Co-Existing in Harmony with Nature:

Local Conservation Groups at Miyake Island

IBA, Tokyo, Japan

By

Mithi Laya S. Gonzales, BirdLife Asia Intern and

Hidenori Shinoke, WBSJ Forest Ranger

The forest of Miyake Island

(Photo courtesy of WBSJ)

Contents

Page

1. Introduction 1 2. The Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ) – the BirdLife International Partner

1

3. Miyake Island and it’s biodiversity 2 4. WBSJ’s presence on Miyake Island: the Miyake Island Nature Center or Akakokko-kan

5. Working with LCGs & other local stakeholders on Miyake island 3 5.1 Miyake Mura 5 5.2 Tomonokai & Kyururu 6 5.3 Fisherman 8

5.4 Miyakejima Tourist Association 9 6. Current Governance of Miyake Island vs. Principles of Good Governance

9

References 13

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1. Introduction The BirdLife International partner in Japan is the Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ). A three-day visit from August 17 to 19, 2011 was conducted to gather

information about the experience of WBSJ in working with their Local Conservation Groups (LCGs) and other local stakeholders in Miyake Island - an Important Biodiversity Area (IBA) rich not only in biodiversity, volcanic formations, and scenic spots but also culturally diverse.

All the key representatives from WBSJ, local government, LCGs, tourist associations and fishermen were interviewed. These people, native and non-

natives of the island, showed their concern and love for Miyake by being actively involved either in their individual capacities or within the scope of the organizations they belong to. ‘Co-existing in harmony with nature’ best describes how local people aim to work together for the conservation of Miyake Island Bird

Sanctuary. This report describes how these organisations and individuals work together to achieve this shared objective.

2. The Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ) – the BirdLife International

Partner

In 1934, a group consisting of poets, writers, novelists and ornithologists headed by a priest and poet, Godo Nakanishi, organized a bird watching activity and named their group the Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ). Bird watching at that time was popular as a cultural event. After World War II, local groups, known as

“Yacho” meaning wild bird, became active in bird watching and decided to use the name WBSJ. These local groups decided to gather all their activities and form as one organization in 1947.

Now, WBSJ has over 45,000 members and 90 chapters throughout Japan. Its purpose is to protect birds and their habitat, to encourage more people to enjoy bird watching, and to carry out research concerning the status and habitat of

birds (WBSJ, 2010). The organization has four divisions: 1) Conservation; 2) Sanctuaries; 3) Publication, Education, Bird watching and Membership; and 4) Management/Administration.

WBSJ’s Conservation and Sanctuaries Divisions are in charge of IBA and sanctuary management. The programs

and projects of the Conservation Division include Habitat Conservation and Preventing Species Extinction. The Sanctuary Division, on the other hand,

manages 10 sanctuaries in Japan. Eight of these sanctuaries are independently managed by WBSJ while two sanctuaries,

Tsurui Village and Utonai Lake, are funded by local governments. These sanctuaries

are between 7.5 to 511 hectares in size. In these sanctuaries, WBSJ established nature centers and assigned rangers to

promote conservation and conduct

Mr. Tomioka Tatsuyuki, Sanctuary Management Division

Chief (left) and Mr. Seiji Hayama, Conservation Division

Manager (right)

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environmental education activities. The division has a total of 44 rangers with 3 to 4 rangers assigned per sanctuary. The selection of the 10 sanctuaries was

based on the IBA characterization, presence of bird species and migratory birds. Sanctuaries were established in the 1980s. WBSJ pioneered sanctuary establishment as an approach to conservation in Japan. The Ministry of

Environment and local governments adopted this approach. Today, Japan has around 600 sanctuaries and similar facilities being managed by the local governments and other non-government organizations.

