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

January 20182018 New Year’s Message
The year 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of Operating Unit Ishikawa Kanazawa (OUIK). In the past 10
years, we have been communicating to the world and providing policy recommendations through our research on satoyama, satoumi, and biocultural diversity. As we anticipate our next 10 years, it will be important for OUIK to consider its role as a UN organization located in a rural area.
Last year I happened upon a number of people in Kanazawa who told me it is significant that there is a blue
UN flag waving in Ishikawa. Their words sunk deep into my mind. Given the current global situation, there
is a myriad of issues which have to be tackled by both regional communities and global society in order toachieve peace, conservation of the global environment, safety and security, and the creation of a society
where people can hope for a brighter future. At the same time, however, it is the regional areas where wecan bring about change to each of these issues, from the periphery to the center.
At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, countries adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which had been
carried out by the UN to be achieved by 2015, were primarily aimed towards solving hunger and poverty indeveloping countries. However, SDGs consisting of 17 goals are expected to be achieved by whole member
nations of the UN, including developed countries. The Japanese government established the SDGs Promotion Headquarters in 2016 and it affirms that regional revitalization would be the key to achieve these
SDGs.
There is little doubt that the true essence of regional revitalization is making regional communities sustainable economically, environmentally, and socially. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated explicitly thatsuch regional activities would contribute to SDGs, the common goals set by the international community.
As a prefecture where the UN flag prominently waves, Ishikawa will be able to take the lead in regional revitalization. By doing so, Ishikawa may be able to demonstrate a regional model that will make international contributions to achieving SDGs. Keeping this big objective in mind, we will proceed with our activities
this year.
Tsunao Watanabe,
UNU-IAS OUIK Director
CONTENTS
Featured Events
International forum series 1: Biocultural diversity and satoyama: learning about worldwide efforts toward societies in harmony withnature ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
International forum series 2: Preserving biocultural diversity for future generations: partnership of East Asian countries ........................ 3
Topics from July to December 2017
Establishment of locally initiated international cooperation program based on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems(GIAHS).................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Receiving the visit of trainees from Brazil and Malaysia .................................................................................................................. 4
Launch of new partnership to promote SDGs business in Kanazawa ................................................................................................ 5
The first Kanazawa forum on education & LGBT: SDGs as a tool for learning and inclusion ............................................................ 5
Biocultural Diversity and Kanazawa, a Sustainable City
Project to enhance the resilience of ecosystem services and communities in Kanazawa ......................................................................... 6
International symposium on livelihoods, nature, and cultural landscapes.......................................................................................... 7
Workshop on citizen monitoring of biodiversity .............................................................................................................................. 7

Featured Events
In October 2016, OUIK held the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity in collaboration with Ishikawa
Prefecture, Nanao City, UNESCO, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), at
which the Ishikawa Declaration was adopted. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of theconference, international forum series to further promote the declaration were held.
International forum series 1: Biocultural diversity and satoyama: learning about worldwide efforts toward
societies in harmony with nature
4 October, 2017, Kanazawa
This forum was held in conjunction with the Internatiional Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI)
Steering Committee in Ishikawa. At the forum, discussion was made on topics such as how satoyama had
been maintained in different countries and how the relationship between biological diversity and cultural
diversity was helping people’s livelihood in such satoyama environment.
Takakazu Yumoto (Director of Primate Research Institute, Kyoto
University) gave his general view on how satoyama concept, asociety in harmony with nature, from Japan could be understood and implemented internationally. He also outlined thehistory of satoyama in Japan and issues which had to be dealt
with in the future.
It was then followed by the chair of IPSI Steering Committee,
Alfred Oteng-Yeboah (Chair of Ghana National Biodiversity
Committee), describing the principles behind the activities of IPSI and introducing some examples of
biocultural diversity in Ghana.
At the case presentations session, Anil Kumar (Senior Director of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation)
introduced the efforts in India on conserving traditional varieties of rice to move toward sustainable consumption. Senka Barudanovic (Professor of University of Sarajevo) described how people’s connection tobiological diversity and cultural diversity in Eastern Europe had been playing a role in maintaining the identity of people in that region where counties had been divided.
Field Excursion
At the field excursion, which was held prior to the symposium, participants learnt how the traditional culture in Noto had been connecting nature, including regional topography, climate, and ecology,
to people’s livelihood and how such culture had evolved. They learnt
about the various efforts by the local people to deal with changes inmodern society such as depopulation. At Kirimoto Wooden Craft
Workshop in Wajima, Taiichi Kirimoto introduced the process ofmaking Wajima lacquerware which had been handed down for 150
years. He also explained their strategies to find their way into theglobal market, their novel application to different products, and theircooperative research into functions of lacquerware beneficial to food and health. In addition, participants
visited a site of lacquer tree planting activities which had been carried out by Taiichi Kirimoto in cooperation with foresters to secure
local lacquer production. They learnt how they drew sap from a lacquer tree and what kind of tools they used.
Subsequently, they made a visit to Okunoto Endenmura (Salt Farm
Village) and observed the site of agehama style (upshore field) salt
production which uses traditional techniques to make concentrated
salt water called kansui, by scooping up sea water and using sandand sun light. It was explained that there had been a period whenOUIK News letter (January 2018)

