The Hakusan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve was registered in 1980 as the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Japan, along with three other parks. In March 2016, it received approval for an extension of its transitional area.
OUIK, based in Ishikawa Prefecture, has been collaborating with the Hakusan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Council since 2014. To discuss the management and operations following the extension registration, we invited Noëline Raondry Rakotoarisoa, the Chief of the MAB Networking Section at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
Duration: May 6 (Friday) to May 10 (Tuesday), 2016 (May 11-12 at the United Nations University headquarters in Tokyo)
Location: Within the Hakusan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve area
From May 7 (Saturday) to May 10 (Tuesday), Ms. Rakotoarisoa visited all municipalities in the four prefectures and seven cities and villages that make up the Hakusan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, including Nanto City in Toyama, Shirakawa Village and Takayama City in Gifu, Gujo City, Ono City, and Katsuyama City in Fukui, and Hakusan City in Ishikawa. She deepened her understanding of the region’s nature, culture, and history through direct dialogues with local stakeholders.
Receiving a briefing on the center’s initiatives from Masanori Tsuga, Director of the Hakusan Nature Conservation Center in Ishikawa Prefecture (Photo: OUIK, May 10).
On May 10 (Tuesday), we co-hosted the “Symposium Commemorating the Extension Registration of Hakusan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,” during which Ms. Rakotoarisoa and the mayors of the constituent cities and villages exchanged opinions on how to advance UNESCO Biosphere Reserve activities (ecosystem conservation and sustainable regional development) in the Hakusan region.
(Reported by Yoshihiko Iida)
