2021 TOP 100 GOOD
PRACTICE STORY
Title of the Story: Sado Island’s Ecology and Biodiversity Project
Destination Name: (include any state, province or region)
Sado CityCountry: Japan

Submitter name: Terue Willoughby
Email address: t.homma@visitsado.com
Position: General Affairs Department manager
Nomination Category: (Please check the boxes that indicate the focus of your story)
Please find detailed information for the categories below in the Top 100 training module ‘Good
Practice Story’.
☐ Localizing the destination supply chain☐ Decarbonizing the destination supply chain☐ Culture & Communities☐ Environment & Climate☒ Nature & Ecotourism☐ Tourism Reset & Recovery

Find detailed instructions for submitting good practices in the Top 100 training module“Good Practice Story”.
Should you have any questions on your submission please refer to our FAQ page orcontact top100@greendestinations.org

DESCRIBE YOUR GOOD PRACTICE STORY
Address each aspect of your good practice story in the different sections being specific including relevant quantitativeand qualitative information.

Issues faced
When Japanese people hear about Sado Island, the first image that comes to mind is the Toki (CrestedIbis). The “Toki” attract many visitors to the island. They can now be seen daily flying through the skies
all over Sado. These birds were once common all over Japan too, however their numbers drasticallydiminished due to over-hunting, industrialization, deforestation, environmental pollution and chemical
usage in farming. In 1981, the last five remaining Toki were put into captivity, in order to breed them.
Sadly, this failed and the last Japanese Toki died in 2003.
In 1999, a pair of Toki was given to Japan by China, and were successfully bred on Sado Island. Japanand China continued to cooperate together in breeding Toki in both countries. More pairs were sent toJapan, and in return hatched chicks were sent to China. These efforts were a success and in 2008, 10Toki were released into the wild here on Sado.
An ideal environment for them had to be created around the rice fields, where their food can befound, and a new system had to be put in place. This required the cooperation of the farmers.
Unfortunately, releasing Toki into the wild brought its own set of problems. Toki are particularly
sensitive creatures. Because they could now be observed living in their natural habitat, many tourists
and bird lovers flocked to Sado. This was very welcome, but by attempting to get the best photographssome tourists would make loud noises to make them fly, drive too close, and even chase them.

Methods, steps and tools applied
New rules had to be established for the viewing of Toki. Sado City devised the “Coexisting with Toki
Rules,” a list of rules for the public to read and understand. They were published online and put up inthe Toki-no-Mori Park, a facility for the breeding and viewing of Toki in captivity. A group was also
created called the “Toki Guide Group.” Toki guides take local children and tourists around Toki’s
habitats, introducing the rules and explaining how to coexist with them.
Local Sado Tourism Information Centers also rent out electric bicycles to people wanting to view thesesound-sensitive birds, in a safe and environmentally clean way. In a particularly hilly area called Ogi,
electric mountain bikes were made available. Another reason behind the bike schemes is to provide
support for the public transportation in an environmentally clean way. Ogi itself is a main tourist area,
attracting lots of people to the island. It is where “Shukunegi,” a traditional building preservation
district, can be found, along with unique tub fishing boats.
Key success factors

With the combined efforts of the Ministry of Environment and Niigata Prefecture, the “Wild Return ofToki Vision” was established, a set of guidelines and plans to create an ideal habitat for the successful
future of non-captive Toki. At the same time on Sado, the “Certification System for the Rice of Livingwith Japanese Crested Ibis” was founded. This included the biodiversity conservation five- factor
farming method, which reduced the use of chemicals and encouraged a more traditional approach tofarming and other environmentally friendly techniques. Rice grown through this way was awarded the“Certification System for the Rice of Living with Japanese Crested Ibis” certified mark, becoming anationally recognized brand. Any product containing this rice, such as sweets or rice flour etc., carries
this branding. So, these methods resulted in creating not just a cleaner, safe environment but also anew economic cycle on the island.
Lessons learned
Many new methods had to be implemented for this all to be a success. The cooperation of the farmers
and local people was vital. Farmers, especially, had to change from their modern convenient laborsaving techniques to more traditional, labor intensive ones. Over 50% of the chemicals they were using
had to be reduced. No chemicals could be used to weed around the paddy fields, it all had to be doneby hand again. As imagined, this wasn’t an ideal situation for the hundreds of farmers. However,through the education of elementary school students, forest studies conducted by the university,
hands-on activities for tourists, and environmental meetings for local people, the way of thinking
gradually changed. This also helped change the attitudes of tourists.

Results, achievements and recognitions
The new scheme started in 2008 with 7.2% of the whole crop acreage and 3.6% of the rice farmers
participating. This rose to a peak of 24.4% acreage with participation by 11% of farmers in 2012. The
majority of farmers are older people, amid Japan’s aging population -- yet the average of whole crop
acreage has remained at around 20%. (In 2020, 9.2% farmers had joined the scheme.) This has becomea major farming method. Due to this, the natural environment has greatly improved and a richbiodiversity exists. Most of the rice fields are in the central, flat area of the island, however, themethod has also been incorporated into very small mountain terrace fields. The terrace rice farms
were first made to cope with a sudden influx of people after gold was discovered about 200 years ago.
Currently, there are over 450 Toki living in the wild on the island. They have become a familiar sightand the symbol of Sado. The Toki-no-Mori Park used to welcome fewer than 100,000 visitors a year.
But after the successful breeding program, this rose to more than 200,000.
Before -- but especially after -- gold was discovered, many people from all walks of life and fromall over Japan arrived. They brought with them their own traditions and folk art that transformed into
ritual ceremonies on Sado. This has all culminated into Sado’s unique culture and deep traditions, withrice farming being intrinsic to it all. Between spring and autumn, rituals, such as “Oni Daiko” or Nohtheater can often be heard daily across the island with each area and even village performing their own
styles, praying for a bountiful rice harvest.
In 2011, Sado was awarded the first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage (GIAHS) in Japan. This wasearned through the links among biodiversity, eco-friendly farming methods and the economic cycle. Itwas enhanced by the stunning scenery around the paddy fields and by preserving a traditional, ancientfarming culture and community.
Safe produce, beautiful views, a deep culture practiced in daily life are part of what has attracted
people from all over the world to Sado.

Additional references
Provide links to further information. Pictures and videos should be available for download either from Youtube,
Vimeo or other Cloud-based (Google/ One Drive) download URL.

The History of the Toki
Natural Environment and Biodiversity (Ministry of the Environment)
Sado Island World Agricultural Heritage Site (GIAHS)
Creating a township to live with Toki
Rental bicycles (e-bikes)
Number of visitors to Toki no Mori Park
Certified Rice Logo Mark
Certified Rice ProductsArticles on Sado Island by Foreign Media