United Nations University (UNU) Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (IAS)
Operating Unit Ishikawa/Kanazawa (OUIK)OUIK Newsletter

July 2017

CONTENTS
1. Highlights………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……Page 2- New Initiatives Towards a Sustainable Kanazawa with Biocultural Diversity- Courtesy by the Senior Vice-Rector of UNU- Visit to UNU by Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, Executive Secretary of CBD

2. Event Report (January-June 2017) …………………………………………………………………………………………...……Page 3-6[AW1]- COP 13 Public Seminar- Workshop on Noto GIAHS Biodiversity Monitoring and Environmental Education- Noto Satoumi Seminar Series (6th and 7th Sessions)- Field Study Session at Higashiyama-Higashi and Utatsu-Sanroku- Public Forum Celebrating International Biological Diversity Day- Walk along the Kokoro No Michi Path and Beautification of the Shinrensha Temple Garden- Seminar on the Role of Traditional Japanese Gardens in Kanazawa at Shinrensha Temple Garden- SDGs Workshop with International Students from Kanazawa University

3. Follow Up of the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity………………………………………………….Page 6-7- Symposium on Biocultural Diversity for Members of the Ishikawa Natural History Center- Report on the Satoyama Initiative Regional Workshop in Sabah- Preparatory Meeting for the 1st Global Dialogue on Biocultural Diversity

4. Sharing Local Learning with the International Community…………………………………………………….……Page 7- Keynote Speech at the 10th Southeast Asia Biosphere Reserves Network Meeting- Contribution to the Workshop on Action Plan Implementation and Monitoring of GIAHS

5. Human Resource Development……………………………………………………………………………………………………..……Page 8- Intern Activities at OUIK

6. Event Announcement……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……Page 8
1

Highlights● New Initiatives Towards a Sustainable Kanazawa with Biocultural Diversity
Kanazawa City fosters beautiful nature in many of its planned spaces, such as its traditional Japanesegardens. These gardens provide various types of ecosytem services to citizens, such as cultural experiences
and climate control. OUIK took steps to promote, conserve and revitalize these historical gardens in
Kanazawa towards sustainability. See details on these initiatives in the event report page 5-6.

● Courtesy Visits to the Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture and the Mayor of Kanazawa City by the Senior Vice-Rector of UNU
Kanazawa, June 14, 2017

Professor Taikan Oki, the Senior Vice-Rector of UNU, made a courtesy visit to both Mr. Masanori Tanimoto,the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture, and Mr. Yukiyoshi Yamano, the mayor of Kanazawa City. The purposeof the visits was to express gratitude for continuous support from the two local governments since the establishment of OUIK in 2008 and to discuss further enhanced cooperation.
Professor Oki expressed his expectation that UNU will continue to help Ishikawa and Kanazawa make great
progress on sustainable regional development under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Professor Oki (left) and Mr. Tanimoto (right)

Professor Oki (second from the left) visited Mayor Yamano(third from the left)● Visit to UNU by Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention
on Biological Diversity
Tokyo, June 19, 2017

Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, the newly appointed Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity(SCBD), visited UNU-IAS during her official visit to Japan on June20, 2017. Professor Takeuchi, the senior visiting professor at
UNU, received Dr. Paşca Palmer and introduced her to the
Satoyama Initiative, the principal project of UNU-IAS, that aims
to realize a society living in harmony with nature.
OUIK members took the opportunity to introduce the accomplishments from the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural DiversiSecretary Paşca Palmer (second from the left) met withty (1st Asian Conference on BCD) which was held in Nanao Professor Takeuchi (third from the left)
Ishikawa, Japan in October 2016. Dr. Paşca Palmer welcomed thepartnership between UNU-IAS OUIK and the UNESCO-SCBD Joint Programme on the Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity.

2Event Report (January-June 2017)●COP 13 Public Seminar: International Cooperation through Hands-on Experiencesof Satoyama and Satoumi in Ishikawa
Kanazawa, February 9, 2017OUIK helped organize a public seminar about the results of the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of
the Parties (COP 13) to the Convention on Biological Diversity and informed the public about its
contributions to the convention. Ms. Fumiko Nakao from the Ministry of the Environment reported on
global trends towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Mr. Teppei Dohke from the Nature
Conservation Society of Japan summarized the outcomes of COP 13 from the perspective of civil society.
Ms. Mikiko Nagai, OUIK Office Manager, introduced the proposal made at COP 13 to promote a sharedlearning system among Asian countries incollaboration with Ishikawa Prefecture as
an outcome of the 1st Asian Conference on
BCD. During the panel discussion, thepanelists and participants disucussed local
learning activities on biodiversity and thepossibility to share their experiences with
communities in Asian countries. At the endof the seminar, OUIK announced that it
will create a new initiative so that Ishikawa’s satoyama and satoumi can become a living biodiversity
classroom and called for active participation in this activity.