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they had used scrap wood instead of natural wood as firewood. However, in order to make sustainableproducts which maintain the link between satoyama and satoumi, they are currently using natural woodfrom satoyama as firewood for boiling kansui a whole day and night. After that, participants made a visit to
Senmaida (A Thousand Rice Paddies). Domae from a local volunteer organization, which takes care of theSenmaida, described the ownership system and management of the rice paddies.
International forum series 2: Preserving biocultural diversity for future generations: partnership of East Asian
countries
15 October, 2017, Kanazawa
This forum was co-hosted with Japan committee for IUCN.
Together with IUCN committee members and youth participants from Japan, China, and Korea, how to conservebiocultural diversity for future generations was considered.
In the keynote speech, Masahito Yoshida (Professor of University of Tsukuba) gave a lecture on the linkage between
nature and culture, including international systems.
At section 1, cases on biocultural diversity in Japan, China,
and Korea were introduced. Yoshihiko Iida (OUIK Research
Associate) described some activities related to biocultural diversity in Ishikawa and related issues. He
pointed out the importance of “diversity” approach to achieve conservation of biocultural diversity
through regional initiatives. Xiuling Guan (Director of International Department of Chinese Society of Forestry) presented a case on oak forest management in China and Sun-Kee Hong (Professor of Institution for
Marine & Island Cultures, Mokpo National University) advocated the need for a global initiative on island
biocultural diversity to achieve sustainable development. Yoshino Ando (Joint Representative of Ramsar
Network Japan) introduced their activity to improve biodiversity in rice paddies (Rice-paddy Biodiversity
Enhancement Decade).
At Q&A session of section 1, various questions were asked from the audience on topics such as: forest
management and conservation method; use of U-shaped gutter or herbicide and biodiversity conservationin rice paddies; building “links” between individual learning; co-existence of nature and livelihood;biocultural diversity and regional revitalization; and issues on legal systems. Participants from Japan, China,
and Korea discussed these topics from various viewpoints.
At Q&A session of section 2, youth participants discussed how to make primary industry attractive toyoung people. Participants pointed out the need for a system which guarantees adequate payment andimproving social status. Another participant mentioned the importance for consumers to buy the products
considering producing areas and production method. It was also discussed how we could expand our activities to develop links between young people to pass on our nature and culture to future generations.
At the end, Ambassador Masahiko Horie (IUCN Councillor, Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs) closed the forum by mentioning the importance of expanding the already existing valuable activitiesof young people, raising awareness of and mainstreaming biocultural diversity, and building up cohesion
and cooperation among global communities.
Field Excursion
Thirty-one participants from Japan, China, and Korea attended
the field excursion which was held prior to the forum.
Participants visited Team Maruyama in Wajima and learnt
about their activities from the team organizers: Kiichiro Hagino(an architect), and Yuki Hagino (a designer); as well as Koji Itofrom Kanazawa University who supports their activity. They
outlined their efforts to protect the connection between local
tradition, culture, and biodiversity and pass them on to future
generations.
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Kiichiro Hagino described the reasons why they had moved to Noto and outlined their activities. Yuki
Hagino explained how they had arranged the local traditional ritual, Aenokoto, into an original ritual to appreciate biodiversity and how they had been carrying out the ritual every year with a wide variety of participants. She also introduced her original booklets and educational materials such as a seasonal calendar
which contains information related to local wisdom, culture, and biodiversity. Koji Ito introduced Satoyama
Satoumi Meister Training Program of Kanazawa University which had given the opportunity to start Team
Maruyama’s activity, and also about plant monitoring activity which had been carried out by Team
Maruyama every month.
Participants were impressed by their inventive programs and educational materials to deliver their messages to general public and children. Participants asked questions enthusiastically, holding and seeing thedetails of her handmade puppets and booklets. After the visit, some of the participants expressed their interest in starting similar activities in their own countries.
After that, they visited Shiroyone Senmaida (A Thousand Rice Paddies) and learnt why these terraced ricepaddies had been created in this place and also about the ownership system to protect the landscape ofthese rice paddies. Participants had a stroll around the Senmaida and fully enjoyed the beautiful landscapeof the terraced rice paddies at the seaside.

