportunity to be involved in this program. All participants were very kind to me and I hope to meet every one again in my own country. This program created a group network based on biodiversity. The group is a potential network for communication with each other and for our careers in the future.

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“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”

Saidal UDIN (Malaysia)Assistant Manager, Batu Puteh Community Eco-Tourism Cooperative (KOPEL Bhd.)

Mr. Udin started his career as a volunteer at KOPEL soon after his graduation from educational institute. For over seven years at KOPEL, he deeply involved in KOPEL activities to develop an alternative path of co-existence with the remaining rainforest resources and generate a sustainable long-term economic development for the local people of the Lower Kinabatangan (Malaysia’s largest designated wetland under the Ramsar Convention) by introducing “Eco-Tourism.” His work includes organizing tour-programs and effective solutions for people in the community.

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to Japan Foundation for giving me a chance to attend this programme. This, my first trip to Japan, was profound for historic, environmental and cultural reasons. It is totally different from my country, Malaysia. What a beautiful country, lots of memories and education that I will never forget.

In my country, in areas where forest resource extraction is depleted or protected, tourism is often touted as being a potential economic activity, especially for rural communities. Given the present downward trend of timber volumes, from Sabah’s commercial forest reserves, it would seem that tourism would provide a potential alternative economic solution to the drop in rural income. Even so, in Sabah today, there are still not many examples where tourism has been an effective alternative solution. This descriptive study examines an increasingly popular community-based ecotourism initiative, called the MESCOT initiative, which has now been ongoing for more than 10 years in lower Kinabatangan (eastern Sabah). The MESCOT Initiative has established a tourism cooperative in the three villages surrounded by the Pin Supu Forest Reserves (a protected area). The cooperative successfully operates a village homestay programme, forest habitat restoration, and wildlife tourism activities in and around the Pin –Supu forest reserve. The study provides an analysis of the ongoing community-based ecotourism activities, the process of developing them, and the future potential of this activity. The study demonstrates some of the actual costs and benefits of this kind of ecotourism initiative. The study also uncovers a number of external environment factors that appear to assist, or hinder, rural

community-based ecotourism development in Sabah.The theme of the programme was particularly relevant

to me, as biodiversity is hardly greater anywhere than Malaysian Borneo. It is important that we protect that diversity by working sustainably with our environment. The JENESYS programme helped me to understand how economic development can affect the environment and biodiversity. It helped me to understand the ways in which any development should take into account this impact. Development very important to both countries and individuals, but we must work to ensure that the cost to the planet is not more than it can afford.

The programme also helped me to think about how KOPEL can work sustainably, both on a day to day basis and as we work to achieve our long term plan.

My visit to Japan was a truly inspirational experience. It was amazing to see how conservation is managed in another country and culture, and to see such a variety of places and projects. I found the Isahaya Bay Reclamation project very interesting as there are also awes of reclaimed land in Malaysia, and reclamation is likely to be proposed increasingly with rising sea levels. The project showed disruption to wildlife and fisheries that needs to be considered in other areas.

The visit to Yakushima Island was especially relevant to me as it bears similarities to the MESCOT community tourism initiative. Though the Yakushima Center is currently managed by an NGO, it was possible to see how community links might develop in the near future. I also found the sites relating to Minamata disease very moving, as a poignant example of how authority action on inaction can destroy both the environment and the lives

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of ordinary people.An important part for me of the JENESYS programme

was meeting with representatives from across East Asia. It was very interesting and inspiring to exchange ideas and experience with other people working on a variety of conservation and development projects. It raised many new ideas on ways of sustainable development particularly in environmental conservation that we can continue to rely on in the future.

On a personal level, taking part in this programme has helped me to see ways that KOPEL can continue to develop, grow and improve in the future. It has also helped me to think about, develop my leadership and communicate skills, which I can use on a daily basis, in my work for KOPEL.

96

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity:In Search of Sustainable Development”

Haymar HEIN (Myanmar)Deputy Programme Officer, Department of Agriculture Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation

Ms. Hein received her master’s degree in Agricultural Economics at School of Agriculture, Kyushu University in 2007. After that, she has been involving in many projects, including National Bio-safety Framework Project, run by Myanmar government in accordance with the overall objective of the UNEP programme in 2004. Also, she actively communicates with international non-government organizations and other public/private institutions to promote regional collaboration in bio-safety issues and reconstruction work for Cyclone victims.

First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Japan Foundation and the coordinators of JENESYS program for giving me this great opportunity to participate and learn about Japanese environmental conservation through biodiversity. During my stay in Japan, I immensely enjoyed the wonderful program, lectures, awesome scenery, and meeting with young future leaders of environmental preservation from other countries. I gained quite a lot of valuable knowledge and experience about biodiversity, the ecosystem and natural environmental conservation.

Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today. Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns causing rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather. Biodiversity is the foundation of life on earth and one of the pillars of sustainable development. The richness and variety of life on earth make possible the ecosystem services on which we depend: clean water, food, shelter, medicine and clothing. Environments rich in biodiversity are resilient when stricken by natural disasters. All of this is of particular importance for the poorest citizens of our world.

