An Overview Of Our Solution
Satoumi, a “made in Japan” approach for coastal conservation and sustainable use
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Océanos/Costas
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Asia
Problem
Describe the problem
Satoumi (from the Japanese “satoâ€=place where people live and “umiâ€=sea) is both a concept and a reality. As a concept, it refers to coastal areas in which human interaction is associated to high productivity and biodiversity, an instrument for mainstreaming sustainability in coastal management. As a reality, Satoumi has existed for centuries where coastal communities benefit from the productivity of ecosystems while preserving their functionality and diversity. An inspiring case of Satoumi is that of the ama female divers of Hegura Island. The “sea-women†have for over 1000 years made a livelihood of diving to collect shellfish and seaweed. Women-led hereditary collectivism and long, daily immersions in the ocean for generations have built a coastal community in which an intimate relati
Biodiversity Impact
Satoumi refers to coastal areas that have achieved high productivity and biological diversity in connection to human management, thus to the coexistence of sustainable fisheries and ecosystem health. As a concept, Satoumi can be an effective, culturally appropriate mechanism for reconciling coastal conservation and sustainable use, as it follows the ecosystem approach to sustainable coastal fisheries—the fundamental framework for action under the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). For the ama divers, maintaining ecosystem health is at the basis of their management decisions, ultimately focusing on ensuring sustainability and conserving biodiversity for the wellbeing of their own community. Debates on ecological trade-offs of technological adoption have been central in the ama’s decisions regarding resource management. Starting with the introduction of goggles in the late 1800s, followed by wetsuits and flippers, concern over the potential risks the technology could have on availability of resources resulted in gradual adoption. More recently, oxygen tanks were debated and finally banned by the collective, perhaps influenced by an unconscious recognition of their inability to ultimately control the technology they adopt. Or perhaps, as some of the elders interviewed commented, oxygen tanks would end their existence as free divers, as natural lung capacity and instinct are what defines their identity. Available information indicates that long-term effects of community decisions on technology adoption have not had a negative effect on the local ecosystem. Yet long
Solution
The experiences of Japanese communities engaging in Satoumi can be a useful contribution to the knowledge base for biodiversity management in human-influenced coastal seas, integrating conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Besides, Satoumi is rooted in traditional ecological knowledge and cultural history, which provides a way to implement aspects of Article 8(j) on traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Furthermore, Satoumi is of particular relevance to the CBD program of work on marine and coastal biological diversity (decision VII/5). Hegura Island, were the ama divers live, is a remote island located at the intersection of warm and cold ocean currents from the Pacific Oceanƒ??which contributes to the marine biodiversity of the area. Through community-based mechanisms, decisions on the level of fishing capacity have kept capture near the sustainable yield, thus greatly reducing adverse impacts of fishing on biodiversity. Voluntary, collective decisions have allowed the ama to maintain healthy populations of the species they manage, while at the same time preserving non-commercial species in the local coast. In addition, the amaƒ??are working with scientists to replenish stocks that will contributeƒ??to biodiversity conservation in their harvesting grounds. Furthermore, Hegura Island is the northernmost habitat for hermatypic stony coral colony (Rhizapsammia minuta mutuensis, Culicia japonica tenuisepes, Oulastrea crsipata) and other reef-building coral). Plants from both southern and northern regions coexist on // Hegura Island is officially designated as a remote, inhabited island, one of the 258 currently inhabited in the 6850 islands comprising the Japanese archipelago. Hegura comprises a land area slightly over 1 km2, and it is located 50 km offshore from mainland Honshu on the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture. The ama divers have exclusive harvesting rights in the coastal waters extending over 3 kilometers out to sea around Hegura Island and the neighboring Nanatsu Island, which is a marine protected area under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. Yet the ama divers of Hegura are just one of the many communities which, with different cultures and histories, engage in Satoumi alongside the 3000 km of the Japanese archipelago, stretching from the cold shores of Hokkaido to the subtropical waters of Okinawa; from the highly urbanized areas of Tokyo and other main cities, to the hundreds of remote islands inhabited, communities engage in sustainable coastal management. As of today, no data exist on the extension of Satoumi, partly because of the challenges inherent to measure a concept that entails community practice and also encompasses extensive socio-ecological variability. Yet given the widespread distribution of Satoumi, the diversity of ecosystems in which it occurs, and the variety of traditions in which it is inspired, on could argue that Satomi is relevant countrywide.