WBSJ has both international and local partners in doing their conservation work. At the international level, WBSJ works with BirdLife International Asia Division for the marine IBAs and IBA projects and with the Royal Society for the Protection of

Birds (RSPB) for bird species related research. Local governments, private corporations and Local Conservation Groups are WBSJ’s partners at the local level. The Local Conservation Groups are composed

of volunteers in the sanctuaries that are mostly individual researchers. Of the total 167 IBAs of Japan, 147 IBAs or 88 percent have LCGs. These LCGs or volunteers work independently within the IBAs and sanctuaries and are not

networked locally. They receive information from WBSJ through the website on trainings and seminars on conservation. 3. Miyake Island and it’s biodiversity Japan has 167 IBAs with a total area of 40,257 square kilometers, which is 11% of the total land area of Japan. Sixty-one of these IBAs support globally threatened species, 27 have restricted-range species, 41 have biome-restricted

species and 115 qualify as IBAs because they hold large congregations of water birds, seabirds or migratory birds of prey. Seventy-one of the IBAs are protected while 63 are partially protected and 33 are unprotected (BirdLife International,

2004). One of the outstanding forest IBAs in Japan is Miyakejima Island (IBA 79) in the Izu Islands Endemic Birds Area (EBA). It is located 180 kilometers south

southwest of Tokyo. It is the third largest island of the Izu Islands covering an area of 5,550 hectares. It is a volcanic island with the Mt. Oyama volcano located in the middle of the island which erupted in 2000.

It has both coastline and lowland forest habitats. From the shore to 450 meters above sea level, there are evergreen broadleaf forests which mainly consist of Japanese Chinquapin Castanopsis cuspidata, Machilus Machilus thunbergii and

Camellia Camellia japonica, as well as secondary forests which consist of Japanese Alder Alnus japonica and Oshima Cherry Prunus speciosa (WBSJ, 2010). It is the habitat of globally threatened species and restricted-range bird species,

which are Japanese Murrelet Synthliboramphus wumizusume, Izu Islands Thrush Turdus celaenops, Pleske’s Grasshopper-warbler Locustella pleskei, and Ijima’s Leaf-warbler Phylloscopus ijimae. The population of Japanese Murrelet

Synthliboramphus wumizusume is a globally important congregation of sea birds (BirdLife, 2004). Miyake Island is a protected area being part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

Surrounding areas of Tairo-ike pond in the south of the island are designated as a bird park by the local government. Despite these designations, the island’s biodiversity is being threatened by human activities such as construction of dikes

and dams and introduced exotic plant and animal species. The Tokyo government,

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to prevent the occurrence of landslides, constructed dikes and check dams within the forests of Miyake. These engineering works according to the study conducted

by Takashi Kamijo and Keiko Hashiba in 2003, will likely have an impact on the indigenous flora and fauna in Miyake island. 4. WBSJ’s presence on Miyake Island: the Miyake Island Nature Center

or Akakokko-kan

Akakokko-kan is a nature center built by Miyake Island Village, the local

government, in 1993. The purpose of the Akakokko-kan, according to the center’s chief ranger from WBSJ Mr.

Hidenori Shinoki, is to conduct environmental education to residents, nature conservation and wise use of conservation for the promotion of

ecotourism. This was largely influenced by Dr. Jack Moyer. Dr. Moyer, an American marine biologist, was

instrumental in raising the awareness of the local people of Miyake to

conserve the island. He first came to

the island as a U.S. serviceman in 1952 because he heard about the US practice bombings in Onoharajima where the rare seabird, the Japanese Murrelet Synthliboramphus wumizusume breeds. The bombing was stopped when he wrote

a letter to an associate of President Truman to stop the bombing to save the Japanese Murrelet. With the local government as partner, WBSJ through the Akakokko-kan continued what Dr. Moyer started.

The local government entrusted the operation of Akakokko-kan to WBSJ with environmental

education and ecotourism promotion as the main activities handled by two rangers. The center takes the lead in

conserving Miyake Island. It serves as the coordinator of the local government, LCGs and local

people in sharing information about biodiversity and addressing matters that affect the nature of the island e.g. striking a balance

between development and conservation. Aside from Akakokko-kan, WBSJ has a

separate office in Miyake Island to handle conservation research on bird species such as the Japanese Murrelet. A memorandum of agreement is signed every year between WBSJ and local

government for the management of the Akakkoko-kan. This is done after a presentation by WBSJ on the accomplishments of the center.