From this program, I was able to understand the concept, laws and regulations surrounding biodiversity, diversification of biodiversity, the important role of biodiversity and its preservation through the conservation of the environment for human beings as well as all other living organisms. While visiting Yakushima Island, I learned of a conflict between environment and natural resource conservation, and tourism, economic progress and pollution. Although more visitors coming to this

island means more investment and incentive contributions to economic growth, at the same time, because most visitors do not necessarily appreciate the nature to an adequate extent, they might actually endanger the existing environment.

We also discussed Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. The main products of the Chisso Minamata factory include liquid crystal, preservatives, desiccants, chemical fertilizers, and synthetic resins. Chisso factory discharges its wastewater into the sea where it causes pollution affecting fish and shellfish and thus destroying the environment. As a result, damage to human health occurs and the community receives a strong impact. Environmental pollution by toxic substances results in serious damages such as health problems and destruction of the living environment. From an economic point of view, it is clear that these activities are not economical choices because the measures taken to correct the damages done require a large amount of money and a great deal of time compared to the measures needed to prevent them in the first place.

The Isahaya Land Reclamation project in Ariake Sea is one such case that has led to a significant decline in marine and aquatic species diversity. In this bay, there is a conflict between agricultural farming and fisheries, which has in turn led to institutional conflicts between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, local government and national government. In particular, all of these institutions should discuss the important role of conserving the biodiversity of marine and aquatic species and its impact on socio-economic conditions of local

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people and organizations, so as to find a modus vivendi under which each of them bring forth their main objectives as effectively as can be.

Myanmar is an agrarian country and agriculture is the backbone of our economy. About 70% of our population lives in rural areas and these people have dynamic and complex livelihoods, which usually rely on a diversity of plant animal species, both wild and domesticated. Diversity (i.e. farmers’ varieties or landraces) is also remarkable among species domesticated for crop and livestock production, and results from rural people’s innovations. Such agricultural diversity is vital insurance against crop and livestock disease outbreaks, and improves the long-term resilience of rural livelihoods to adverse trends or shocks. Agricultural biodiversity is increasingly threatened by the adoption of high-yielding, uniform cultivars and varieties in ’modern’ monoculture.

I feel that JENESYS has empowered me with more knowledge that I can apply to our country’s environmental conservation. Inle Lake in the eastern part of Myanmar is a multipurpose lake for the residents nearby. At the downstream, conservation activities such as sediment dredging of waterways in the lake is a major activity. The amount of dredging is increased each year. The costs of bearing the sediments directly go to society downstream. Inside the lake area, however, floating garden agriculture, which mainly uses deposited silt soil from the bottom of the lake, is able to yield a high income for the residents so much so that the floating garden area increased from 3,960 ha in 1990 to 4,478 ha in 2003. Soil erosion causes decreasing productivity of upland farms and imposes dredging costs for waterways downstream. On the other hand, the eroded silt and fertile topsoil are deposited in the lake and are used extensively in the floating garden industry. Thus, soil erosion in the Inle Lake watershed has economic costs and benefits.

In the case of Myanmar, there is an urgent need to promote sustainable agricultural intensification and sound management of natural resources, with increased emphasis on semi-arid zones in the central part of the country, with fragile soils, limited rainfall, and widespread poverty. Natural resource degradation in such regions often results from or is exacerbated by poverty, inadequate property rights, inappropriate technology, and lack of access to markets and credit. Rural poverty is often caused by inadequate opportunities to intensify agricultural production. Thus, sustainable agricultural intensification is essential to alleviate poverty and to manage natural resources.

Through my experiences, I would like to highlight

some of the important recommendations to promote sustainable agricultural intensification, with particular emphasis in low potential regions:-1) Expansion of public and private-sector investments

in infrastructure, particularly irrigation facilities and roads, market development, natural resource conservation, and agricultural research.

2) Provision of incentives to farmers and communities to implement integrated soil fertility programs and to undertake activities needed to restore degraded lands.

3) Establishment of farmers’ participatory irrigation water management systems to make better use of existing water supplies by providing appropriate incentives to water users and improving procedures for water allocation.The tasks ahead of us in search of sustainable

development for increased productivity in the agricultural sector are challenging. This has been one of the driving forces, which has kept me actively participating in developing our country’s economy through increased productivity in the agricultural sector, with sustainable environmental conservation, by putting into practice all that I have learned from this program. It is a great privilege, having the opportunity to give something back to my country, despite how insignificant my efforts involved might have been. I believe that by carrying out all of these essential activities, we can manage to conserve our environment as well as protect and sustain biodiversity resources both locally and globally. For me, it has been a wonderful journey filled with hope and joy, just to have served as a small block of the building that is the future of our nation. I would like to conclude this report by reiterating how grateful I feel for the opportunity, pleasure, and privilege of participating in the JENESYS programme that you so kindly and generously extended.

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“Learning from Human Diversity to Manage Bio-diversity”

Rebekah J. M. FULLER (New Zealand)Student (PhD Candidate), Botany Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa

Ms. Fuller is a PhD candidate in Environmental Science, specializing in Botany Ethnobotany track at University of Hawaii at Manoa under New Zealand government scholarship program. In 2008, she was nominated to one of four working groups on Bioprospecting for gathering biological resources information for environmental conservation and for making effective strategy. As an advisor sitting on this working group, she discusses the inter-related issues of access to New Zealand’s biological resources, and specifically Maori traditional knowledge about these resources with experts and provides effective policy options.