Topics from July to December 2017
Establishment of locally initiated international cooperation program based on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
20 November, 2017, Kanazawa
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”.
Noto’s satoyama and satoumi which stretches over ninemunicipalities in Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa was designated as
GIAHS in 2011 together with Sado Island. They were the first
designations from developed countries. Since then, UNU-IAS
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 and an international cooperation program was established tobring 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.
Receiving the visit of trainees from Brazil and Malaysia
As first training course under the international cooperation program, we received nine FAO trainees from
Brazil, including national and local government officials and community practitioners (29–30, November).
They had a lecture in Tokyo, visited Gifu, and visited Noto Chirihama Roadside Station and Shunran-no-satoin Noto, where they exchanged views about spurring growth in agriculture through the integration of diOUIK News letter (January 2018)

Page 4verse industries and creating local livelihoods respectively. In the roundtable session on the last day, they
made a presentation of the GIAHS candidate site in Brazil and discussed the steps toward designation. Yoshihide Endo (GIAHS Coordinator from FAO Headquarters), and Mbuli Charles Boliko (Director) and Kae Mihara (Deputy Head) of the FAO Liaison Office in Japan, expressed high expectations on the potential of interactive
learning between GIAHS sites.
Under the same program, OUIK hosted a high-level study tour fromfour government departments related to GIAHS in Sabah state, Malaysia (10–15 December). The tour focused on how GIAHS is utilized,
like in the case of Noto Wine and regional development through thesatoyama hotel initiative in Wajima. Sabah has rich experience ininternational certification systems like the World Natural Heritage,
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and the Ramsar wetland sites. The
participants as policy makers were able to have meaningful discussions with the hosts on creating local livelihoods.
Launch of new partnership to promote SDGs business in Kanazawa
30 August, 2017, Kanzawa
OUIK and several organizations, including Junior Chamber Kanazawa (JC Kanazawa), Kanazawa Institute ofTechnology (KIT), and JICA Hokuriku Branch Office signed a memorandum of understanding to set up aframework to promote SDGs business in Kanazawa.
At the signing ceremony, the parties to the agreement spoke
enthusiastically about creating further opportunities to achieve
SDGs through collaboration. Tsunao Watanabe (OUIK director)
stated that he expects this public-private-academic partnershipto be a driving force that will move the world toward sustainability.
The activities under this scheme will be taken place to eventually lead to the promotion of sustainable businesses on a national
and worldwide scale.
The first Kanazawa forum on education & LGBT: SDGs as a tool for learning and inclusion
23 November, 2017, Kanzawa
OUIK co-hosted a forum on education & LGBT as part of the social dialogue to promote SDGs in the region.
Session 1 “Thinking about what children want from teachers’
perspectives” was moderated by Hiroyuki Taniguchi (Professorof Takaoka University of Law). He presented the current situation of LGBT children. Other speakers included: Shigeyoshi Suzuki, a primary school teacher who has come out as gay;
Sumiko Doniwa (Teacher of Kanazawa Nisui High School), who
promotes better understanding of LGBT at local schools; andKazuya Morita (Student of Kanazawa University School of Medicine), who works on raising high school students' awareness of STDs and gender identity. They pointed theimportance of fostering inclusiveness to accept LGBT children.
Session 2 “Toward 2020: Education through sport and culture” was moderated by Fumino Sugiyama (Representative of Tokyo Rainbow Pride and former member of the Japan’s Olympic fencing team). Speakers
discussed how to better disseminate information and promote understanding about LGBT through sportand culture. Hiroshi Hase (Member of the House of Councilors/ President of the Diet members’ league forunderstanding LGBT related issues) pointed out that the spirit of fair play in the Olympic and Paralympic
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Games has something in common with the SDGs that focus on inclusion. Naoki Ota, who runs the YarukiArimi website focusing on LGBT, and Kazushi Fujihara, a YouTuber, both shared their activities to send out
LGBT topics to a broader audience.
In the roundup session titled “SDGs x LGBT at local levels — Creating venues for citizens' learning,” adiscussion was held from various standpoints on how to solve the issues pointed out in the former two
sessions through approaches that suit Hokuriku andKanazawa. Takeyoshi Iwamoto (Associate Professor of
Kanazawa University) mentioned based on his studies that
Hokuriku is not very inclusive of LGBT people compared toother parts of Japan, though systems in universities andother schools are gradually changing. Shinnosuke
Kawakami (JC Kanazawa) commented that his firm and JC
Kanazawa both wish to move forward on LGBT issues. Gon
Matsunaka (Good Aging Yells) shared his own experienceand talked about the NPO and its activities to raiseawareness and promote better understanding of LGBT. The
forum received 104 participants.