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 50 years // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? Yes // Our institution engages in Satoumi work and in the ama divers case in multiple ways. We recently launched a Satoumi study: United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies Operating Unit Ishikawa/Kanazawa (2011). Biological and Cultural Diversity in Coastal Communities, Exploring the Potential of Satoumi for Implementing the Ecosystem Approach in the Japanese Archipelago. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, Technical Series no. 60. The case of ama female divers in Hegura Island is a case study within the above study: “THE AMA-SAN OF HEGURA ISLAND: CARRYING ON THE TRADITIONS OF HER ANCESTORS – OVER 400 YEARS OF COMMUNITY-BASED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT†OUIK is also involved in UNESCO Climate Frontlines project with Hegura ama divers, studying community perceptions on environmental change and adaptation. Studies of the ama hope to contribute to other artisanal fishing communities living with climate change as they search for solutions to reduce vulnerabilities and build resilience and adaptive capacities. As part of outreach activities with Hegura Island, a short video was produced about the ama divers and can be viewed in both English and Japanese at http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/japans-ama-free-divers-keep-their-traditions/ The ama are part of the Noto Satoyama-Satoumi Landscape, a recently officially designated site of the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Site submission was led by UNU-IAS OUIK in collaboration with local communities. Designated in June 2011, working with local and national government and community
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
In Hegura island, there were 179 active ama divers registered in 2010, ranging in age from 20 to 93, which actually comprises most of the community in the island. There are other communities of female divers in Japan, yet they all have their site-specific management solutions. Outcomes of collective-decision making on technology adoption have lead to lower debt levels among ama divers. As no capital investment in new technology is required, higher percentage of the added value of fisheries stays within the community. Yet what is truly unique amongst the Hegura Island ama divers and other female ama diver communities in Japan is the matriarchal foundation of their fishing rights. Where patriarchy governs, fishing rights will dictate not only the fishing grounds and fishing seasons, but also species and/or fishing methods for each patriarchal household. Social stratification often emerges from these fishing rights, as certain commercial species and/or fishing methods will generate more income than others, thus resulting in income disparities and unspoken—though visible—social strata. Since target species, harvesting grounds and seasons are collectively shared, income disparities amongst ama divers are driven by individual diving skill. Another differentiation is that in patriarchal fishing communities women are often invisible non-wage laborers unaccounted for in official labor statistics, whereas in female ama diver communities, women are often the primary wage earners. Empowerment of women in food production activities is viewed as critical to mainstreaming biodive // For the ama divers, all decisions about harvesting activities are discussed—sometimes heatedly debated—but ultimately decided by the collective whole. Harvesting seasons, harvesting grounds, allowable size of harvested species, and community-implemented no-take zones are decided collectively and regulated by the ama community association. Daily harvest time regulations for each species are also discussed and decided. In 2007, growing concern about decreasing stocks of abalone and turban shell, despite the implementation of no-take zones and regeneration efforts, led to discussions about regulating harvesting activities by imposing limits on harvesting times. As a concept, Satoumi enables the effective involvement of stakeholders from different sectors in coastal conservation, accommodating a wide range of conservation and restoration practices, including reforestation of watershed slopes, restoration of seagrass beds or maintenance of artificial habitats. Furthermore, Satoumi conservation has facilitated the mainstreaming of biodiversity concerns in various sectors involved in the coastal zone. Several ministries in Japan, use satoumi to enhance conservation in their policies, and fishers voluntarily led and invested labor and resources into conserving the local ecosystem. This effective integration of conservation costs by ecosystem users appears to rest on collective, largely hereditary ownership and empowered collective structures that can harmonize economic and technical considerations with cultural, non-utilitarian views of the coast. From the perspective of ocean gov