Biodiversity is a main source of society’s food and materials. It also provides important ecosystem services, for example nutrient cycling, and products such as clean water. Even though biodiversity may be considered important for these reasons there is a spectrum of approaches to its use and management. At one end of the spectrum is the unsustainable destruction of resources for short term gains and at the other is sustainable use of resources for future generations. The question is then how do we promote and encourage this sustainable use of biodiversity? I propose that collectively we possess the means to manage biodiversity sustainably. These learning’s are held within our cultural diversity and in order to sustainable manage biodiversity in the future we must share these learning’s with each other.

The aim of this Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme was to discuss the tension between economic development and sustaining biodiversity. During our time we had the opportunity to share learning’s from our different countries and cultural perspectives. We were also invited to learn about and discuss Japan’s approach to biodiversity issues. Four key approaches to biodiversity management stand out for me from this program. These key approaches are a local, regional and global approach to biodiversity management, the importance of education, best practice models and the idea of being resourceful. The following discussion is based on how these four approaches to biodiversity management can have a positive influence on outcomes for both communities and biodiversity.

The first is the local, regional and global approach to biodiversity management. Being involved in the program

made me realize management of biodiversity is a shared responsibility. This is based on the ideas biodiversity has no boarders. For example migrant shore birds are provided protected habitat through the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Another example is the threats from invasive species and plant pathogens. Efforts such as the continued commitment to Conference of Parties 10 provide an important forum at an international level to communicate and share learning’s. It has grounds for researchers, conservation workers and policy analysts to communicate on biodiversity issues. The JENESYS program provided me with the opportunity to develop an understanding that biodiversity needs to be and can be managed at a local, regional and global level.

The second key approach is the incorporation of education for the effective management of biodiversity. One of our group presentations demonstrated how education provides three different points of entry to engaging the general public and stakeholders. The first point of entry is the general media. This provides a vehicle to engage with the general public, either for attracting support for projects or raising awareness on issues. The second point of entry is to provide opportunities for the general public to learn through interpretation about the special characteristics of an area. The third is the use of education as a major tool for engaging with stakeholders and retaining volunteers. As an integral component of community engagement and raising awareness of the value of biodiversity, education is an important tool for researchers, conservation workers and policy analysts to sustainably manage biodiversity.

The third key approach is developing and sharing biodiversity management best practice models.

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Development of best practice models requires a suitable forum in which to share and discuss best practice methodologies. Biodiversity would also benefit from the development of management strategies that incorporate both traditional and western science systems. For example ecological ethnobotany methods use traditional knowledge of harvesting practices to create sustainable resource management plans, including traditional performance indicators. It is also important to add an element of flexibility to best practice models as an inability to change or adapt to new situations could have a detrimental effect. Therefore there is a requirement to monitor all management actions and feed the results back into the model. Best practice models therefore should be considered as a foundation made viable with the addition of local and regional elements.

The fourth and final key approach is being resourceful. This idea tabled by Dr. Hiroki Oikawa focuses on the idea of resourcefulness as source of solutions for biodiversity management. I agree that there needs to be creativity and imagination in order to provide the best outcomes for stakeholders in managing their resources. Resourceful leaders are required especially when groups may not be willing to come to the table to talk about solutions to biodiversity management. It is important to find common goals in order for people at a local, regional and global level to manage biodiversity effectively. Resourceful leaders, in some cases outsiders, may be needed to start these discussions.

The aim of this program was to discuss the tension between economic development and sustaining biodiversity. I have outlined above four key approaches to managing biodiversity that stood out for me. They are a local, regional and global approach to biodiversity management, the importance of education, best practice models and the idea of being resourceful. One of the key themes for me personally has been the opportunity JENSYS has provided me to realize that we collectively posses the means to sustainably manage biodiversity. The challenge is how we, as people, from different cultures find a common ground from which to communicate. As an ethnobotanist the most basic way in which people interact with biodiversity is through food. I personally think food is an important factor in providing a link to biodiversity for all peoples. Providing a common ground for people, such as food, is imperative to managing biodiversity sustainably.

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“Building a Global Community through Biodiversity”

Vincent John D. OLIVEROS (Philippines)Restoration Coordinator/ Biosand Filter Technician, Palawan Conservation Corps

Mr. Oliveros received his Bachelor of Science in Forestry at Mindanao State University in 2003. He started to get involved in activities of Palawan Conservation Corps (PCC), dedicated to the empowerment of youth and community by developing environmental education and job skills. As a community organizer, facilitator and lecturer at PCC, he supports hands-on training in organic farming, forestry management, and appropriate technology.

The whole 12 days that I stayed in Japan was so very fruitful. I arrived at the airport at around 9 o ‘clock at night and one of the staff from the Japan Foundation holding my name tag, was waiting for me at the arrival area. She gave me a brief orientation about Japan while I waiting for the bus. While on the bus I was thinking about how I can contribute to the organization (Japan Foundation) and what I will do in this program and so I was trying to remember my motivation letter as my guide. I reached the Tokyo Prince Hotel at around 11 o ‘clock. When I get off the bus, I noticed that there was another guy named Bibhu from India, who was also participating in the JENESYS Programme. One of the staff of Japan Foundation met us at the hotel and said that we were the last ones to arrived and he gave us the keys to our room. That was my first day in Japan.