Biocultural Diversity and Kanazawa, a Sustainable City
Project to enhance the resilience of ecosystem services and communities in Kanazawa
This project led by Juan Pastor Ivars (OUIK Research Associate) aims to promote, conserve, and restore
ecosystem services1 in many valuable historic gardens in Kanazawa. They offer a wide range of benefits,
including beautiful landscape, a venue for relaxation and cultural exchange for local people, urban
ecosystems conservation, and a good potential as a tourism resource. To utilize the gardens sustainably
and to ensure their conservation, the project focuses on three pillars of activities: (1) providing a venue forstudy and discussion through seminars; (2) experiencing cultural service of the gardens through visits andtea ceremonies; and (3) participating in management activities such as cleanups. Two cleanups, four study
visits, and one seminar were organized in the second half of 2017, with more than 100 participants in total.
Activities have been conducted in cooperation with Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Branch of the JapaneseInstitute of Landscape Architecture, Kanazawa-based universities, and the gardens owners.
1

Ecosystem services supported by biodiversity can be divided in four categories: provisioning services of freshwater, food, and fuel; regulating services ofclimate, atmospheric components, and population of organisms; cultural services like offering mental fulfillment and opportunities for recreation; and supporting services like producing oxygen, soil formation, and nutrient and water cycling.

Sustainable conservation of gardens - creating nature in cities (27 November, 2017)
This seminar was held at Rinshotei, a private garden,
through the cooperation of Hokuriku University.
Presentations were made on: results of the study on heatisland effect in Kanazawa (Motofumi Marui, Associate
Professor of KIT); spatial structure of Kanazawa as agarden city and a folkloristic enquiry (Tadao Kobayashi,
Formar Professor of Hokuriku University); and design
features of traditional Japanese gardens and how they
relate to elements of gardens (Takahiro Tsuba, Professorof Kanazawa College of Art). Participants studied culturaland historical background of the garden as they looked
out on Goninbuchi no Matsu, a famous 500-year-old pine tree. They also viewed the garden's location in
the context of city's topography, and exchanged ideas about the role of green areas in a city.

