Figure 3-5-5 Fundamental Axes of Local Recycling Zone Creation

## 1 Registration of the Ogasawara Islands as a World Natural Heritage Site

These days, people’s image of the Ogasawara Islands is one of a subtropical wildlife paradise that tourists from around the world clamor to visit (Photo 3-6-1). The islands dot the ocean roughly 1,000 kilometers south of the main islands of Japan, and have only limited means of accessibility. Nevertheless, the annual number of visitors who take the once-a-week, 25-hour liner trip from Honshu to Haha-jima grew to 20,000 in 2011.

The Ogasawara Islands were once referred to as “uninhabited.” These islands were truly uninhabited until people began to move there after the Edo Period, and they were only discovered roughly 400 to 500 years ago.

In the mere 200 years since the islands were permanently settled, agriculture tailored to the subtropical climate and a fishing industry centered on bonito, tuna, coral reef fish, and so on, have flourished.

Following the Pacific War, the Ogasawara Islands were returned to Japan, and Ogasawara Village was established. The rehabilitation efforts begun at this time were centered on agriculture, fishing, and tourism. In 1972, Ogasawara National Park was established over an area that includes an archipelago of volcanic islands, scenic weathered sea cliffs, and subtropical islands. In 2007, almost the whole area of the nationally owned forest that covers the majority of the islands was designated as a forest ecosystem protection area. These measures were undertaken as part of an initiative to promote industry at the same time as preserving the natural environment. In 2006, the Ogasawara Islands World Natural Heritage Site Liaison Committee was established, composed of related organizations in the region and a management organization, and it has been conducting its work with the advice of science committees consisting of members with academic backgrounds.

This initiative, which brings local residents and other stakeholders together for the cause of environmental conservation, has been lauded worldwide, and culminated in the islands' registration in June 2011 as a World Natural Heritage Site: a distinction bestowed upon the world's

Photo 3-6-1 The Ogasawara Islands, Registered as a World Natural Heritage Site.

Photos: Ministry of the Environment

uniquely valuable natural areas.

A ceremony to celebrate this registration was held in Ogasawara Village in October 2011, with the children of the village gathering to sing "Ao-umigame no Tabi" (Journey of the Green Sea Turtle). This song originates in Ogasawara Village and tells the tale of a young turtle who swims out to sea, and repeatedly beckons him to come back once he has grown large. This song is sung at various functions held in the village. The voices of the children symbolize the deep connection between nature and the islands' residents, their appreciation of nature, and the pride they feel in their home, which is surrounded by the abundance of nature. It reminds residents that the islands' registration as a World Natural Heritage Site is a starting point, and that they must ensure that the abundance of nature is passed down to these children.

From their formation until the present day, the Ogasawara Islands have never been connected with another body of land. Uniquely evolved land snails and vascular plants are found in abundance here, making these islands globally valuable microcosms of biological evolution. The Ogasawara Islands are also globally important habitats for various endangered species, such as the Bonin Fruit Bat and the Black-Footed Albatross; thus they are essential to the conservation of biodiversity in the Northwestern Pacific region (Photo 3-6-2).

Environmental protection and conservation must be practiced at a given site for it to be recommended for inclusion as a World Natural Heritage Site. In the case of

Photos: Satoshi Chiba

the Ogasawara Islands, various collaborative initiatives between the local community, government organizations, and researchers are in place.

The islanders’ way of life and industrial practices must harmonize with the conservation and management of the heritage site, and this would not be possible without their understanding and cooperation. An Ogasawara Islands World Natural Heritage Site Liaison Committee has been established, and its members examine how to share information and work with stakeholders to conserve and manage the natural environment.

One project carried out in the islands that involves the cooperation of a great many stakeholders is the feral cat policy.

