Okinawa Environmental Justice Project

（日本語版は下にあります） On May 10, 2021, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment announced that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Heritage (WH) Programme had just recommended that Amami-Oshima Island, Tokuno-Shima Island, the Northern Part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island be inscribed as UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites at the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July 2021.  IUCN is UNESCO's advisory body, and it is tasked with, among other things, evaluating and making recommendations regarding WH nominated sites.  Yambaru Forest Image Source: OEJP The Okinawa Environmental Justice Project (OEJP) has been engaging with t he IUCN WH Programme , the Ministry of the Environment, the Okinawa Prefectural Government, and the U.S. Department of Defense  in the nomination process over the last 5 years. OEJP has collaborated with local community members, experts, and NGOs in this endeavor. OEJP’s focus has been on the issues o...

日本語バージョンは下にあります。 Okinawa Prefectural Government Latest Report: Dugong Feeding Trails found off Northern Okinawa Island ／沖縄県の最新報告書：沖縄本島北部でジュゴンの食み跡確認 Red rectangles indicate that dugong feeding trails were found. Geen rectangles indicate no dugong feeding trails were found. Image Source: Okinawa Prefectural Government    First, dugong feeding trails were found near Yagaji Island and Kouri Island in July 2020 and off Izena Island in July and October 2020. These results correspond to the findings presented in  the Japanese Ministry of the Environment's latest dugong report (2021) . This is a much-awaited confirmation. Dugongs(we don't know how many) are surviving in the waters of northern Okinawa Island, and the shallow waters around Yagaji Island and Kouri Island remain a crucial habitat for the dugong.  Second, the environment department expanded its survey efforts in the fiscal year 2020 by incorporating the drone survey and E-DNA methods, which the IUCN Sirenian Spec...