OUR ACTIVITIESBy holding biodiversity-themed events and workshops for the youth generation at national parks andother field locations, the group is working to convey the importance of biodiversity conservation and howto utilize biodiversity in a sustainable manner. So far, they have held events on Sado Island (NiigataPrefecture), Kasai Rinkai Park (Chiba Prefecture), and Kumejima Island (Okinawa Prefecture), among
others.

Online events are held to build connections among youth organizations involved in biodiversity
conservation activities in various fields. In particular, the target audience does not necessarily have to beactive in biodiversity conservation, and we actively reach out to organizations that are contributing tobiodiversity conservation as a side effect of other activities.

We collect the opinions of youth
groups in each field that are
involved in daily activities on
issues and biodiversity
conservation throughquestionnaires and othermeans, compile the opinions,and make proposals atinternational conferences suchas the COP. In this way, we havea relationship with both theyouth groups in the field and theinternational stakeholders, andwe play a role in connectingthem.

JAPANESE NATURE PARKS
Nature parks in Japan include nationalparks (designated and managed by thenational government), quasi-nationalparks (designated by the nationalgovernment and managed by theprefectures), and prefectural natureparks (designated and managed by theprefectures).
Although the subject of protection is thenatural landscape, the system results inthe conservation of biodiversity andpreservation of the natural environment.
The purpose is to provide a place forhealth, recreation, and education for the
public by promoting the use of the park.
There are two types of natural parks:
structured and regional. In contrast tothe former, in which national parks arelimited to protected areas only and thecentral government manages the entire
area, Japan takes the latter. Parks can be
designated regardless of land ownership.
In other words, there are often cases
where the landowner and theadministrator are different. The parks
include a variety of land uses, and thus
involve a variety of stakeholders(landowners, land managers, residents,tourists, volunteers, etc.). When
preparing a natural park plan, it isnecessary to build consensus withdiverse entities, otherwise the plan will
become a mere skeleton.

ACTIVITIES IN NATURE PARKS BY JAPANESE YOUTHCHARACTERISTICS OF JAPANESE NATURE
Japan is an island nation located near the Eurasian continentand is not connected by land. Hence, Japan has a unique biota.
It consists of small and large islands with a wide range ofclimates from subtropical to subarctic. Geographically, theislands were connected to the continent in various regions, suchas the Ryukyu Archipelago, Kyushu, and Hokkaido, resulting in ahigh biodiversity of organisms with various phylogenetic
backgrounds, including some species that have become extinct
on the continent.
Japan ischaracterized by relatively mountainous and rainy
landscapes, with steep mountains alternating with narrowplains. Each environment has a different biota, and theircomplex interaction results in a region of high biodiversity as awhole.
The eastern coast of the Japanese Islands is the end of both thewarm and cold currents that circle the North Pacific Ocean,making it a unique marine region where organisms of northernand southern origin can be seen simultaneously. The coastline isas complex as the mountains, so the coastal environment is also
diverse. Tidal flats, sandy beaches, coral reefs, and rocky reefs
are home to a variety of organisms in each of the coastalenvironments.
Few areas remain pristine natural environments. However,
diverse anthropogenic environments serve as alternativeenvironments. For example, some organisms use rice patches
instead of floodplain environments, ski slopes and grasslands
instead of prairie environments, and so on.

SATOYAMA, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN LIFE,
CULTURE AND NATURE
What’s Satoyama ? (Satoyama has traditional culture and highbiodiversity)
In Japan, people have long lived in harmony with nature. People havethinned trees for fuel and burned fields to revive the soil fertility offarmlands. The timing and frequency of these activities have been
traditionally inherited, and a good balance has been maintained. People
living in satoyama have lived with the nature of the area, receiving benefits
from the mountains, rivers, and the sea, and feeling the changing seasons.
This has led to the formation of diverse cultures in each region. Insatoyama, not only culture, but also moderate human intervention innature creates a diverse ecosystem and an environment in which a wide
variety of creatures can coexist. Moderate disturbance by humans allows
for the coexistence of not only species that are resistant to competition,
but also species that are resistant to disturbance. The entire area thatmaintains this exquisite balance is called satoyama.

CHARACTERISTICS OF JAPANESE NATURE
In Japan's natural parks, stakeholders need to carefully consider how to build consensus among themselvesand how to live in harmony with nature. The reason for this is that in Japan, the natural environment andcities are very close, and a diverse range of stakeholders are involved.
Experts, government, local residents, youth, and all stakeholders should be involved to conserve the naturalenvironment while also ensuring scientific knowledge and sometimes having fun.
The environment around strictly protected areas should foster a sense of respect for nature among visitors
while allowing them to enjoy and access the protected areas. A movement to pass on local nature andculture to the next generation should be created throughout the communities.
In mountainous areas where weather is severe, footpaths and public toilets are not adequately maintained in
the area to cope with the concentration of climbers, mainly middle-aged and older people. As a result,vegetation around mountain trails has been devastated and environmental degradation has occurred due tohuman waste.
Currently, the solution is mainly to meet human demand in the city, such as renewing facilities, installing WiFi and public restrooms, etc., and securing resources, such as personnel and budget, for maintenance.
However, rather than conducting maintenance work, it may be better to have climbers do the work ofrestoring vegetation in exchange for transportation fees and tickets that can be used at mountain lodges.
In the mountains, rather than pursuing the same level of convenience as in the cities, it is necessary toprotect the natural environment, and to keep facilities to the minimum necessary, with a moderate amountof human intervention. It is necessary to involve users in this process and have them enjoy and be involved
with nature at a moderate distance.

WHAT CAN YOUTH DO IN THIS PROCESS?
While visiting various protected areas and surrounding living areas in Japan, we heard from local residents
who are facing declining birthrates, aging population, and depopulation that they want young people to join
their communities.
Knowing the needs of the residents of the protected areas, doing what the youth themselves want to do in
the protected areas, and having the youth enjoy nature, are all valuable in themselves.
If we can conduct various activities in nature around protected areas in a way that inspires the enthusiasm,
awareness of issues, and desire to learn of the young people, we believe that this will lead to conservation ina way that brings people and nature closer together.
Youth should not just appeal to adults to change their behavior.
They need to recognize the advantages of being young people, have a sense of responsibility and bemoderately involved in the work site.
Our group has organized study tours around protected areas for our generation and events to deepenchildren's attachments to nature.
We plan to continue to conduct study tours in the future, and are planning activities in which young people
can think for themselves about green infrastructure development in satoyama areas.
Youth should absorb local nature and culture in dialogue with local residents and act to maintain an
appropriate balance between protection and utilization.