Taking on the Challenge of Ecological Conservation of World Natural Heritage Site, the Ogasawara IslandsAkemi OriDean, Graduate School of Global Environmental StudiesProfessorplanning and implementation of mea-sures to counter foreign species.”But Ori points out such issues are not limited to the Ogasawara Islands, with many other outlying islands similarly fac-ing a wide array of environmental crises.“In addition to the destruction of ecosys-tems by foreign species that have been introduced by human activity, waste dis-posal, drought management, and energy self-sufciency are also major issues for remote islands. These problems are caused by overtourism. On remote is-lands, environmental, economic, and so-cial issues do not exist in their own vac-uum; they are closely related. This unit approaches the challenges of these is-lands from a perspective that fuses the humanities and the sciences to develop solutions, and is incredibly important.”Ori has set her sights on a new challenge.“In terms of energy and waste disposal, for example, I would like to engage in an ‘in-and-out leveling’ project on the Oga-sawara Islands. Outlying islands are a microcosm of the global environment. I believe that by constructing a sustain-able model on an outlying island, we will be able to expand it on a global scale and contribute to realizing sustainability on other islands.”Situated around 1,000 km from the cen-ter of Tokyo, the Ogasawara Islands were designated a World Natural Heritage site in 2011. Professor Ori is active in the eco-logical conservation of this site, utilizing her expertise as a risk communication specialist. “The Ogasawara Islands are home to 99 species of terrestrial molluscs (snails) that have evolved to adapt to their envi-ronment. The ecosystem in which these species evolved has garnered immense admiration and is a designated World Natural Heritage Site. But this precious ecosystem is now on the verge of col-lapse due to foreign species that have been brought in by human activity. Fur-thermore, damage caused by mice is pushing these snails to the brink of ex-tinction. For four years, we have been meeting with residents to explain the Ministry of the Environment’s pest coun-termeasures – one of which involves the use of rat poison – and cooperate in the 29Learning
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