2023/10/31
On October 3rd, a joint training session was held in Nanao City, organized by the Noto GIAHS Promotion Council, which is comprised of Ishikawa Prefecture and nine municipalities in the Noto region, along with the United Nations University’s OUIK and experts on biodiversity, referred to as the Noto GIAHS Biodiversity Working Group (hereafter referred to as WG).
Mr. Akira Nagata, a visiting research fellow from OUIK, delivered a lecture on “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)”
Mr. Akira Nagata
Mr. Akira Nagata has been involved with the introduction of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in Japan since its inception and currently serves as a visiting research fellow at the OUIK. He also acts as the secretary for the Japanese office of the East Asian Agricultural Heritage Society (ERAHS) and identifies himself as an “missionary of agricultural heritage,” engaging in activities both domestically and internationally.
GIAHS is based on five criteria that must all be met: 1) Food security and livelihood (economic aspect), 2) Agricultural biodiversity (environmental aspect), 3) Knowledge systems (technical aspect), 4) Culture, values, and social organization (social aspect), and 5) Landscape and seascape (land use aspect). Additionally, an action plan is required to conserve traditional agricultural systems.
Regarding the classification of GIAHS, Mr. Nagata proposed three categories: “farming method type,” “genetic resource conservation type,” and “landscape type.” The landscape type encompasses not just specific rice paddies or fields but also surrounding forests, rivers, the sea, and villages, contributing to the overall preservation of traditional agriculture. He noted that this classification is prevalent in areas such as Noto and other regions of Japan.
While GIAHS focuses on “systems” rather than “objects,” its future-oriented approach distinguishes it from UNESCO World Heritage sites. It incorporates new technologies while emphasizing the importance of preserving the core elements. “Continuing the hard farming practices of the past is not what GIAHS is about,” Mr. Nagata stated.
In 2010, the United Nations University held a workshop titled “Satoyama and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems” in Kanazawa City. At that time, the director of the Hokuriku Agricultural Administration Office expressed interest in GIAHS and sought candidates within its jurisdiction, which led to the identification of Noto and Sado as potential candidates.
The term “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems” (GIAHS) was proposed by former Ishikawa Prefecture Governor Mr.Tanimoto and then-Deputy Rector of the United Nations University Mr. Takeuchi. Additionally, the elevation of GIAHS from a project under the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to a regular program in 2015 was significantly influenced by the excitement generated at the International Conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems held in Ishikawa in 2013. Nagata emphasized, “The fact that GIAHS is now becoming established globally started from Noto. I hope everyone can take great pride and confidence in this.”
The satoyama-satoumi system represents a secondary natural environment shaped and maintained by human activities. The concept of coexistence between humans and nature embodies the idea of satoyama-satoumi, which is a characteristic of Noto GIAHS.
In developing countries, development pressures pose the greatest threat to traditional farming methods. However, in Japan, issues such as depopulation, aging populations, shortages of successors, and damage caused by wild animals are significant threats. Therefore, it is crucial to utilize GIAHS to promote rural areas, and strategizing how to effectively implement it is essential for the conservation of Japan’s agricultural heritage.
To achieve this, Nagata suggested enhancing the added value of agricultural products, strengthening brand recognition, and leveraging tourism opportunities like green tourism to benefit the economy. He also introduced the GIAHS initiatives in Asia and the East Asian Agricultural Heritage Society, concluding the lecture.
Noto GIAHS Biodiversity Working Group (WG)
Overview of Past Developments
Next, Akiko Koyama, a researcher at the United Nations University’s OUIK, introduced the progress of the WG thus far.
Currently, the Noto GIAHS is implementing its third action plan, but the second action plan outlined specific activities, including “establishing a system for conducting research studies in collaboration with research institutions.” As a result, in May 2021, the WG was established within the Noto Region GIAHS Promotion Council.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries conducts “monitoring and evaluation of GIAHS” every five years, which includes assessments and recommendations from experts in global agricultural heritage. Among the advice provided to Noto GIAHS so far, those relating to biodiversity included: “unifying methods for biological surveys and considering future utilization to enhance conservation,” “reviewing the conservation plan in terms of the setting of action items and target figures, as well as the monitoring methods,” and “considering methods to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity surveys as a requirement of the certification system for conservation plans.”
