Overview

Okinawa prefecture accounts for 0.6% of the land in Japan. Biodiversity, variety of living flora and fauna interacting with each other in an area, is found in Okinawa. Given the immense and diverse variety of flora and fauna in Okinawa, comprised of both endemic and nonnative species living together in varied environment types, Okinawa prefecture launched a project in Japanese Fiscal Year 2016 touting the Okinawa Brand Project concerning biodiversity in Okinawa. This project is purposed to yield a platform for conservation efforts as well as to verify the distribution of species throughout the region and the impact of human interaction with the environment. The “Guidelines for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Okinawa”, which will serve as a vital linchpin to the success of the program, honors a heritage of balance—maintaining biodiversity through preservation while still enjoying the benefits through use of natural resources.

Also key to the concept of the Brand is the information of living flora and fauna and the interaction between the people of Okinawa and the environment. This information and interaction are valuable to people of Okinawa, and this project portrays these values as a brand. This project will work on setting the brand by collecting information on how people have been utilizing nature in the local area.