Japan Society for the Promotion of Science:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Date (from‐to) : 2003 -2005
Author : ARASAKI Moritetu; NAKAMURA Kazuo; YAMAKADO Kenichi; MIYAGI Yoshihiko; YANAKA Shigeru; TAMURA Michiko
The result of this study is summarized in the following three parts.
1.Regional Development Study.
Zamami Village was chosen for a case study where community is developing it own rules to protect coral reef as public asset while developing tourism. Community Forums were held twice in collaboration with Zamai Village and the local Chamber of Commerce. The potential of school lunch programs on small islands for food culture education and the importance of small scale farming on islands for preserving local culture and tourism development was examined. In Aguni Village, means of regional development were explored particularly in tourism industry and agriculture.
2.Community Welfare Study
In the first two years, fieldwork was conducted in the four villages (Tokashiki, Aguni, Zamami, and Tonaki) and particular problems that local welfare organizations on small island communities face were discussed and shared. In the third year, staffs of local welfare organizations from the four villages were invited to discuss the problems at Research Institute of Regional Studies at Okinawa University. This project was successful in developing networks of local organizations on small islands but it also revealed the difficulty as the participation often depended on the weather condition.
3.Environmental preservation study
The research of four island villages was conducted in 1)water resource and sewage management, 2)geology and geography and 3)abifauna. Based on the research findings, 4)an eco museum development was proposed. The impact of past development and tourism was examined and possibility of sustainable development was explored. In addition, the research was successful finding some alternative resources for future tourism development. For example, the research on abifauna suggests the possibility of tourism on land area. The water management study suggests the possibility of developing environmental education programs for visiting students and those interested in environmental issues.