Minamizaki is a site on the southern tip of Haha-jima. It is the only seabird breeding ground on any of the inhabited Ogasawara Islands, and it is greatly loved by the residents of Haha-jima. At one time there were ten to twenty Brown Booby nests and around ten Wedge-Tailed Shearwater nests seen every year at the breeding ground; however, these numbers began to decline and large numbers of seabird carcasses began to be found. The local NPOs that study bird species in the Ogasawara Islands discovered that feral cats were hunting and eating the seabirds. Realizing the seriousness of this situation, the national and local government began working together with local NPOs and the residents of Haha-jima to capture these feral cats. The captured feral cats are shipped off the island and examined by the Tokyo Veterinary Association. Those that are sick

1. Mandarina mandarina (Chichijima Is.)

2. M. chichijimana Chiba (Chichijima Is.)

3. M. anijimana Chiba (Anijima Is.)

4. M. sp. A (Ototojima Is.)

5. M. tomiyamai Chiba & Davison (Chichijima Is.)

6. M. hirasei Pilsbry (Chichijima Is.)

7. Mandarina .SP (Anijima Is.)

8. M. sp. D (Anijima Is.)

9. M. suenoae Minato (Chichijima Is. & Hatsunjima Is.)

10. M. polita Chiba (Hahajima Is.)

11. M. polita Chiba (Okimura in Hahajima Is.)

12. M. polita Chiba (Higashiyama in Hahajima Is.)

13. M. polita Chiba (Kita minato in Hahajima Is.)

14. M. sp. C (Hahajima Is.)

15. M. aureola Chiba (Nakanohira in Hahajima Is.)

16. M. aureola Chiba (Minamizaki in Hahajima Is.)

17. M. aureola Chiba (Sekimon in Hahajima Is.)

18. M. aureola Chiba (Sekimon in Hahajima Is.)

19. M. aureola Chiba (Sekimon in Hahajima Is.)

20. Mandarina .SP (Kita misaki in Hahajima Is.)

21. M. ponderosa Pilsbry (Sekimon in Hahajima Is.)

22. M. ponderosa Pilsbry (Mt. Sakaigatake in Hahajima Is.)

23. M. ponderosa Pilsbry (Hyogidaira in Hahajima Is.)

24. M. ponderosa Pilsbry (Mukojima Is.)

25. M. sp. B (Minamizaki in Hahajima Is.)

26. M. conus Pilsbry (Imotojima Is.)

27. M. conus Pilsbry (Imotojima Is.)

28. M. hirasei Pilsbry (Nishidai in Hahajima Is.)

29. M. kaguya Chiba & Davison (Minamizaki in Hahajima Is.)

30. M. kaguya Chiba & Davison (Mt. Chibusayama in Hahajima Is.)

31. M. kaguya Chiba & Davison (Mt. Chibusayama Hahajima Is.)

32. M. kaguya Chiba & Davison (Higashizaki in Hahajima Is.)

33. M. hayatoi Chiba & Davison (Mukojima Is.)

34. M. hayatoi Chiba & Davison (Imotojima Is.)

35. Mandarina hahajimana (Sekimon in Hahajima Is.)

36. Mandarina hahajimana (Mt. Sakaigatake in Hahajima Is.)

37. Mandarina hahajimana (Sekimon in Hahajima Is.)

38. M. exoptata Pilsbry (Mt. Sakaigatake in Hahajima Is.)

39. M. exoptata Pilsbry? (Nagahama in Hahajima Is.)

40. M. trifasciata Pilsbry (B type) (Nakodojima Is.)

41. M. trifasciata Pilsbry (D type) (Nakodojima Is.)

42. M. luhuana (Minamizaki in Chichijima Is.)

43. M. carinata Chiba (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

44. M. carinata Chiba? (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

45. M. pallasiana Pfeiffer (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

46. M. hayamii Chiba (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

47. M. hayamii Chiba (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

48. M. hayamii Chiba (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

49. M. io Chiba (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

50. M. chichijimana Chiba (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

51. M. titan Chiba (Minamijima Is. Fossil)

52. M. sp. H (Chichijima Is. Fossil)

53. M. polita Chiba (Hahajima Is. Fossil)

54. M. sp. I (Hahajima Is.)