After one year since the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity, a series of 2 inernational forums were held to explore the measurements to further promote the Ishikawa Declaration with international initiatives and East Asian partner. 

International Forum Series 1 (4/10/2017)

Biocultural diversity & satoyama: Effort towards societies in harmony with nature around the world.

International Forum Series 2 (15/10/2017)

Preserving Biocultural Diversity for Future Generations:Partnarship of East Aisan Countries. 

It documents discussions and article contributions by speakers who participated in the OUIK Noto Satoumi Lecture Series held in 2015. This lecture series highlighted the Noto Satoumi Movement, which emphasizes local, traditional wisdom of living with the sea, and led in part to the Noto Peninsula’s designation as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) in 2011.

The Noto Satoumi Movement aims to establish the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture as a leading center for satoumi research and conservation efforts on the Sea of Japan, as well as to promote a deeper awareness both in and outside of Japan of the concept of Satoumi, the charm of Noto’s satoumi and its related livelihoods, and the importance of satoumi conservation. The booklet is vailable from here

Abstract Book of 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity Thematic meetings and Poster Presentations

Policies and Actions on Biocultural Diversity for Sustainable Communities

ISBN: 978-92-808-4572-3 [Electronic Version]

*Note: the ISBN and the page number are different from printing version.

Japanese / English

The Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred on January 1, 2024, caused extensive damage over a wide area, isolating many communities due to landslides that disrupted roads. Additionally, essential lifelines such as water and electricity were interrupted in numerous regions. Particularly in municipalities in the Oku-Noto area and Nanao City, prolonged water supply disruptions have been experienced, with many areas still without water nearly three months after the earthquake.

Amidst this ongoing situation, research associate Koyama has begun an investigation into the use of water sources within the community, including wells and springs. Through interviews with local residents and on-site surveys, there are plans to explore ways to utilize water for building a resilient community in the face of disasters.

In April 2018, OUIK hosted Biocultural walking workshop proposed by Stockholm Resilience Center and IR3S, the University of Tokyo. Prominent international researchers from different continents joined the workshop to experience how biocultural resources could be understood, elaborated and promoted under the current changes occurring urban and rural areas in Japan.

Here is observation by  Viveca Mellegård, Stockholm Resilience Center.  「Reinvigorating creative solutions to save people and planet: A walking workshop through biocultural landscapes in western Japan」

14th CBD COP has been held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 17th -29th November 2018.  

UNU-IAS OUIK reported progress of the Ishikawa Declaration, which is approved by the 1st Asian Conference on Buicultural Diversity, at Nature and Culture Summit .

Active dialogue t integrated conservation and local nature and culture as well as to promote rights of indigenous people and local community over the natural resource was exchanges. at the summit.

Mr. Tsunao Watanabe, Director of OUIK presented outcomes from Ishikawa international Cooperation Programm focusing on the capacity building of practitioners for GIAHS promotion, new commons for Japanese garden project by Biocultural Diversity initiative in Kanazawa city.

Presentation materials are available from here.

On November 20, 2017, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), JICA Hokuriku Branch Office, and the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) signed a memorandum on ‘International Cooperation Through GIAHS in Ishikawa Prefecture”

‘Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi’ which stretches over nine municipalities in Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture was designated as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in 2011 together with Sado Island. They were the first designations from developed countries. Since then, United Nations University has been carrying out various activities together with Ishikawa Prefecture, nine municipalities, and local people of the region. At the GIAHS International Coference 2013 , it was suggested to strengthen the cooperation between the GIAHS in developed countries and those in developing countries by Noto Communiqué. In the following year, 2014, Ishikawa Prefecture established a training program thorough which participants can learn about conservation and utilization of Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi and its regional development. It has accepted trainees from six different countries so far, including Bhutan, Indonesia, and Laos.

This program has just taken a step further. An international cooperation program was established to bring about mutual-leaning: to enable trainees from developing countries to learn ‘sustainable regional development’ in Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi on site; and also to enable people in Noto region to realize the global values of sustainability thorough their contribution to this training program. FAO, JICA Hokuriku Branch Office, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Ishikawa Prefecture, and UNU-IAS have joined the program as implementing bodies.

In rural areas, people have traditionally formed a layered natural environment like satoyama and satoumi by utilizing ecosystem services grounded in local climate, topography, and ecosystems. However, recent trends such as modernization of lifestyles, urban migration, and an aging population have rapidly eroded the traditional cultures that connect nature and humans. On the other hand, there is a growing movement of people seeking satoyama-like environments for tourism and spiritual enrichment, leading to a complex interaction between human mobility, economic activities, and the region’s nature and culture.

At OUIK, we promote the concept of ‘biocultural diversity,’ which aims to capture, preserve, and utilize the interconnection between nature and human culture, thereby fostering sustainable community development. Since the first International Conference on Asian Biocultural Diversity held in October 2016, we have engaged in discussions from various perspectives with diverse partners, such as the SATOYAMA Initiative International Partnership (established on October 4, 2017) focusing on the contributions of biocultural diversity to building a nature-inclusive society and the IUCN Japan Committee (established on October 14, 2017) regarding the importance of passing on biocultural diversity to the next generation.

This time, in collaboration with the University of Tokyo’s International Institute for Sustainability Science (IR3S) and the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), we will hold an international conference considering the transformation of landscapes in the Kanazawa area and surrounding mid-hill regions from the perspective of biocultural diversity, centered on human movement. A walking workshop will take place in the Tokihara district, where more than 20 experts from overseas will explore the relationship between the satoyama landscape around Kanazawa and human activities. How does this connection between biocultural diversity and local lives appear to overseas researchers? We will discuss new urban futures based on various examples from Kanazawa, Japan, and around the world, while also introducing such perspectives. Please register via the button at the bottom of the page.

Hosted by: University of Tokyo’s International Institute for Sustainability Science (IR3S), Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability Ishikawa-Kanazawa Operating Unit (UNU-IAS OUIK)
Supported by: Kanazawa City
Language: Simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English

Program

14:00 – 14:10 Opening Remarks by the Organizer
Professor Kensuke Fukushi, University of Tokyo’s International Institute for Sustainability Science (IR3S)

14:10 – 14:15 Opening Address by the Director of Kanazawa City’s Environmental Bureau

14:15 – 14:30 Keynote Speech 1: “Creating a Sustainable and Resilient Society in Harmony with Nature and Culture”
Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Director and Specially Appointed Professor, IR3S

14:30 – 14:45 Keynote Speech 2: “Human Flow and Biocultural Perspectives for Sustainable Development and Peace”
Thomas Elmqvist, Professor, Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC)

14:45 – 15:00 Keynote Speech 3: “Biocultural Diversity Surrounding Kanazawa”
Kiyoji Yanai, Professor, Ishikawa Prefectural University

15:00 – 15:20 Break

15:20 – 16:50 Case Presentations and Panel Discussion
Moderator: Tsunao Watanabe (Director, UNU-IAS OUIK)
Panelists:

• Mariko Nakano, Deputy Director of the Natural History Museum: “The Changing Nature of Kanazawa Castle Park”
• Juan Pastor Ivars (UNU-IAS OUIK): “Creating New Commons through Biocultural Diversity”
• Maria Tengo (PhD, Stockholm Resilience Centre)
• Michelle Cox (PhD, University of Loughborough, Anthropology)
• Heather MacMillan (PhD, U.S. Forest Service)

17:00 Closing Remarks”