●Workshop on Noto GIAHS 1 Biodiversity Monitoring and Environmental Education
Wajima, March 16, 2017OUIK members organized a workshop to discuss further actions toconform with the revised 2016 Noto GIAHS action plan. Dr. Yoshihiko
Iida, OUIK Resesarch Associate, shared the outcomes of “Assessment
Report about Ongoing Environmental Education and Research
Activities on Biodiversity in Noto GIAHS”, a survey that was jointly
conducted by OUIK and Kanazawa University in 2016. After sharing
the survey outcomes, workshop participants discussed how thesystems of Noto GIAHS could best be described in educational
materials for younger generations.
The workshop participants proposed that seafood such as oysters, trepangs, and seaweed should be used
to represent the link among livelihoods centered around coastal areas, rice production, and forest
management. We expect the outcomes from this workshop to contribute to the development of new
educational materials and biodiversity monitoring methodologies in Noto GIAHS.

●Noto Satoumi Seminar Series (6th and 7th Sessions)■ 6th Session: Women and the Satoumi in Wajima (Wajima, February 16, 2017)OUIK conducted its 6th Noto Satoumi Seminar in Wajima City and brought this seminar series to schools
for the first time. Ms. Chiharu Hayase made an appearance as the seminar’s guest speaker. She shared her

1

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

3

30 years of experience working as an ama, or female diver, during an
on-stage interview with Ms. Evonne Yiu, OUIK Research Associate, infront of an audience of 30 students at Monzen Junior High School.
The students were fascinated by Ms. Hayase’s stories. They learned
that their local fisheries are run not only by male fishers, but also byfemale fishers from all walks of life who contribute to the sustainable
development of the Satoumi in Wajima.
■ 7th Session: Satoumi Booklet Launch Event (Tokyo, June 10, 2017)OUIK organized a symposium entitled, "A Look at the Various
Work Supporting Satoumi Creation” at the UNU Headquarters
in Tokyo to commemorate the publication of the third volume
in its Biocultural Diversity Series, “Noto Satoumi Movement:
Passing on Wisdom of Living with the Sea." This symposium
was held in conjunction with the UN’s World Oceans Day on
June eighth and The Ocean Conference, which was held at the
UN Headquarters in New York from June 5th to 9th. It was
attended by over 80 participants.
This symposium emphasized the necessity to create a mechanism in Japan’s satoumi, whereby locals cancapitalize on traditional fishing methods and customary practices of resource management, along withmanaging fisheries, resources, and coastal areas as open commons suited for the needs of modern society.
Furthermore, symposium attendees recognized that conserving the bountiful marine environment, as
typified by the satoumi concept, could also contribute to the international community’s effort in achieving
SDGs, especially goal 14 “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.

●Field Study Session at Higashiyama-Higashi and Utatsu-Sanroku, Preserved Districts in Kanazawa
Kanazawa, May 7, 2017OUIK members visited Higashiyama 1-Chome with members of
the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture (JILA) Ishikawa
branch. During this visit we were able to directly appreciate thecultural landscape and natural beauty of the principal areas, aswell as the degraded parts of the district that need to bereconsidered from a socio-ecological point of view. Testimonies
from neighbors about the history of this district revealed theircurrent concerns, especially those related to the increasing
number of tourists, the loss of neighborhood identity, and the dominance of empty houses and plots in thearea. These findings will be discussed among stakeholders.

●Public Forum Celebrating International Biological Diversity Day
Kanazawa, May 14, 2017OUIK members celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22 by organizing a publicforum entitled, “Resident Monitoring of Local Ecosystems: Citizen Science for Local Sustainability“. During
her keynote speech, Professor Izumi Washitani of Chuo University explained the global trend ofdeteriorating biodiversity and the importance of local action to change that trend. Dr. Shuichi Suda
presented case studies about butterfly monitoring via the collaboration of citizens, private entities, and4researchers in Tokyo. At the panel session, the findings of swallow
surveys conducted by elementary school kids, an ongoing projectthat has been carried out for over 45 years all over Ishikawa
Prefecture, and firefly surveys conducted by local communities, aproject that has been carried out for 30 years, were discussed. Mr.
Toshimitsu Muto of the Environmental Policy Division of Kanazawa
City said that the city will promote these initiatives by citizens ascommitted by local biodiversity strategies. Experts outside of
Ishikawa highly evaluated the long tradition of citizen monitoring in
Kanazawa. It was pointed out that these initiatives could be further enhanced by researchers’ support andinformation technology.

