VOX POPULI: Each of us must do our bit to preserve nature

Exposed by the spring thaw, the black-and-white surface of Mount Rausudake reminded me of the shachi (killer whale) that is worshipped by Ainu people as repun kamui (god of the sea). Nearly five years ago, Shiretoko Peninsula and the waters around it in east Hokkaido were added to the World Heritage List of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). I visited the peninsula recently.

As soon as I entered the World Heritage site, I encountered a herd of Ezo-shika (Hokkaido sika deer). I also sighted kita-kitsune (Ezo red foxes) and higuma brown bears. The sun shone in the cloudless blue sky, but chilly winds from the Shiretoko mountain range blew down on clumps of wild kumaizasa bamboo leaves. Flowering Ezo-yamazakura mountain cherries and kita-kobushi magnolias added splashes of color--pale pink and white, respectively--to forests of dakekanba (Erman's birch) and todomatsu conifer trees. Much-awaited spring had arrived in Shiretoko.

In one area, a group of first-year students from the local Shari Senior High School were planting trees. Their teacher, Reiichi Ueki, 43, noted, "The kids take Hokkaido's abundant nature for granted. I want them to see how hard their elders work to preserve it."

The town of Shari embarked on its tree-planting drive 33 years ago. The drive entailed soliciting donations from the public and reforesting farmlands abandoned by early pioneers.

These efforts were a buffer against reckless development.

Sakae Gorai, 73, who served five terms as mayor of Shari, said, "Being on the UNESCO World Heritage List is only a start. I want the people of Shari to take pride in protecting their land."

But the going is not easy. The population of shima fukuro (Blakiston's fish owl), the guardian deity of the Ainu people, is apparently down to just 120 birds. Most of the trees that are large enough for these big birds to nest have disappeared. The fish that were their food are no longer able to swim upstream because the rivers have been dammed with concrete.

Meanwhile, trees are being devoured and ruined by an exploding population of Ezo-shika deer. Once destroyed, the ecosystem is hard to restore.

But there is hope. Biologists and environmental experts from around the nation have become aware of Shiretoko's value and the struggles of the locals, and are now rallying around Shiretoko Nature Foundation, a nonprofit organization started by Gorai and others.

I have decided to become a supporter of this foundation. Preserving each UNESCO heritage site will ultimately save humankind and our planet. I believe all of us ought to get involved.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 24

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.