Akakkoko-kan Sign Board

Akakokko-kan's awareness raising materials and staff

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The objectives of Akakokko-kan are the conservation of the natural environment and development of ecotourism in the island. To attain these objectives, the

nature center has 4 major activities:

1. Nature Conservation Projects – Akakokko-kan implements three major projects which are discussed in detail below:

a. Izu Thrush or Akakokko Project – The bird was declared as a natural monument by the national government in 1975. The purpose of the project is to determine the population of the bird and to conduct

training of researchers from Tomonokai, one of WBSJ’s LCGs in Miyake. The research is conducted once a year for 2 days during the breeding season. WBSJ trains the researchers in early spring as needed. The

research started in 2008. Results of the research in 2009 suggested that the estimated total population of Akakokko was 4,400 individuals. As the research on the population of Akakokko had never been done before, future monitoring on the Akakokko is done based on this

number as a baseline. WBSJ plans to improve the habitat of the Akakokko through habitat restoration.

b. Coral Project – Monitoring of coral reefs started since around 1998 but it became difficult to continue because members of the monitoring team left the island in 2000 due to the volcanic eruption. Akakokko-kan resumed this activity in 2009 and since then has conducted a

project to monitor the marine environment of Miyake Island. Today, one dive shop in Miyake is involved in the monitoring that includes researchers from the mainland. WBSJ, together with local divers, monitors once a year in two sites. Results of the monitoring indicate an

improvement in the coral cover. c. Japanese Murrelet Project

Research - This is the most important project of WBSJ. Akakokko-kan

has led the research on the Japanese Murrelet since 1995. The Japanese Murrelet became the flagship species for the marine conservation project at the 75th year anniversary of WBSJ in 2009. Until then, conservation activities had never been done by any

administrative bodies and other organizations. The project gathers data on the population of the bird and identifies conservation and awareness raising strategies on the bird. WBSJ did the first survey in 1995 landing on Onohara-jima Island which is 12 kilometers away from

Miyake. In 2009 they conducted research on the bird for the first time since 1995. The number of brooding nests counted was only nine, but the actual number of nests could have been more because they heard

calls of the bird from crevices, which they could not see. Annual research for the birds is conducted not only in Miyake but expanded to all the Izu islands by WBSJ since 2010. The research in Miyake is done together with Tomonokai, one of WBSJ’s LCGs in Miyake Island. As a

result of the research, Onohara-jima was declared as a special wildlife protection area in November 2010. The Ministry of Environment used the data from WBSJ for the declaration.

Bird Tourism - In 2006 the Japanese Murrelet watching tour project of the local government was organized by Akakokko-kan with the

cooperation of a fisherman using a fishing boat. Today, three to four fishermen are involved in the tours. Akakokko-kan transferred the tour operation to one of the members of Kyururu, another LCG of WBSJ

in Miyake.

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Awareness raising – Various activities were organized by Akakokko-kan

to raise the awareness of local people on the Japanese Murrelet. They

organized a coastal clean up which was attended by celebrities such as Ken Noguchi, a well-known mountain climber. Aside from the coastal clean-up, annual Bird Island Festivals are also held every May to June. Akakokko-kan also gave orientations about the bird which resulted in a

project proposal by the local junior high school students to help save the Japanese Murrelet by collecting the trash along the coast. The students made posters and posted them in hotels and fishing spots. This proved to be an effective approach in awareness raising. A website

designed by a tour company, formerly a dive shop, to promote the Japanese Murrelet and volcanic formations tour in Miyake was also set up.

2. Ecotourism promotion – The objective of this project is to train local

people to become nature tour guides and help promote ecotourism in the island. Akakokko-kan conducted 3 tour guiding training courses in 2006, 2008 and 2010 with a total of 20 participants. Out of the 20 participants, only 6 participants became active tour guides while the other 15

participants were either busy with their main professions or were not motivated to be nature guides.

To further increase the birders in Miyake Island, Akakokko-kan negotiated

with the ferryboat company traveling to and from Miyake Island for a 10 percent discount to WBSJ members.

3. Environmental Education project – Akakokko-kan adopts various strategies in

conducting environmental education activities. They conduct trainings, tea parties for elders, orientations, and coastal clean ups. These activities are aimed at raising the awareness on biodiversity and promoting value for nature and love for the island. In the tea parties, the elders share about the history

of the island and its natural wealth such as the Akakokko. They have also produced information, education and communication materials to popularize the Akakokko and Japanese Murrelet. The Akakokko can be seen in almost all

the signage and billboards around the island.