●Walk along the Kokoro No Michi Path and Beautification of the Shinrensha Temple Garden
Kanazawa, May 28, 2017OUIK members walked the Kokoro No Michi path and conductedgarden beautification activities at Shinrensha Temple Garden
with Professor Yoshio Tsuchida of the Kanazawa Institute ofTechnology (KIT) and his laboratory students. This event was theresult of a close collaboration between the Cultural Properties
Protection Department of Kanazawa City and Mr. TakahikoKojima, the Shinrensha Temple Garden monk.
In the garden we removed algae from the pond, as well as fallen leaves
from atop the green moss. After the beautification activities we discussed
the soundscape and special characteristics of the garden inside the temple.
We concluded that Shinrensha Temple Garden could serve as a model for
garden conservation involving local communities and eco-tourism in the
future.

●Seminar on the Role of Traditional Japanese Gardens in Kanazawa at Shinrensha
Temple Garden
Kanazawa, June 25, 2017

Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars, OUIK Research Associate, led a seminar on
sustainable garden conservation at the Shinrensha Temple garden.
The purpose of this seminar was to link current concerns on ecology
and cultural heritage preservation to the traditional Japanese garden.
The seminar consisted of three parts. The first part started off with aresearch presentation by Dr. Pastor Ivars. This was followed bypresentations from three speakers. Professor Yoshio Tsuchida of KIT,
spoke about the soundscape of Japanese gardens; Mr. Yoshiro
Nonoichi, Kanazawa based famous Japanese gardener, explained the special characteristics that define
Kanazawa traditional gardens as well as his own work; and finally Mr. Akihide Ano from Kyoto Gakuen
University gave a lecture on the concept of rain gardens.
The seminar concluded with a roundtable session entitled, “Kanazawa Gardens: Promotion and
Preservation,” which was coordinated by Dr. Iida. During the discussion, the owners of four traditional
gardens designated as cultural properties of Kanazawa City, Tsujike Garden, Terashima Kurando Garden,5

Nishike Garden, and Shinrensha Garden, gave valuable testimonies about the challenges of maintaining
historical gardens. In return, they received advice from the other roundtable participants, including people
in charge of different departments in Kanazawa City, and professors from a number of universities in
Kanazawa, among others. The group concluded that it will be necessary to repeat these kinds of seminars
for other traditional Japanese gardens in order to find an appropriate balance of promotion andpreservation so that future citizens and tourists can participate in the maintenance of Kanazawa’s
traditional gardens.

● SDGs Workshop with International Students from Kanazawa University
Kanazawa, June 24, 2017OUIK participated in an SDGs workshop at Hoenji Temple
which was organized by Assistant Professor Aida
Mammadova of Kanazawa University. At the workshop,
professor Moshiur Rahman of Hiroshima University
presented a case study from Bangladesh that revealed how
public health issues are linked to other developmental
issues. His lecture described the importance of approaching
SDGs in an integrated manner. Following the lecture,
students including Ms. Marika Yoshida, an intern with OUIK,
presented on the theme of sustainable cities.

Follow Up of the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity● Symposium on Biocultural Diversity for Members of the Ishikawa Natural History
CenterKanazawa, March 5, 2017

Following the Ishikawa Declaration of the 1st Asian Conference on
BCD, Ms. Nagai gave a lecture at this Ishikawa Natural History Center organized annual symposium to disseminate the importance of
biocultural diversity at every level. She explained the intrinsic relationship between biological diversity and cultural diversity, as well
as social issues the terminology implies, such as indigenous people’s
rights. At the panel discussion, local vegetable producers, researchers, and officials from Kanazawa City discussed how to apply
biocultural approaches to tackling local environmental issues.