Our second day was when we would meet the other participants. 16 participants from different Asian and Oceanian countries were to participate in the JENESYS Programme. Mr. Yojiro, also known as Yoyo, gave us a short orientation about the history of the JENESYS Programme. He mentioned that the goal of the program is to strengthen solidarity in East Asia including Oceania and to promote mutual understanding among the younger generation in the region. Every participant introduced themselves and their respective organizations.

Dr. Tetzukazu Yahara from Kyushu University talked about the importance of biodiversity. He discussed why our nature is so diversified. As I remember, he said that biodiversity has three components. The first is the ecosystem, the second species and the third, genes. All of these components are very complex but interconnected.

The value of biodiversity to human lives was also discussed. From the clothes that we wear, the food that we eat, medicines that we use when we get sick, to farm animals that we rely on to cultivate our land - all of these are basic needs in daily human life. He showed some graphs showing the mass extinction of species in different regions, not only in Japan but also in the Global scenario. On the same day, Dr. Hiroki Oikawa from Atomi University discussed different approaches to the conservation of biodiversity. He talked about the different strategies of the national government to conserve the nature and to prevent the extinction of some species.

In the afternoon session, every participant presented his or her country’s report in relation to biodiversity. Each participant was able to share, as well as to gain insight on the different initiatives conducted in their respective organization and country. Question and answer sessions were held after each presentation. It was quite interesting to learn of the different actions and programs regarding environmental protection, particularly the conservation of biodiversity. Before the end of the day, the participants were divided into three groups to make presentations on the last day of the program.

On the third day, Dr. Tomohiko Hideta, Assisting Director of Natural Environment Strategy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau under the Ministry of Environment, talked about the approaches taken by the Japanese Government towards the conservation of nature. Biodiversity strategies, COP 10 and SATOYAMA Initiatives were shown as clear conservation approaches.

During our visit to the Kyushu University, Ito campus, Dr. Yahara explained to us how the Conservation Biological

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Diversity (CBD) approach is conducted in the area. The main target of this biological approach was no species loss and no forest loss in the area of 275 hectares. At first, I thought it was not possible, but was really impressed, when he explained the translocation conservation strategy. Every species and every habitat they belong to is translocated using big machines and manpower. We walked around the campus and visited some areas of the translocated ponds to where frogs and other amphibians are translocated. He mentioned that they used camera tracking with infra-red ray sensors to monitor the mammals in the area. After the visit to Kyushu University, we left Fukuoka for Yakushima.

Before our dinner, rangers from Yakushima World Heritage Conservation Center led by Seishu Okuda made a presentation on activities conducted in the area. They showed the different interesting sites in the island such as falls, deer and monkeys, the 3000 year-old cedar tree and nice view from the top of the mountain. They also shared the challenges they encounter in the area such as toilet problems and how to bring the waste from the mountain. There was a question and answer period during dinner. Mr. Arianto from Indonesia suggested the possibility of charging visitors a certain amount for maintenance and to hire more rangers in the area. The response was that they have not tried it yet. After dinner we were invited to experience the onsen, an authentic Japanese bathing spa, which I considered great experience for us. While bathing, we exchanged ideas and opinions about Yakushima.

On the next day, all of us were ready to visit the Yakusugi Nature Museum and the 3,000 year-old cedar tree. The objective of the visit to the museum and to the tree was not only to see the old cedar, but most importantly, to learn about the co-existence of Yakusugi trees and human beings. It was really important to know how the people practice environmental conservation and how they properly manage the area. Yakushima Island is very well known in Japan for the high level of environmental awareness among the people, particularly in biodiversity. After the visit to the museum and the Kigen-sugi cedar, all of us had a chance to do some trekking in the Yakusugi area and we had a choice of a 30-minute, 50-minute, 80-minute or 150-minute course. During the trekking Dr. Yahara discussed some plants that are endemic to Yakushima Island. He also mentioned that these species were eaten by the deer and monkeys in the area. He described the vertical vegetation structure in the island. I raised a question to him as to why the roads were so narrow on the island and he said that it was in order to lessen environmental disturbance and destruction in the area. It had been his suggestion

to the committee on biological diversity in Yakushima to have a single lane road. At the end of the day, I realized how fortunate this island is because of its richness of biodiversity and the people who live in the area.

After visiting Yakushima Island, we moved on to Minamata City. During our dinner while wearing an authentic Japanese kimono in the hotel, we had the chance to listen to stories from victims of Minamata disease. According to Dr.Tani, the disease was caused by mercury contained in waste matter released into the Shiranui Sea from the Chisso Minamata Factory. In 1956, an unidentified disease outbreak was verified in Minamata. The disease was called strange disease since they didn’t have any idea where it really came from. They observed cats that seemed to be dancing after eating fish and then jumping into the sea so the disease was also called “dancing cat disease”. The disease was misunderstood and was thought to be communicable. As a result, a lot of patients were discriminated against for fear of the disease spreading to others. Mr. Ikoma shared his sufferings from the disease. He told us that when he was young, the disease was not that bad, but as he grows older, he feels the numbness in his fingers, blurred vision and difficulty in talking. All these sufferings were caused by the Minamata disease. There were also other individuals who shared their sufferings from the Minamata disease and just like Mr. Ikoma, they want to be compensated. They are presently lobbying to the government.