4. Publicity - Miyake Island and its endemic birds are promoted in various forms through printed materials of WBSJ, the local newspaper and websites. Publicity efforts were heightened in 2006 when the island was opened and

declared safe for habitation. Akakokko-kan has been visible through television and heard by many through radio broadcasts. The outcome of these publicity efforts is the increase in the number of visitors to the island particularly to Akakokko-kan. In 2006, the number of visitors in Akakokko-kan

was 708. It increased to 1,120 visitors in 2008 and 1,001 visitors in 2010. From 2006 to 2010, the average total number of visitors of the center is 936 persons. In May, which is the best month for bird watching, the number of

visitors sometimes reaches more than 100 persons per day. They pay an entrance fee of 200 yen per person, which goes back to the local government.

5. Working with LCGs & other local stakeholders on Miyake island

Based on population statistics data in 2010 from the local resident registration of Miyake Mura, Miyake Island has a total population of 2,769 with 1,701

households. The male population of Miyake Island dominates the female population with 1,516 and 1,299 respectively. The primary industries in Miyake Island are farming, fishing and tourism. These industries are highly dependent on the natural resources of the island.

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WBSJ works with local stakeholders because they say that they cannot do everything by themselves. More importantly, their objective is for the local people

to eventually manage and conserve the sanctuaries on their own. In Miyake Island, WBSJ works with Miyake village or Miyakemura, the local government of Miyake Island, with Local Conservation Groups (LCGs) such as Tomonokai and Kyururu, with the Miyake Tourist Association and with a fisherman. These

stakeholders have varying degrees of involvement in the conservation of Miyake Island biodiversity.

5.1 Miyake Mura

Miyake Mura/Village and WBSJ have a mutual cooperation agreement for the

management of Akakokko-kan through which WBSJ is given the management authority of the center. Information about the partnership and conservation efforts were gathered through interviews with Hon. Sukeyasu Hirano, the Chief of

Miyakejima Village; Mr. Hidetoshi Ikeyama, the Vice Chief of Miyakejima Village; and Mr. Sinichirou Kitagawa and Mr. MitsuhiroYoshizawa the local government staff.

One of the main thrusts of the local government is ecotourism. Through Akakokko-kan, bird tourism in the island is becoming more popular. The local government values the presence of the center because Miyake is the only one in the Izu islands with this facility. The Tourism Office of the local government works

hand in hand with Akakokko-kan. Around 2,000 to 3,000 tourists since 2008 come to visit the island between May

to June which is the breeding season of the birds while April to August is the swimming and scuba diving season. In terms of ranking tourist-related activities in the number of tourists visiting Miyake Island, fishing is first, diving is second, bird watching is third and volcanic formation tourism is fourth. However, the

number of diving and fishing tourists declined because of the volcanic eruption in 2000 and competition with other islands while the number of tourists for bird watching and volcanic formation is increasing. Due to this, income of the local

people from tourism decreased. Since 2010, 40,000 tourists visited Miyake Island. This is low compared to the number of tourists in 1973, which reached as high as 140,000. The low number of tourists is mainly because of the volcanic eruption in 2000. The number of visitors to Miyake is steadily recovering since

2006 which can be attributed to the publicity efforts. In addressing the conservation issues of Miyake Island, the local government seeks the advice of WBSJ through Akakokko-kan and meets regularly with the

local people. The pressing issue is the eradication of introduced animals like weasel, cats, frog and black bass. The presence of these animals continues to endanger the endemic species of Miyake Island. They also see the importance of

continuous awareness-raising on conservation for the local people in spite of earlier efforts done by Dr. Moyer. This matter was raised to the Tokyo government and the national government by Miyake local government and Akakokko-kan. In addition to this, raising awareness of local people on the need

to eradicate the introduced species is being done by Akakokko-kan. But their efforts alone are not enough because eradication of the said species needs funding from the national government. Tokyo government initiated research on

the introduced species this year.

5.2 LCGs: Tomonokai & Kyururu

WBSJ through Akakokko-kan has two LCGs in Miyake Island, Tomonokai and Kyururu. Representatives of the volunteer organizations, Ms. Hitomi Nishimura of Kyururu and Mr. Koichiro Anahara of Tomonokai, were interviewed for this case

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study. They actively work with Akakokko-kan for conservation without any formal arrangement or agreements. They are recipients of Akakokko-kan’s trainings on

conservation research and tour guiding. In return, these organizations take part in the project and activities of Akakokko-kan being committed to the conservation of Miyake Island.