Since 2016, the definition of biodiversity as a certification criterion has increasingly focused on “agricultural biodiversity,” emphasizing the diversity of organisms more closely related to agriculture.
Defining the “agricultural biodiversity of Noto’s satoyama-satoumi” includes not only the diversity of organisms and genes used in food production and forestry and fisheries but also the diversity of other organisms and ecosystems that support it.
As the WG progresses in its activities, it is important to ensure that the act of surveying does not become the end goal. We aim to achieve two main objectives:
- Understanding the impacts and effects of biodiversity on Noto GIAHS.
- Enhancing local residents’ awareness and understanding of biodiversity.
Keeping these objectives in mind, we aim for the conservation of biodiversity to be realized.
To summarize the role of the working group (WG):
- Plan and implement surveys, data management, and outreach activities related to agricultural biodiversity.
- Provide advice and support from the perspective of biodiversity for various activities related to Noto GIAHS.
Over the past two years, the WG, which was established in this way, has specifically engaged in activities such as creating a framework for centralizing information, establishing a database using GIS, conducting citizen-participatory surveys with app tools, selecting and researching indicator species, creating educational materials for indicator species, and supporting observation events. Additionally, Koyama, the researcher, mentioned that they have not yet been able to initiate actions like uncovering information about traditional crops or conducting topic research led by experts, and thus concluded the presentation.
Following this, a workshop was held for each group to discuss ‘the issues we should address in the future and the current challenges,’ and each group presented their results.
“I would like information that introduces what is great about the Noto GIAHS”
“There is a lack of instructors and individuals who can identify species for biological surveys. We are also not able to develop human resources”
“In the municipalities, the departments responsible for the conservation of the Japanese Crested Ibis and those for Global Agricultural Heritage are different, leading to insufficient collaboration and information sharing”
“We need a space where we can compare the content of the model surveys on the Japanese Crested Ibis conducted by the nine different towns and cities, and discuss the challenges we are facing”
“It is difficult to explain the benefits of releasing the Japanese Crested Ibis to the local people in the areas where we are requesting surveys”
In the afternoon, a survey of the creatures was conducted in the rice fields using an app
In the Nishimikai district of the Toki Model Area in Nanao City, Mr. Shinya Nomura, an instructor from the Ishikawa Nature School and a member of the working group (WG) of experts, served as the lecturer and conducted a living organism collection activity at two locations: a rice paddy’s irrigation channel and a biotope adjacent to the rice paddy.
Mr. Shinya Nomura
Using the instructional materials created by the WG, along with the app “iNaturalist,” which allows users to identify and share observations of living organisms, participants recorded the organisms they observed. Given that this area has been engaged in organic farming for many years, many aquatic insects, such as Laccotrephes japonensis, water bug (Appasus japonicus) and water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae), were found in the biotope. There were so many catches that they could not fit into the collection cases. Mr. Nomura introduced key observation points, such as distinguishing different species of red dragonflies by examining the differences in their abdomen and wing tips.
After the observation session, there was a discussion on the usability of the app and the instructional materials, as well as the supplementary materials that are being developed by the WG.
Regarding the app, while some participants enjoyed the feature of being able to upload photos and share information, they also raised several challenges, such as difficulties in taking good photos for identification and uncertainty about whether the identified species were correct.
For the shitajiki (writing board) material, feedback included requests for information that explains how to distinguish between different species. There were also suggestions that the supplementary materials, which indicate where to find organisms, should be used at the start of the observation sessions.
Finally, Professor Seiji Yanai, the chair of the WG and a special appointee at Ishikawa Prefectural University, stated, “We aim to create a better Noto GIAHS by continuing to exchange opinions with local municipal officials and building an environment rich in agricultural biodiversity, so we ask for your continued cooperation.” The training session, which lasted for an extended period, then concluded.