On the next day, we visit the Minamata Disease Museum. Dr. Tani showed us the different affected areas of mercury poisoning and the victims of Minamata disease. He elaborated on how people were infected with the mercury poisoning. Small fish that ate the waste would be eaten by bigger fish, which were caught by fishermen to be served at the dinner table. When I imagine and put myself to the situation of the victims, I can really feel their sufferings and struggles just to be compensated. Before we left Minamata City there were some questions in my mind. The people know the cause of the disease, that it was the waste-water from Chisso Corporation. Chisso sludge was reclaimed and the company is still continuously operating.The big question in my mind was, how sure are they, that the incident will not happen again?

On the following day, the group headed to the Isahaya Bay reclamation project. Along the way, two fishermen from that area gave us a short lecture on the reclamation project by the government. The purpose of this project was protection and prevention from disaster and the creation of prime agricultural land. They mentioned that people in the past started to reclaim the tidal flats and as of now it

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has a total area of 3,500 hectares. This land is currently being used as agricultural land by individuals and groups of people who are planting their crops. However, the reclamation project has had a huge negative impact on the fishermen and on biodiversity in the area. Installing a 7.2-kilometer dike also known as “Guillotines” across the Isahaya Bay has resulted in the massive decline of the Tairagi shellfish, which had once supported the local economy as one of the main catches. Local fishermen are lobbying for the opening of the guillotines. They believe that the opening of the water gates of the sea dike will be the solution for their problem, but the Japanese central government has refused this even for research purposes. One of the reasons for not opening the gates is to secure the reservoir water for agricultural crops. Local fishermen are still hoping that the water gates will be open if the government realizes that the natural status of the area should be maintained for a good and balanced ecology.

On the last day of the program, the participants divided into three groups were asked to make presentations of what we learned during the whole program. The presentations were categorized into two. Group A consisted of field workers, practitioners, coordinators and rangers. Group B and C were policy implementers, government officials and academe. In our group, we solicited ideas and suggestions from every member and summarized them. We also used some examples from our countries related to the topic we were tackling. After the presentations, questions were entertained for a clearer view of the topic discussed. At the end of the day, we had the opportunity to visit the office of the Japan Foundation for a debriefing and to make suggestions for the improvement of the program.

Participating in the JENESYS Programme was a big opportunity for me to deepen my understanding about the importance of biodiversity and its value to human lives. I learned a lot from my co-participants regarding their initiatives on the conservation of biodiversity. All of us who participated in the program agreed that it was not our last day, but rather the beginning, for all of us to build a global community through biodiversity. Biological diversity is an asset, which brings benefits in parts to the entire world. Because of human greed, we have already forgotten how to maintain the diversity of these benefits. We did not realize that some of the species of both flora and fauna have become endangered, vulnerable, threatened and at worst extinct because we abuse our environmental resources. If we asked an average person about the meaning of biodiversity, I am sure that they could not answer the question, it is simply because the level of their awareness is not that high compared to the people directly working

with it. An Information Dissemination Campaign about the importance of biodiversity should be conducted. As an environmental advocate, I shared with my colleagues, officemates and partner communities, my experience and what I have learned from the program. Whenever I have a chance to study anything in relation to the management of environment and biodiversity, I will pursue it. I believe that the JENESYS Programme I attended is a strong foundation for a much deeper understanding to find a better solution for the environmental problems we are facing now.

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“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development”

Ang Eng Hu JEREMY (Singapore)Conservation Officer, National Park Board

Mr. Jeremy obtained his diploma in Biotechnology at Singapore Polytechnic in 1998. He is currently working for the National Parks Board of Singapore as a Conservation Officer. In 2006, he became an arborist certified by International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and he has been conducting tree inspection in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR). Also, he conducts guided walks and bird-ringing sessions in SBWR while taking photographs and making videos of fauna and flora. He was transferred from SBWR to work in on an island called Pulau Ubin in May 2009.

Japan Foundation did an excellent job in the running of the JENESYS East Asia Future Leaders Programme on Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity – In Search of Sustainable Development. My objectives for wanting to join this programme were met, due to the well-coordinated programme. Throughout my stay in Japan, I was able to meet and network with many like-minded youths from different countries, backgrounds and working experiences. Moreover, I was able to personally experience, learn and interact with the local communities from the different case study sites in the Kyushu region of Japan. All these made up a very pleasant and good impression of my first visit to Japan.

The first night of our stay in Tokyo it snowed. For someone like me who lives in the tropics, seeing snowflakes falling down for the first time was an unforgettable experience. Together with other participants who have not seen snow, we ran out of the hotel lobby in spite of the cold, to experience snowflakes dropping on our body and melting on our hands. That was when we chanced upon a sakura tree that was already in full bloom even though it was off-season by three weeks. Although the tree was beautiful with thousands of pink petalled flowers, the “environmentalist” in us could not help but think that this early blooming was due to the effects of global warming.

The next day, our group was introduced to two of the most brilliant and inspiring academics in related fields, Professor Tetsukazu Yahara of Kyushu University and Dr Hiroki Oikawa of Yokohama National University. Professor Yahara kick started the session with a lecture on the importance of biodiversity conservation. I learned that we must not just conserve biodiversity of one

specific ecosystem because there are many interactions and interdependences between different ecosystems. Dr Oikawa followed up the lectures by introducing the different international agreements and made very interesting comments about the term “resourcefulness” which reminded me not just to think out of the box but also to look around the box. After lunch, the participants got to know each other more through presentations of our country report and further build relationships through a nice welcome dinner.