Tomonokai, which means a group of friends in English, is a volunteer group supported by Akakokko-kan. They are hobbyists whose primary objective is to enjoy nature. There are 100 members with 20 outsiders. The organization has 4 divisions: 1) marine; 2) bird watching; 3) star watching and geo observation; and

4) trekking and vegetation research. They conduct awareness raising activities and research on vegetation, fish, and

birds such as the Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata and monitoring with WBSJ. Since 2008, during the second week of September, Tomonokai has a festival. They organize fish watching, night watching or vegetation research during the festival to raise awareness and enjoy nature among the local people. The rangers

of Akakokko-kan trained them on how to conduct the research and continue to advise them. These are the forms of support Akakokko-kan provides. Results of their research are published in their newsletter and shared with Akakokko-kan.

Once a month they have a meeting with Akakokko-kan to decide on their activities, learn more about biodiversity and read a book of Dr. Moyer. The members of the Tomonokai through their research activities have observed

improvements in the status of biodiversity. The vegetation of the island is expanding since the eruption of Mt. Oyama in 2000. The Ijima Leaf-warbler’s population is increasing and the seaweed condition is improving. Despite these improvements, Mr. Anahara stated that infrastructure development like check

dams or the port affects nature. He believes that it is important to continue monitoring the status of nature through research. He further added that nature is important to preserve the culture and quality of life of the people.

Kyururu, named after the sound made by the Akakokko, is a nature tour guide group (diving and inland tours). Originally Kyururu started in 2006 as a circle of friends eager to learn about Miyake through Akakokko-kan. There are 3 types of

Kyururu members: 1) nature watching/volunteers; 2) members active in Kyururu activities; and 3) professional inland tour guides. There are 6 to 7 active members. They meet every third Wednesday of the month.

The organization was trained on nature tour guiding by Akakokko-kan. Ten members attended the lectures/seminars and there are 5 active tour guides. Tour guiding is a supplemental livelihood of the members but they plan to go full time.

They used to provide their guiding services free of charge but 2 years ago requests form local government and Miyake Tourist Association for tour guides increased. Last year the tour guides started to charge fees because the number of ecotourism events of the local government increased. Miyake is known as Bird

Island but volcanic monuments interest tourists more, especially in the last 2 years. The local government realized the demand for this. Aside from tour guiding, Kyururu conducted research about the geography of the island and

prepared a volcanic map for tourists. The local government funded the production of the map. They have also volunteered in the research activities of Akakokko-kan on the Japanese Murrelet and Green sea turtle.

As a result of the increasing demand for inland tour guides, Ms. Nishimura established her own tour guiding company, Mahana, in 2009. Her company accepts a small number of tourists because Kyururu usually works as an event

guide organization for a group of tourists with 100 persons. She claims that

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income from tour guiding is not enough at this point in time but she is happy with what she is doing. To promote her company, she has a website and distributes

leaflets. She also joined the Miyake Tourist Association. She has learned a lot from Akakokko-kan as a member of Kyururu. She seeks the technical advice of Akakokko-kan and helps in the conduct of their events in return.

The vegetation in the island has improved but public infrastructure like roads and dams is a concern according to Ms. Nishimura. She articulates these concerns via the internet and asks the people’s opinion. She also asks tourists to voice their concerns about this. Other Kyururu members share the same view and are more

aggressive voicing their opinions. They feel the need to consider nature when doing public works. There is a need for local people to realize the importance of Miyake’s nature.

5.3 Fisherman

Akakokko-kan collaborates with local conservation individuals like Mr. Hiroo

Kitagawa, a fisherman, boat captain and an environmentalist inspired by Dr. Jack Moyer. He is currently doing research on the Japanese Murrelet for the Ministry of Environment.

