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Shirakami Forest Bioshphere Reserves' World Heritage Site
Mr. Kaneko explains how young Buna Beech trees compete for sunlight. Trees with more sunlight grow strong and tall. Others don't make it. Once large trees fall to the ground new access to sunlight allows for other small trees to prosper. 99.10.30/Temperature: 10C/ Weather: Partly cloudy / Wind Direction:
Current Location: Fujisato Latitude: 40 18 31 N Longitude: 140 17 32 E
Distance Traveled: o km (Rest day)Preserving nature has become a full-time endeavor for many of the citizens living in the Shirakami Mountain region, home of the Shirakami Forest Biosphere Reserves' World Heritage Site. Today I met with Mr. Kaneko Director of the Northern Japan Forest Management Centerin Fujisato, Akita Prefecture. The issue of nature conservation isn't as simple as it may seem.
If you work keeper of a precious forest, how would you take care of it? Given a certain amount of space and resources to live, what would be your strategy to balance harmony with nature and the needs of your daily living?
The Shirakami Forest Biosphere Reserves' World Heritage Site, which stretches 17000 hectares across the border of Akita and Aomori Prefectures, was established in 1993. Its cold-temperature deciduous broad-leaved trees, primarily Buna Beech (Fagus crenata), spread over a huge area. Long before the mountain range became the focus of nature preservation issues, the people of the region lived in harmony utilizing the richness of its environment.
A 400 year old Buna Beech tree stands dignified over younger smaller trees. Once the towering giant falls, and decays it will become nutrients for the next generation. The area was designated as an international asset because citizens wish to pass on its natural richness to future generations and because of its important and unique ecosystem. The Biosphere Reserves within the World Heritage area is divided into a core and buffer zone. Entry into the core zone is for the most part prohibited. The buffer zone is set up to protect the core zone and allow for partial use of the precious region.
Mr. Kaneko shared the strategies of different groups surrounding the newly established World Heritage Site. "There are basically two trends of thought on the preservation of the Shirakami Biosphere Reserves," began Mr. Kaneko. "In Akita we have agreed to limit access to the core zone of the reserves. There are no trails on the Akita side of the reserves. We preserve the nature by leaving it as is. No human hand plays a role in its preservation. In order to raise awareness about the area, we make use of the environment surrounding the reserves' area. This way we can educate people about the importance of Shirakami and not have any impact on its most precious area."
According to Mr. Kaneko, Aomori shares a similar vision of passing on the richness of Shirakami's nature to the next generation. However, the methods they choose to do so differ slightly from those in Akita. Mr. Kaneko explained,"People in Aomori have generally relied on the richness of the Shirakami Mountains more in their daily lives than people in Akita. Hunters and gatherers of mushrooms and edible plants have gone deep into the mountains for their livelihood. People in Akita have been blessed with the richness of mineable resources, tall Akita Cedar, and harvesting rice. This may be why Aomori has established more access to the core zone on the Aomori side of Sharakami and Akita has not established any. There are now 27 routes in the Aomori portion of the core zone, which is still limited to permitted access. Aomori is aiming for nature preservation which doesn't cut off human access to the area."
Mr. Kaneko explains how the thick layer of leaves on the forest floor along with the deep roots of the Buna trees help to create a natural water dam on the mountain. In either case, the citizens surrounding the Shirakami Forest Biosphere Reserves' World Heritage Site are working hard to develop new relationships with the nature of the region. Formerly citizens on both sides of the prefectural border made wise use of the mountains' resources and managed to maintain its ecosystem. Currently people on both sides of the border are seeking to balance a new relationship with the Forest Biosphere Reserves, nature and the needs of their daily lives.
There may be no right answer to the dilemma of how to conserve nature. It does however seem that community, resource, and cultural demands create different results. How would all of you manage your forests?
Greg
PS. The depth of issues surrounding the Shirakami Mountain Range World Heritage Site and its preservation is quite complicated. Tomorrow I will continue to learn more about how locals have struggled to preserve their forest.
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