The first stop of our field trip was the Ito Campus of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, where Professor Yahara is lecturing. He gave us a lecture about the conservation of biodiversity on the Ito Campus site. It was interesting to learn about how a forest reserve could be established within a campus ground and how it could support a viable population of salamanders, tortoises, badgers and frogs. Other interesting learning points included how the university enrolled the help of the local community in its reforestation programme and also the promotion of what we know as “citizen scientists” in Singapore, whereby volunteers from the public are engaged to conduct monitoring, surveys, data collection and recording in addition to conducting scientific studies in their field of interest.

One of the most anticipated field trips for me was the visit to Yakushima Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located off the southern coast of Kyushu. The area of Yakushima Island (500km2) is more than 2/3 the area of my country Singapore (700km2). Close to 91% (455km2) of the area on Yakushima Island is under forest reserve, wilderness area and heritage site. The presentation by two

104 Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development

rangers, Mr Okuda and Ms Mori, from the Ministry of Environment was very informative and I was surprised to know that a team consisting of only five rangers and one admin staff is managing both the maintenance of facilities and trails in the forest as well as research work on the island. However, I understood that the rangers all worked very hard and made sacrifices to attend meetings even after working hours. I am really motivated by their passion and interest in their work. Another learning point was the support that the local community shows by being licensed guides, forming non-profit organisations (NPOs) such as Yaku-shima Yakutane-goyo Research Group conducting Yakushima White Pine research and working with non-government organisations (NGOs) such as the Yakushima Umigame-kan to monitor the Loggerhead Sea Turtle population. However not all is so sweet and rosy, as from my conversations with the two rangers I understood that Yakushima Island has its share of problems and issues that come with the World Heritage Site status. One of the most pressing matters is the ever-increasing number of visitors to the island (≈300000 visitors per year) and the trips they make to see the Jomon Sugi. The JENESYS participants shared some ideas on how to lessen the impact of the visitors by implementing regulations such as hiking permits, zoning of the reserve area to control hiker entry, charging fees for hiking and making it compulsory for a licensed guide to accompany the hiking group in the reserve areas. However, none of these suggestions can be implemented without first holding many rounds of round-table meetings with the stakeholders who are the licensed guides, hotel employees, representatives from the air and ferry services and the local community, because a drop in visitor number would mean a loss of income for them. To sustain long-term beneficial preservation for Yakushima Island, there is a real need for some form of visitor regulation to be implemented as soon as possible.

The next case study area was the city of Minamata, located in Kumamoto prefecture on the west coast of Kyushu, where one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan originated. From 1932 to 1968, Chisso Corporation’s factory in Minamata city discharged untreated wastewater containing methyl mercury directly into the Minamata Bay. The methyl mercury was bioaccumulated in marine life and after eating fish or seafood contaminated with mercury, the local people developed Minamata disease. The group met Mr Yoichi Tani and three victims of the Minamata disease over dinner. Back in Singapore I had read up about Minamata disease, but to meet actual victims and to hear the actual testimony of their suffering and how they still today fight for fair compensation was

really heart-wrenching. One question that one of the victims asked which still haunts me was, “As a family we eat together, we eat the same fishes, but why are only some members of the family recognised as victims?” The next day, the group visited the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, where we learned about the history of how the Minamata disease came about, the signs and symptoms of the disease on humans and animals, the pathway of mercury through the food chain and some of the rectification efforts conducted to isolate the contaminants in the water of Minamata Bay. During the tour, what angered me most was that Chisso Corporation had already found out in 1959 that the cause of Minamata disease was due to their discharged untreated wastewater. Yet instead of curbing the problem and minimising the damages, they deceived the public into thinking that the wastewater was made safe again by building a cyclator that did nothing to remove the organic mercury and continued to discharge close to another decade worth of untreated wastewater that lead to another outbreak of the Minamata disease in 1965. No matter how many of us felt the injustice done to the victims then, no one can change history. However, just when we thought that the problem with the contamination ended with burying the dredged sludge under a reclaimed land, Mr Yoichi Tani pointed out to the group another potential danger that if the integrity of the sea wall surrounding the reclaimed area were to be compromised, the contaminated sludge may once again leak into Minamata Bay. I have indeed learnt from this case study that the good wise sayings "honesty is the best policy" and "prevention is better than cure" stand and that sometimes a problem may have an expiry date that is much longer than we think.

Travelling northwards from Minamata city, the group headed toward the city of Isahaya in Nagasaki prefecture where we saw the aftermath of the destruction of one of Japan’s biggest tidal mudflats. In Singapore my work in the National Parks Board includes managing tidal mudflats in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Therefore, I understand the richness of biodiversity in the tidal mudflat ecosystem and the importance of tidal mudflats in supporting migratory birds and the fishing industry. On 14th April 1997, the 7km dike across the Isahaya Bay was completed and 35.5km2 of tidal mudflats was cut off with the intention that 8.16km2 of the area being converted into agricultural land and the rest a water level-regulating reservoir. With part of Isahaya Bay closed off, the tides and tidal currents in the Ariake Sea decreased, causing frequent large-scale red tides or algal blooms and the depletion of oxygen in the seawater. All of this caused severe damage to fisheries,