Mr. Kitagawa shared that in the past the Akakokko used to be their food and people hunted the bird using a fishing tool. They did it in a sustainable manner because they understood the importance of the bird. He was the last generation

who used to hunt the bird because during the 1960s the transportation to and from the mainland improved making other sources of food available to the island. It was also during that time when his father brought Dr. Moyer to Onbase-jima and Onohara-jima to study the distribution of the Japanese Murrelet. In 2010

when these islets became a protected area, Mr. Kitagawa started to monitor the Japanese Murrelet under the Ministry of Environment (MOE). He receives 5,000 yen (US$50) from the MOE but he stated that the amount is not enough for his

fuel to do monitoring work. He monitors the bird more on a voluntary basis and not because of the income he gets from it. He fills up a monitoring form and submits it to the MOE and also provides the information he gathers to Akakokko-kan. He shared that the Japanese Murrelet is an indicator of the abundance or

decline in the population of the fish stocks. Flocks of Japanese Murrelet fly where there are fish staying at the border of the ocean currents. However, changes have occurred in the currents due to climate change as observed by Mr. Kitagawa. In

doing his monitoring work, he has not received any training from the MOE and Akakokko-kan. He learned all this from his own experience. Having so much knowledge on the Japanese Murrelet, the Akakokko-kan seeks

the advice of Mr. Kitagawa in scheduling their research on the bird. His fishermen friends inform him when they have observed sightings of the bird. According to Mr. Kitagawa, the fishermen realized the importance of the Japanese Murrelet because they gain additional income during the birds’ breeding season by

providing their boats for the tours initiated by the Akakokko-kan. He stated that Akakokko-kan’s presence in Miyake Island is very helpful because they know a lot about conservation and they can advise the local people.

Mr. Kitagawa believes that over fishing is a major conservation concern that should be addressed. As a result, a decline in fish catch is being felt in Miyake Island because of the over fishing of people from other countries. He feels that

the fish should also be protected, and not only the whales and dolphins. The decline in the fish catch caused the decline of dolphins near the island. Mr. Kitagawa thinks that the solution is for the government to regularly patrol the

coastal areas and arrest the violators. If not, this situation will also affect the

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Japanese Murrelet. He also thinks that awareness-raising of fishermen from other countries should be done.

5.4 Miyakejima Tourist Association

To get the perspective of the business sector, Mr. Tetsuya Asanuma, the

representative from the Miyakejima Tourist Association, was interviewed. The association has 120 members which include inns, souvenir shops, restaurants, all related to tourism, as members.

Aside from policy advocacy on marine conservation, their association conducts coastal clean up activities a few times every year especially during the fishing season. They also assisted the local government in coming up with the new

tourist guide map which indicates walking trails and their distances from each spot for nature tourism. They produced the map with advice from Akakokko-kan and funding from the local government. The association is planning to seek further funding from the local government for diving and bird watching maps. The

association only works directly with the Fishermen’s Association but they collaborate with Akakokko-kan for technical assistance.

Mr. Asanuma believes that the condition of nature of Miyake Island is improving compared to before. However, infrastructure development in the island such as establishing tetrapods, four-legged concrete structure intended to prevent coastal erosion along the shorelines, has affected nature, the coral reefs in particular. Ten

years ago, the Tokyo government did not listen to the calls of the local people to put a premium on preserving nature. But now the government takes into consideration conservation and tourism. Mr. Asanuma added that there is a need to educate tourists on the proper disposal of garbage and cigarettes.

6. Current Governance of Miyake Island vs. Principles of Good

Governance

Miyake Island, being part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, is under the management of the Ministry of Environment. The national park covers 121,259 hectares and was designated in 1936. National parks, designated over the natural

areas with the most outstanding scenic sites in the country on the basis of the Natural Parks Law, are designed for people’s enjoyment while protecting Japan’s beautiful nature. Decisions on development activities, such as building of

structures within the national parks, lies with the Minister of the Environment or the governor of the prefecture concerned or the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in Miyake Island’s case (Ministry of the Environment, 2009).

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) maintains nature trails and restrooms in Miyake Island. The development and public works such as check dam, dike and road construction and road building are also done and regulated by the TMG based on the Natural Parks Law and the Tokyo Metropolitan Natural Park

Ordinance in order to protect the natural landscapes (Tokyo Metropolitan government, 2006).

