MIS01-P01

Room:Convention Hall

Time:May 25 18:15-19:30

Destruction of geomorphological environment caused by large-scale development in Japanislands.
MOKUDAI, Kuniyasu1∗
1

Pro Natura Foundation Japan

Japan has a large population in its limited area. Therefore, there are many destruction of nature. Especially, geomorphologicalenvironments such as mountain, river and shore area are not appreciated in Japanese society. I analysing the development progressing at present in Japan by angle of geomorphology and sustainable development.
Keywords: Linear Chuo Shinkansen, coral reef, landfill, dam construction, mining development

1/1

MIS01-P02

Room:Convention Hall

Time:May 25 18:15-19:30

Issues among conservation on local level -Through the case of HakusanNAKAMURA, Shinsuke1∗
1

Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Promotion Council

Conservation of local natural environment including geological or geographical features is essential to sustainable local development using local resources. In Japan, international programs such as biosphere reserves (for ecosystem conservation) orgeoparks (for geoconservation) are carried out in the local (municipalities’) level. It seems that promotion for conservation atlocal level is prepared, but in actual fact the efforts has not always succeeded. In this presentation, an attempt will be made toarrange the issues among conservation on local levels through the case of Hakusan from two points: the social situation andnatural environment in Japan.
1. Social situation
Biosphere reserves focuses on the three functions; conservation, development, and logistic support, while geoparks focuseson conservation, education, and sustainable local development through geotourism. Conservation is a common element among
these two.
But in Japan, even biosphere reserves or geoparks don’t carry out so much conservation activities. In contrast with education ordevelopment activities, conservation activity tends to be passive which restricts someone to do something. To restrict someone,
you need a legal framework. In Japan, most of the legal frameworks related to conservation are under the control of national orprefectural governments.
For example, there are some natural parks in Hakusan such as Hakusan National Park or Hakusan Ichirino Prefectural NaturalPark. Moreover, there are some protected forests such as Hakusan Forest Ecosystem Reserve in the national forests. But theseare managed by the national or prefectural governments, so municipalities’ governments could not set up or manage them on
their own.
In addition, some of the locals are not sure what to do as conservation activities. In many cases, conservation activity tends tobe thought as an activity to spread the idea of conservation. But in these cases, it is hard to distinguish conservation activities
from educational or public awareness activities.
2. Natural environment
Japan locates on a mobile belt, where four plates bump each other, volcanoes are active, and earthquakes occur frequently.
Moreover, there is high risk of land disasters or snowslides because of the high precipitation, especially heavy snowfall on theJapan Sea side. For example, in Hakusan, a settlement was buried under the ground due to the land disaster which occurred in
1934.
Concerning on conservation at such a changing earth, a doubt comes up: what should be preserved? In Hakusan, because of
the volcano and snowfall, sediment discharge is constantly occurring. Considering the huge land disasters occurred in the past,the construction of erosion control dams (sabo ) has been carried out to protect the residents’ lives. This construction should beagainst the concept of conservation, since human is stopping the sediment discharge. On the other hand, concerning on the safetyof residents’ lives, it is difficult to deny sabo. Besides, it may be said that sabo is keeping the stability of the earth in the point oferosion control.
There is a dilemma in ecosystem conservation too. In Hakusan, lowland plants are invading the alpine zone by their seeds
carried by the climbers’ shoes. They breed and encroach on the niche of alpine plants. In Hakusan, removal of these lowland
plants is carried out currently. This removal is in accordance with the concept of conservation from the position of alpine plants.
But from the position of lowland plants, it could be said that a newly acquired niche was taken away by human, resulting someresidents to be negative with this removal.
Keywords: conservation, Japan, local, management, natural parks, sabo

1/1

MIS01-P03

Room:Convention Hall

Time:May 25 18:15-19:30

What are the Drivers of Environmental Degradation? A River Basin Scale Investigation
at Takatsu River Basin Shimane
SHAMIK, Chakraborty1 ; CHAKRABORTY, Abhik2∗ ; ASAMIZU, Munehiko3
1None, 2 Izu Peninsula Geopark, 3 Yamaguchi University