105Ang Eng Hu JEREMY

fishermen, and seaweed aquaculturists as the amount of harvest dropped dramatically. The group met up with 2 fishermen and 1 boat builder from Isahaya Bay area. The fishermen informed us of how rich and abundant marine life used to be at Isahaya Bay and how their businesses are badly affected now due to a dramatic drop in harvest caused by the frequent red tides that occurred after the building of the dike. The drop in harvest is not an isolated case, as in subsequent years, fisheries around Ariake Sea also reported a drop in their harvest. Indirectly the ship building businesses are affected too, due to an increasing number of fishing businesses closing down. Besides the livelihood of many that depend on the sea being affected, the construction of the dike also destroyed one of the biggest migratory shorebirds site in Japan. When asked by the group, we understood that the reasons given by the government to building the dike were to prevent flooding and to create more agricultural area. What surprised us was that subsequent surveys and studies showed that flooding was never actually an issue and could have been resolved by building simple pumping stations and that there has never been a lack of agricultural land in the Isahaya area. Very little reason is left to think of why such a project got the go ahead? Isahaya Bay is one of the classic examples of the ever-present tension between development and preservation. In this case, cultural and nature heritage were sacrificed for development at a cost that may never be recovered.

As a participant of the JENESYS Programme, I have gained much from interacting with people from the different case study sites and also by being at those places. I have also made many new networks and built friendships with many like-minded people from different parts of the world. We continue to share information and research data on a professional level as well as updates of the events of our lives even after the programme. What I have brought home from this programme can be summarized in the points below:1.) Be Resourceful – Resourcefulness is a habit that

can be cultivated. Thinking out-of-the-box and seeing things from a different perspective promotes resourcefulness.

2.) Empower the Lay-people – Empowering responsible and passionate volunteers to take up the role of researchers who can be trained, help and lead in scientific data collection, observations and monitoring works.

3.) Community Involvement – It is important to bring the stakeholders together to tackle or resolve certain issues of concern as this promotes ownership,

communication and community support.4.) Collaborations with NGOs and NPOs – Have regular

platforms whereby common goals and objectives can be discussed and collaborated actions worked out and taken.

5.) Long-Term Verses Short-Term Pros and Cons – Weigh the pros and cons not just with the current state, but also with the future in mind.With this I want to thank Japan Foundation and its

team of dedicated staff for a job well done and hope to visit Japan again soon.

106

“Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity:In Search of Sustainable Development”

Petchrung SUKPONG (Thailand)Project Officer (Marine & Coastal Focal Point)International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Ms. Sukpong received M.Sc. (Environmental Planning for Community and Rural Development) in the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies at Mahidol University in 2004. After working at Greenpeace Southeast Asia and Green Fins Project (initiated by UNEP and implemented by Phuket Mairne Biological Center), She has been working at International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for Thailand Programme since 2007. As a Technical supports on Marine and Coastal Ecosystem, she coordinate and brings governments, non-government organizations, and local communities together to develop and implement policy and best practice for Ridge to Reef Ecosystems approach. She is also a talented underwater photo-taking, sailing and involves in TV program-making as well.

From 3-14 March 2009, I had the opportunity to participate in the JENESYS Group D program, focusing on environmental conservation through biodiversity. Through exposure to different perspectives, the twelve day program increased my knowledge, broadened my vision, and helped me to understand the work of 15 new friends from East Asian Countries. I realized that each species in every ecosystem has an important function in balancing that ecosystem. One of the most serious challenges now is to determine how to conserve our ecosystems and protect “Biological Diversity” for the next generation?

Southeast Asian countries are located in a Tropical Climate, which has the richest species biodiversity in the World. The functions of ecosystems from ridge to reef provide a variety of services to humans such as food, medicine, construction materials, etc. Today, a high proportion of the human population lives in coastal areas, depends heavily on coastal resources for their livelihoods and economic activities, and is vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation and natural disasters. The coastal environment in the region faces significant pressure from both upstream activities as well as those that occur on the coast. High competition for fisheries resources is an important driver that has an impact on the aquatic biodiversity and integrity of the marine protected areas within the region. Pollution, sedimentation and development caused by both upstream and downstream activities are some of the key threats to the integrity of the coastal environment.

Nowadays, human activities around the world are

the main causes of biodiversity loss. Many organizations are seeking to decrease their impact to the ecosystem, but taking action is a challenge. One of the leaders in environmental responsibility is Kyushu University – Ito Campus. Before building, they conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment and construction of the new campus incorporated over 200 species from the local forest ecosystem. They addressed biodiversity loss by relocation and a variety of restoration methods such as soil seed transplantation, tall tree transplantation, an Eco-tunnel, and participatory ecological monitoring & research. These are good practice for a mega development project. On the other hand, cost per unit, a key element of ecosystem rehabilitation, is very expensive and threatens the continuing success of the rehabilitation project.