Miyake-mura, on the other hand, is in charge of the urban planning and zoning of Miyake Island in accordance with the Town Planning Law. The village office’s role is to focus on the planned utilization of urban land and improvement of urban facilities to ameliorate the living condition of the urban area and promote

industries (Local Governance Policy Making and Civil Society, 2007). The national parks are managed by the Park Rangers of the Ministry of

Environment. In Miyake Island, the Miyake-mura contracted out the services of

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WBSJ in 1993 for WBSJ’s Forest Rangers to manage the Akakokko-kan. The LCGs, after under going capability-building activities on research and tour guiding from

Akakokko-kan, help the center in their research work and environmental education activities. To determine if the LCG approach led to the good governance of IBAs, some of

the United Nation’s Development Program’s principles of good governance1 will be

used as the basis for the assessment:

1. Participation – all men and women should have a voice in decision-making, either directly or through legitimate intermediate institutions that represent their intention. Such broad participation is built on freedom of

association and speech, as well as capacities to participate constructively. 2. Consensus orientation – good governance mediates differing interests to

reach a broad consensus on what is in the best interest of the group and, where possible, on policies and procedures.

3. Effectiveness and efficiency – processes and institutions produce results that meet needs while making the best use of resources.

4. Accountability – decision-makers in government, the private sector and

civil society organizations are accountable to the public, as well as to institutional stakeholders. This accountability differs depending on the organizations and whether the decision is internal or external.

5. Transparency – transparency is built on the free flow of information.

Processes, institutions and information are directly accessible to those concerned with them, and enough information is provided to understand and monitor them.

6. Equity – all men and women have opportunities to improve or maintain

their well-being.

Below is the matrix of the how the principles of good governance are applied or

practiced in Miyake Island through the LCG approach:

Good Governance

Principles

Assessment

1) Participation In terms of decision-making, the decisions on managing the natural resources of Miyake Island lie with the Ministry of Environment and

TMG. The LCGs do not have direct participation but they raise their concerns and opinions on conservation issues to Akakokko-kan. Akakokko-kan relays these to the Miyake-mura. They are seen as supporters of the government’s conservation and ecotourism efforts.

2) Consensus Orientation

Consensus-building through dialogues and consultations is practiced in Miyake Island through the Akakokko-kan. The LCGs and the local people raise their concerns and issues related to conservation to

Akakokko-kan. The main issue raised by the LCGs is the implementation of infrastructure projects by the TMG wherein most of the time no proper consultation with the local people is done. Akakokko-kan relays these issues and concerns to the Miyake-mura,

TMG and Ministry of Environment. Most of the time these government offices adhere to the concerns and advice of the LCGs and the forest rangers of Akakokko-kan.

3) Effectiveness and efficiency

The Ministry of Environment, TMG and Miyake-mura through the

Akakokko-kan are effective in initiating and sustaining participation

1 UNDP, “Governance for sustainable development – A UNDP policy document,”

http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/policy/chapter1.htm#b.

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Good Governance

Principles

Assessment

in the conservation and management of Miyake Island. LCGs now take part in gathering information about the condition of the island’s biodiversity and in promoting environmental awareness among the

local people and tourists. Akakokko-kan having only two forest rangers was able to mobilize the LCGs.

4) Accountability The TMG is the one accountable for the major infrastructure

developments in Miyake Island. The LCGs are aware of this, which is why they raise their concerns and issues to Akakokko-kan knowing that the TMG will consider and act on their pleas.

5) Transparency Information on the status of Miyake Island with the help of the LCGs

is made readily available to the public through the Akakokko-kan. However it is unclear whether the TMG really considers the information in coming up with management decisions and development plans for the IBA with the conservation issue on the

government’s infrastructure projects being raised by the LCGs. It should be noted, however, that the TMG and the Ministry of Environment are transparent in providing status reports about the

condition of the environment and natural resources in their websites. 6) Equity Through the Akakokko-kan, the LCGs both men and women were

able to acquire skills on biodiversity research and monitoring and nature tour guiding. However, these strengths are not fully tapped in

initiating policy changes and conservation actions in Miyake Island. Also, the LCGs are still unaware of what they can do to have a more active role in conservation. They rely on the government having the

capacity and mandate to manage and conserve Miyake Island. The LCGs have the potential to help manage the IBA with the passion, commitment, knowledge and skills they possess and developed through Akakokko-kan’s technical support.

Based on the matrix above, the LCG approach has initiated the good governance

of Miyake Island IBA/Bird Sanctuary in the sense of increased and enhanced participation in conservation. The existing governance structure in Miyake Island works but can still be further improved and strengthened.