This poster presentation discusses a peculiar and challenging case of degradation of the natural environment in a river basinthat is generally considered to have excellent ecological paramters. The 81 Km long Takatsu River in Shimane is a rare large
river without a dam. It had topped the water quality surveys in the past. However, in recent years the river has shown clear
trends of degradation, decline of fish species, lack of flow volume, and rise in turbidity in the pools. Our survey found that
despite the general perception of a healthy and clean river, Takatsu River is subjected to a number of stress factors, which are
distributed very diffusely on the spatial scale. These are, qualitative change in the upland forest cover, increase in pollution intributaries, presence of numerous check weirs that inhibit nutrient and material flow to the rivermouth and disturbance of the pool
riffle sequence due to the combined effect of all the above factors, as well as changes of land use pattern around the stream. Alocal NPO Andante 21 is conducting surveys on a key species, the Hamaguri clam, that almost disappeared from the rivermouth.
Currently citizen efforts are somewhat successful in prohibiting catch of clams, and the population has rebounded to a degree.
As this key species shows, poorly understood mechanisms of nutrient flow from upstream to downstream can have swift effects
on key species, thereby reducing the ecosystem diversity. The research suggests that it is imperative to understand the manifold
ways of landscape connectivity, and how species depend on these connections, in order to address problems like degradations ina large spatial scale such as a river basin.

1/1

MIS01-P04

Room:Convention Hall

Time:May 25 18:15-19:30

Use art to raise awareness of landslide hazard
TSOU, Ching-ying1∗ ; WU, Ying-chieh2 ; HUANG, Zan-luan31Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, 2 National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan, 3 Taipei National
University of Arts, Taiwan
The role of art as means of conveying complex scientific concepts has largely been neglected probably due to that scientists
do not have art skills and also few artists are knowledgeable in science. By working together, researcher and artist are trying tobridge the gap between both sides and are in an attempt to raise general public awareness of landslide hazard. We conducted
field geological and geomorphological investigation to study basic causes of the 2009 Typhoon Morakot induced the most catastrophic landslide at the Shiaolin Village, southern Taiwan and by which to enhance communication and understanding. We used
traditional Chinese painting with selected important graphical elements such as rainstorm, dip slope, precursory topography, anddissected paleosurface to convey the idea that landslide hazards and risks are exposed in our community but people can reduce
the risk by avoiding hazardous areas. We also plan to accumulate more landslide cases and include modern art as another formof graphic element of visual performance as a prospective study in the future.
Keywords: landslide, art, Chinese painting, graphical element

1/1

MIS01-P05

Room:Convention Hall

Time:May 25 18:15-19:30Geoeducation on Conservation in a case of San’in Kaigan Geopark
NIINA, Atsuko1∗
1

Totter University of Environmental Studies

There are one national park, two quasi national parks, the downstream area of the Maruyama River and nearby paddies
registered as wetlands under the Ramsar Convention, cultural properties designated by the Act on the Protection of Cultural
Properties and wild fauna and flora prohibited under the Law for the Conservation of Endangered Spiecies of Wild Fauna andFlora in the territory of the Sanin Kaigan Global Geopark. The Ordinance to Protect and Nurture the Tottori Sand Dunes, theGreatest Sand Dunes in Japan is one of unique regulations in Japan. Geosite inspections and surveys are carried out by municipal
governments and those who are staff members of the Preservation and Conservation Group and the Academic Group. In addition
to weeding the Tottori sand dunes, the Tottori Sand dunes Reclamation Conference monitors sand dune drift and compiles reports
on survey result. Geoeducation plays the important role to conserve geoheritage. For a long time, the importance of geodeucation
has been ignored here. After becoming a member of GGN, however, people provide various geoeducational programmes for theimprovement of awareness. Therefore, the aim of this presentation is to report on geoeducation for conservation of environment
in a case of Sanin Kaigan Global Geopark.
Keywords: San’in Kaigan Geopark, geoeducation, conservation

1/1