A good case study of conservation biodiversity is an isolated island in the Southern part of Kyushu. Yakushima Island became a World Heritage site in 1993. With a vertical distribution of different ecosystems up to the 1,936 meter peak, the island is rich in natural resources from ridge to reef. And the variety of plant species from Northern and Southern climates include a Yaku Cedar tree, which is 7,000 years old. There are more than 20 plant species living in symbiosis with the Yaku Cedar tree. Trekking along Yakusugi nature trails provides education on species diversity and livelihood in the past through a local guide. Moreover, Yakushima Island is a good sample of multi-stakeholder cooperation between the World Heritage Park, municipality, government, university, and a network of local communities. The local community

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network is known as “YOCA” (Yaku Overall Conservation Association), and members conduct community surveys and ecosystems projects such as air and water quality monitoring, conservation of endemic water plant species, and surveys of Yakutane pine to preserve biodiversity loss due to pine disease. The strength of Yakushima Island is good stakeholder and community networking which allows for successful biodiversity conservation. An upcoming challenge of Yakushima Island is impact from tourism. However, there is an active discussion about problems of waste management, carrying capacity of the nature trails and the increasing number of cars.

The tragedy of Minamata disease and the land reclamation conflict of Isahaya Bay demonstrate that the impact of pollution and ecosystem change always affects the well being of local livelihoods. In the case of Minamata disease, people around Minamata bay and neighboring areas got mercury contamination from industrial waste, which had been discharged into the bay since 1956. More than 30,000 people who ate fishes from the area have symptoms of Minamata disease. The mercury enters into the food chain from fish and then contaminates people. This cycle reminds us to be concerned about other toxic chemicals that contaminate through the food chain such as dioxin, PVC, and cadmium. We should urge polluters to have a strict code of conduct and take action in Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The conflict of the land reclamation project at Isahaya Bay came from an initiative of the government to increase agriculture land by reclaiming mud flats and wetland in Isahaya Bay. A 7.5-kilometer dike has cut down the coastal and marine ecosystem in the bay since 1997. Seven square kilometers of mud flat was converted into an agriculture area. We had a good opportunity to understand the opinions of fishermen that were impacted by the land reclamation project. In the past, they harvested a variety of shellfish, but not anymore. So they need the government to open the dike for ecosystem rehabilitation. But, if the government does open the dike, how many tons of sediment from the dike will be released into the seawater? The dike has been closed for more than 10 years, so it might affect the ecosystem again.

Japan has good examples of environmental education such as the Yakusugi Nature Museum, the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. I have learnt many things from the museums to create simple and effective communication material for local level stakeholders. They are effectively working towards building an ecosystem-based approach, just not aware of the components. They use a “feature

attraction” to attract the community, such as the 7,200 year-old of Yakusuki Cedar. In other places, they use spiritual / religious values to conserve the environment.

As staff of the Thailand country office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), I mostly work with many stakeholders, including community and government. It was a great opportunity to participate in the JENESYS program. I realize how the program is beneficial to my work. Firstly, through this project, IUCN and its partners are able to demonstrate what can be achieved through human networking, bringing together a breadth and diversity of skills, experience and knowledge of a wide range of people, scientists, community leaders, local government, youth etc., for a common long-term goal: “Healthy ecosystems, healthy people for sustainable development.” Secondly, lessons learnt from the other groups have significantly increased my project management skills and improved my professional knowledge through exposure to so many interesting groups. It was very influential to meet with Environment Future Leaders whilst learning how other countries tackle their problems of environmental conservation. Lastly, the program will bring valuable knowledge and sharpen our skills on “Environmental Conservation through Biodiversity: In Search of Sustainable Development.” This will assist me to work more efficiently and productively on environmental conservation. Thank you to all staff members of Japan Foundation for organizing a great program for us.

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“Individual report”

Chu Ngoc QUAN (Vietnam)Officer, Forest Protection Department,Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Mr. Quan received his Engineer of Forestry at Vietnam Forestry University in 1999. As a policymaker, he deeply involves in Wildlife captive breeding management and coordination of four projects in association with partner organizations, such as World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) and he achieved protection of animal projects with these organizations. Apart from his specialty in forest protection, he actively involves in other biodiversity projects.

The JENESYS East Asia Future Leader Program provides a good opportunity for cultural exchange among youth in East Asia. I was impressed by Japan Foundation’s approach of designing an exchange program on the very common issue of biodiversity conservation and environment protection, aiming at young people, who are going to being owners of the Ocean -Asia region in some ten years coming. Based on what we learn from this Program we would able to introduce to our internal friends about behavior and the quality of international friendship. This was very important in developing relationships among countries in our region.

Through the program, I gained new knowledge from my partners, from both indigenous and modern aspects. The level of education in Japan was quite high. I learned many things from lectures by professors, especially from the lecture by Dr. Tetsukazu Yahara. I was surprised about the relocated forest project of Kyushu University. It gave me the impression that Japan is leading in the field of natural conservation. You have a good system of monitoring and managing for each type of ecology. I was very interested in the Yakushima world heritage management, with six forest rangers who control a 500-km2 area of natural forest and also large marine ecosystem nearby. I did hope to learn more from this model to put in to practice in my country if possible.

Japan and my country share a number of similarities. To develop your economy, you had to victimize your environment to a certain extent. The Minamata disease was typical example of this problem. The experience from Minamata was very useful for most developing countries. We really need to balance both purposes: economic development and environmental protection.

Contrary to Minamata with Chisso chemical factory, which was harmful to the environment, from the view of management, I support the Isahaya Bay project, cleverly chosen by the Japanese government to integrate economic development and environmental protection.

Through the lectures, and field trips, we learned that we need to find the best strategy to maintain a sustainable economy, to solute short–term and long–term conflicts and to keep our region in peace forever.

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