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SDGs workshop: SDGs and the Japanese gardens (11–12 November, 2017) and other events
A cleanup of Shinrensha Garden and a workshop to discuss how
Japanese gardens can contribute to achieving SDG 11(Sustainable Cities) was co-organized by Aida Mammadova(Associate Professor of Kanazawa University) and OUIK. At theGarden’s tea house, a tea ceremony was hosted by Keita Ogawa(Professor of Hokuriku University). Participants of theinternational symposium on livelihoods, nature, and culturallandscapes also came to observe this garden. The various
groups led by Juan Pastor Ivars visited other gardens in
Kanazawa from October to December including Nishida Family
Garden, Gyokusen-en Garden, Kurando Terashima’s House, Senda Family Garden. At the Senda Family
Garden, Noriko Senda, the owner, hosted a Japanese tea ceremony, and the participants enjoyedrefined green tea.
Japanese garden cleanup and workshop on management system (10 October, 2017)
In cooperation with Takahiro Tsuba (Professor of Kanazawa
College of Art) and his students, a cleanup of the Senda Family
Garden, which was built in Meiji period, was organized. Whileregular cleanup and maintenance are essential for garden
management, the cleanup involves a heavy burden for the
Garden's owner. This event was organized as an experiment
whereby students participate in the cleanup while using thegarden as a place for learning. The event had secondary
benefits; (1) the owner recognized the value of the Garden
anew and (2) interaction between students and older
generation in local community took place, which does not happen very often.
International symposium on livelihoods, nature, and cultural landscapes
August 27, 2017, Kanazawa
This event was co-organized with Kanazawa University Center for
Urban and Regional Studies. Urban and rural landscape specific to aregion, strongly tied with local livelihoods and regional industries,
can be considered as cultural landscape. How can we maintain
Noto’s rural landscape, satoyama and satoumi, and Kanazawa’s
urban landscape deeply tied with traditional craftwork? How can
we achieve that while tackling depopulation and promoting
tourism? Kenneth Peter Yocom (Professor of University ofWashington, U.S.), Valentina Orioli (Professor of University of
Bologna, Italy) and Masato Dohi (Professor of Tokyo Institute ofTechnology) were invited as keynote speakers, and the policies to conserve cultural landscape in various
cities were discussed. Juan Pastor Ivars made a presentation about his project that explores sustainable
cities through a new management method of Japanese gardens in Kanazawa. Aida Mammadova (Associate
Professor of Kanazawa University) and Yuki Hagino (Team Maruyama) shared their activities.
Workshop on citizen monitoring of biodiversity
September 21, 2017, Kanazawa
OUIK organized a workshop on citizen monitoring of biodiversity in Kanazawa. In 2016, Kanazawa City developed a regional biodiversity strategy that highlights the link between the City’s nature and unique local
culture such as crafts and food. The strategy includes the perspective of biocultural diversity, throughwhich the nature in the region is conserved along with the culture that has been practiced by citizens intheir daily life.

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The strategy embraces key projects to be carried out with citizens. Among them is the Resident Watchers
Project, which promotes citizen monitoring. As one of the supporters in preparing the strategy, OUIK held aworkshop in collaboration with the Environment Policy Division of the Kanazawa City Hall to establish a data platform that would allow more people to participate in the Project in the future.
Shinichi Suda (Chuo University) was invited as the lecturer. As an entomologist, he has participated in citizen-based Wildlife Monitoring Survey jointly implemented by Chuo University, the University of Tokyo, and
Pal System Tokyo (Co-op) to monitor butterflies in Tokyo. Eiji Ikoma and Junko Hattori from DIAS/the University of Tokyo, where the application and data platform for the survey were developed, joined this workshop as commentators.
First, Shinichi Suda explained the background that citizen monitoring is important for regional biodiversity conservation. He
presented how they could have many Pal System members participate in butterfly monitoring covering a wide area of Tokyo,
and tips to make it fun to continue. Then, Toshimitsu Muto of
Kanazawa City Hall presented the data of animals and plants
reported through the Resident Watchers Project. He expressed
present concerns that the number of people who contributethe data is limited, and that a mechanism must be developed
to involve more citizens.
Participants included citizens groups involved in nature watching and environmental activities, universities
researchers, government officials, and city councilors. They actively exchanged opinions and expressed
their views such as: “Issues related to biodiversity are hard to identify until data is accumulated to a certain
extent, so it may be difficult to monitor specific species from the outset”; “Positional information of data isessential for research”; “Successful cases must have been built on the efforts of the people involved, so
simply replicating the butterfly monitoring system developed in Tokyo wouldn't work”; and “More collaboration with other environmental related projects is needed.”
Join us in welcoming our new staff member! Sayako Koyama
She completed BSc Zoology and MSc Conservation Science at Imperial College London in
the UK. After working at an environmental consultancy in Tokyo and experienced conservation related work as a park ranger in Ogasawara Islands, she also worked as a freelancetranslator. Since 2015, she has been based in Noto and was entrusted to support OUIK’s
research in 2016. From the same year, she started working part-time for Kanazawa University on the Satoyama Meister Training Program. Since 2017, she works as a research associate based in Noto focusing on biocultural diversity and GIAHS.
New Publication
Kanazawa City has been conducting the habitat survey of fire flies since 1987. OUIK and
Kanazawa City published the pamphlet to commemorate the 30th anniversary of this survey.
Please download at:
http://www4.city.kanazawa.lg.jp/data/open/cnt/3/13112/1/kanazawahotarumap30noayumi.pdf

Published: January, 2018
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/
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