A management plan for the conservation of Miyake Island needs to be prepared. All the local stakeholders have projects and activities related to conservation and ecotourism. They work either independently or collaborate with each other. There

is a need to consolidate all these to ensure that actions for the conservation of Miyake Island are geared towards one direction, maximized and sustained. The local stakeholders need to prepare and implement a management plan that will guide them in ensuring that their natural resources are protected and conserved

with the development of the island for ecotourism. With the absence of a management plan, Akakokko-kan consolidates the

conservation actions of the local government and the LCGs. The center provides the direction and guidance for the efforts and interventions of these local stakeholders for the conservation of Miyake Island.

To be able to help in the implementation of the management plan, the LCGs need further enhancement of their capacities to take an active role in monitoring and managing their natural resources sustainably. Specific skills such as policy advocacy, organizational management, livelihood development, and community

organizing should be provided promoting their rights and depending on their needs and abilities. Moreover, the LCGs need to be networked with LCGs in other

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IBAs or sanctuaries of WBSJ. Organizing and setting up a network of these LCGs would enable the sharing of conservation lessons and strategies among them. The

LCGs will be able to learn, adopt and practice new approaches to conservation in their respective IBAs. It would initiate replication of best practices in conservation.

Biodiversity monitoring is regularly being done in Miyake; however, only the status of the IBA and its threats are being monitored. It would be good to determine if the responses to address the condition of the IBA and reduce the threats are effective and sufficient. Inclusion of an assessment of the

conservation actions in biodiversity monitoring would help improve the management of the IBA being able to know what works, what does not work and what more needs to be done. WBSJ can adopt the IBA Monitoring System of

BirdLife International that assesses the IBA’s state, pressure and response. The system employs a simple and participatory approach that is easy for the local people to do.

Miyake Island has a lot to offer when it comes to ecotourism. However, due to the volcano eruption and competition with other islands, the number of tourists was not as big as it was before. There is a need to broaden the reach of Miyake Island

by exploring and establishing partnerships with universities in mainland Tokyo that can possibly help Miyake Island with research, environmental education and ecotourism promotion. Miyake Island, in return, can serve as an exposure or training ground for their students taking up courses related to environment,

conservation and tourism The WBSJ’s role in the governance of Miyake Island has been critical in ensuring the conservation of the IBA. The technical expertise and vast experience in

managing sanctuaries has enabled WBSJ, despite its limited staff and budget, to gain the trust and confidence of the local government and local people to take the lead in conserving Miyake Island. Through WBSJ’s Akakokko-kan more local

stakeholders became aware, participated and committed to implementing conservation activities. The conservation efforts of the concerned groups and individuals have contributed

to the improvement of Miyake Island’s biodiversity as evidenced by the stable number of the birds’ population, increased vegetative cover, and improved marine condition. It has led to heightened awareness and appreciation for the Izu Island

Thrush and Japanese Murrelet among the local people and the promotion of ecotourism in the island particularly bird and volcanic formations tourism.

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References

BirdLife International, “Important Bird Areas in Asia: Key Sites for Conservation,” Cambridge, UK, BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 13): pp xiv, xv.

BirdLife International, “Local Empowerment Programme,” Unpublished (?) Borrini-Feyerabend, Grazia, “Governance of Protected Areas – Innovation in the Air,” IUCN/CEESP Journal Policy Matters, Issue 12, Community Empowerment for

Conservation, September 2003. Graham, John, et.al., “Principles for Good Governance in the 21st Century,”

Institute on Governance Policy Brief No. 15, Ottawa, Canada, August 2003: 6. Kamijo, T. and Hashiba, K., “Island Ecosystem and Vegetation Dynamics before and after the 2000-Year Eruption on Miyake-jima Island, Japan with Implications

for Conservation of the Island’s Ecosystem” 2003: p76. Local Governance Policy Making and Civil Society, “Local Government System in

Japan,” 2007: p47. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “Local Autonomy in Japan, Current Situation & Future Shape” Government of Japan, 2009.

Miyake Village Office, <http://www.miyakemura.com/english/index.html>. Nature Conservation Bureau - Ministry of the Environment, “For Coexistence of

People and Nature” Government of Japan, 2009: pp 9-10. Tokyo Metropolitan Government,

http://www2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/kouhou/env/eng_2006/environment09.html, 2006. UNDP, “Governance for sustainable development – A UNDP policy document,”

http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/policy/chapter1.htm#b. Wild Bird Society of Japan, <http://www.wbsj.org/en/2010>