● Report on the Satoyama Initiative Regional Workshop in Sabah
Sabah, Malaysia, April 18-20, 2017

Ms. Nagai and Dr. Iida participated in the Satoyama Initiative Regional
Workshop which was held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Around 40
participants discussed the theme, “Mainstreaming concepts andapproaches of Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes(SEPLS) in Asia.” During the discussion, Ms. Nagai shared the outcomesfrom the 1st Asian Conference on BCD. This workshop included field visits6to the JICA SDBEC2 project site where young villagers played a vital role in community development within
the Crocker Range UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (BR).

●Preparatory Meeting for the 1st Global Dialogue on Biocultural Diversity

New York, United States, April 30, 2017
Given the success of the 1st Asian Conference on BCD, the Global Dialogue
on Biocultural Diversity meeting is being organized by the UNESCO-SCBD
Joint Programme and the American Museum of Natural History. OUIK
contributed to this preparatory workshop by sharing its experience oforganizing the 1st Asian Conference on BCD.

Sharing Local Learning with the International Community●Keynote Speech at the 10th Southeast Asia Biosphere Reserves Network Meeting
Jakarta, Indonesia, May 16-17, 2017

Dr. Iida participated in the 10th Southeast Asia Biosphere Reserves Network (SeaBRnet) meeting to deliver
his keynote speech, “Roles and Challenges of Local Implementation for UNESCO Science Programs: The
Case for Japanese Biosphere Reserves (BRs)”.
Dr. Iida informed his audience about Japanese BRs and the project he jointly implemented with OUIK and
the Mount Hakusan BR in 2016 during his presentation entitled “Mutual Learning Platforms for Asian Local Practitioners of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.” He also chaired thesession on the coordination of UNESCO science
programs including the Geoparks Programme,
the International Hydrological Programme (IHP),
and World Heritage Programme. A detailed report can be obtained from the UNESCO Officein Jakarta and Japanese Funds-in-Trust.
(Photo: UNESCO Office in Jakarta)●Contribution to the Workshop on Action Plan Implementation and Monitoring of
GIAHS
Rome, Italy, June 29-30, 2017

Ms. Nagai participated in a workshop on action plan implementation and monitoring of GIAHS at the Foodand Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome as a resource person. The workshop
aimed to develop a common monitoring framework for
GIAHS sites to maintain oasis agriculture in North Africa. She
presented Noto’s experiences regarding action implementation and monitoring with workshop participants. Although
the environmental, geographical, and social settings are different among sites, some issues were shared as common
important factors, such as coordination of stakeholders andthe need for capacity development.

2

Project on Sustainable Development for Biodiversity and Ecosystems Conservation in Sabah by Japan International Cooperation
Agency7

Human Resource Development●Intern Activities at OUIKKanazawa, April 10-July 14, 2017

My name is Marika Yoshida and I’m currently completing my fourthyear of undergraduate coursework at the Tokyo Gakugei University
School of Education for International Understanding. My internshipperiod with OUIK was from April to July 2017.
I am interested in the movement of peoples, as well as the phenomenon of settlement. During my internship period, I learned
about and analyzed the current situation facing local areas from theviewpoints of different cultures. My research topic deals with how
people from various regions and communities affect the social environment of Kanazawa and Ishikawa at large. I had opportunities for hands-on learning during my internshipwith OUIK, and such experiences proved to be invaluable. When I study at the City University of New York
beginning in September 2017, I will draw upon the experiences I gained from OUIK.
My main activities with OUIK included collecting data for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Kanazawa,
participating in SDGs classes for foreign students at Kanazawa University, and performing jazz saxophonewith my band at the event entitled “MISIA’s Satoyama Museum” in Ishikawa Forest Park.

Event Announcement● Upcoming Events
Life, Nature and Cultural Landscapes (International Symposium)
Date: August 27 2017
Venue: Kanazawa Bunka Hall, 3F
Organizer: Kanazawa University, Co-organizer: UNU-IAS OUIK
Series Events on Post-1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity
Date: October 4 (14:00-17:00) and 15 (13:30-17:30) 2017
Venue: Kanazawa Bunka Hall, 3F
Organizer: UNU-IAS, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa

For more information, please visit our website: http://ouik.unu.edu/en/events
Published: July, 2017
United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
Operating Unit Ishikawa/Kanazawa (UNU-IAS OUIK)
Shiinoki Cultural Complex Ishikawa Prefecture 3F, 2-1-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, JAPAN 920-0962
Tel: +81-76-224-2266 Fax: +81-76-224-2271
Email: unu-iasouik@unu.edu
URL: www.ouik.unu.edu/en/
Find us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/OUIK.UNU.IAS
8