Conservation of Biological and Cultural Diversity Centered on the Amami Islands
International Center for Island Studies Center, Faculty of Science Biology Program, Faculty of Agriculture Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Faculty of Education, Center for General Education, Kagoshima University Museum
International Center for Island Studies Professor OTSUKA Yasushi/Professor KAWAI Kei/Specially Appointed Professor SUZUKI Eiji/Associate Professor YAMAMOTO Sota/Specially Appointed Researcher KITANOBO Seiya/Specially Appointed Researcher KIKUCHI Hayato
Faculty of Law, Economics and Humanities Department of Humanities Professor WATANABE Yoshiro/Associate Professor KANESHIRO Itoe
Faculty of Science, Biology Program, Professor UYENO Daisuke/Assistant Professor KUSHIDA Yuka
Kagoshima University Museum, Professor MOTOMURA Hiroyuki/Assistant Professor TAGANE Shuichiro
Center for General Education, Associate Professor FUJITA Shiho
Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Professor YAMAMOTO Masashi/Professor SHIMIZU Katsuyoshi /Associate Professor TAKAYAMA Koji/Associate Professor UGAWA Shin/Assistant Professor EIMURA Naoko/Assistant Professor HIRA Mizuki
Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Fisheries Science and Technology, Professor YAMAMOTO Tomoko/Associate Professor KUME Gen/Associate Professor TORII Takashi
Faculty of Education, Science Education, KAWANISHI Motohiro, etc.
- isen
- wadomari
- china
- amami
- yoron
- yamato
- uken
- setouchi
- tatsugou
- kikai
- tokunoshima
- amagi
Background and objectives of activities
The Amami Islands, rich in biological and cultural diversity, were inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2021. However, this is not the end goal; it has created a responsibility to manage the Amami Islands appropriately and pass them on to future generations. To achieve this, it is necessary to continuously conduct research on living organisms and their habitats. Furthermore, the cooperation of local residents is indispensable for conserving this diversity. To achieve this, it is first necessary to deepen their understanding of biodiversity, so we will conduct educational activities to disseminate knowledge.
Summary of Activities
To conserve biodiversity, it is necessary to: ① monitor changes over time, ② develop countermeasures when problems are identified, and ③ make future projections. We will focus our research on these three key tasks. For ①, on land, 30 permanent survey plots have been established within the World Heritage site to investigate changes in ecosystems like forests, survey the distribution of flora and fauna, and study habitat conditions. In the marine environment, surveys are conducted to assess the current state of biodiversity, focusing on coral reefs and mangrove areas. For ②, we are researching countermeasures against browsing damage caused by the Amami rabbit and feral goats (Photo 1). ③ involves predicting how global warming will affect rare plants inhabiting Amami's barren lands. Based on these findings, we hold lectures for local residents (Photo 2), biological observation sessions in the sea and mountains (Photos 3, 4), and symposiums.
Expected Benefits
This will provide foundational data for developing policies to appropriately manage and conserve the biodiversity of the Amami Islands. It will help raise educational standards on these remote islands, which tend to lag behind, enabling everyone to participate in conserving biodiversity.