A blog I accidentally found, http://banbihouse.blog69.fc2.com/# (only in Japanese, sorry). Apparently, many of the dogs and cats were left behind in the evacuation area because the place people evacuate to usually do not let people bring in their pets. Even though it was supposed to be a temporary evacuation, as days go by people still kept from returning home, those pets are suffering from lack of foods and water.
People have suffered enough already, loosing family and friends, and now they are about to loose their pets as well. I have pets as well, and loosing them would be just as painful as loosing any other members of my family.
I know people are having hard time, but because of that we should be also trying to save the lives of dogs and cats at the same time. There has been more than enough tragedy already.
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Kanpo, thoughts on tourisms
When I climbed Kanpo, even though it was a weekday there were 3 other groups of 3 to 4 people each. All of them have either been there before, or were led by someone who has been there before. Which seem to confirm my belief that to develop tourism in Iya, mountains are the vital resources. At least, I do not know much other places in Iya that I would want to visit repeatedly. Well, I did repeat Chiiori visit before.
But there are problems. These mountain climbers do not leave any cash behind when they leave Iya. There are no mechanisms or systems in place for these visitors to pay money to Iya community. They come with their own cars, and they leave the same day. Perhaps they stop by at Onsen, but that is about it. On Sundays, when I would expect most number of visitors come to Iya, even the gas stations are closed (if you plan on visiting Iya on weekends with your own car, make sure your tanks are full). They don't even leave behind gas money. Residents in Iya are completely unconcerned about such "trivial" matters. There is no way tourism can be developed here at this rate. And if it does not lead to monetary profit, protection of rare and threatened species, such as the Fukujuso flowers, would be lacking in motivation and unlikely to happen.
But there are opportunities as well. As I said, I wanted to walk from the summit of Kanpo to the Ochiai pass, but I had to get back to my car. There is something very dull about walking back the same way I came. If there was a business in Iya that would take me to the start of the trekking route of Kanpo, and pick me up later at the Ochiai pass, it would make the whole experience much more enjoyable. There are at least 3 other courses in Iya that I would want such business. Plus it would make me feel safer knowing that someone is waiting for me at the end of the walk, because if I do not show up at the pick-up spot in time, they would know something has happened to me and likely to call for help. If there was a souvenir shop by this, let's say, "taxi service" selling postcards, I'm sure some people would pay for such souvenirs.
The fact that there were only those who has been there before or led by people who has been there suggest that there are demands for guide business, and also indicates that to get new visitors to those mountains guides are important. Let's say for the Kanpo, a guide can make story for each floral community as he/she climbs the mountain, starting from old-growth trees around shrine, to well kept cedar plantations, abandoned cedar plantations, natural woods in secondary growth, old-growth natural forests, young woods that used to be grasslands, and the field of dwarf bamboos. Because the main selling point of the Kanpo was the rare flower that grows in certain floral communities, those stories become more meaningful.
But current Iya would rather make concrete walls and roads. One of the visitors I met was complaining that that concrete road that crosses the trekking route were not there before, and how terrible and ugly it is. If you consider mountains as Iya's wealth, for attracting tourists for example, then Iya is practically throwing away their own wealth. How can we change this whole situation?
But there are problems. These mountain climbers do not leave any cash behind when they leave Iya. There are no mechanisms or systems in place for these visitors to pay money to Iya community. They come with their own cars, and they leave the same day. Perhaps they stop by at Onsen, but that is about it. On Sundays, when I would expect most number of visitors come to Iya, even the gas stations are closed (if you plan on visiting Iya on weekends with your own car, make sure your tanks are full). They don't even leave behind gas money. Residents in Iya are completely unconcerned about such "trivial" matters. There is no way tourism can be developed here at this rate. And if it does not lead to monetary profit, protection of rare and threatened species, such as the Fukujuso flowers, would be lacking in motivation and unlikely to happen.
But there are opportunities as well. As I said, I wanted to walk from the summit of Kanpo to the Ochiai pass, but I had to get back to my car. There is something very dull about walking back the same way I came. If there was a business in Iya that would take me to the start of the trekking route of Kanpo, and pick me up later at the Ochiai pass, it would make the whole experience much more enjoyable. There are at least 3 other courses in Iya that I would want such business. Plus it would make me feel safer knowing that someone is waiting for me at the end of the walk, because if I do not show up at the pick-up spot in time, they would know something has happened to me and likely to call for help. If there was a souvenir shop by this, let's say, "taxi service" selling postcards, I'm sure some people would pay for such souvenirs.
The fact that there were only those who has been there before or led by people who has been there suggest that there are demands for guide business, and also indicates that to get new visitors to those mountains guides are important. Let's say for the Kanpo, a guide can make story for each floral community as he/she climbs the mountain, starting from old-growth trees around shrine, to well kept cedar plantations, abandoned cedar plantations, natural woods in secondary growth, old-growth natural forests, young woods that used to be grasslands, and the field of dwarf bamboos. Because the main selling point of the Kanpo was the rare flower that grows in certain floral communities, those stories become more meaningful.
But current Iya would rather make concrete walls and roads. One of the visitors I met was complaining that that concrete road that crosses the trekking route were not there before, and how terrible and ugly it is. If you consider mountains as Iya's wealth, for attracting tourists for example, then Iya is practically throwing away their own wealth. How can we change this whole situation?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thoughts
There may be quite many who feels odd about me talking about conservation of grasslands that can exist only under human management. When I say that these grasslands will turn into forests once out of human hands, it may sound like it is returning to natural state. Why not let it return to nature?
Often the term "nature" means something opposite of "artificial." It is quite common for people to think that "nature" is something that humans have not touched, and therefore conservation of "nature" means putting stop in human activities. But in reality, humans have existed for thousands of years in most areas of the earth, and have influenced the surrounding environment in one way or the other. Humans were part of the nature, and if we define "nature" as something that humans have not touched on then I am not really overstating to say that there are no such thing as "nature" on earth. For better or worse, "hands off" policy toward the nature is itself one way for us to impact the nature.
In a way, it is more of a human arrogance to think that "nature" exists outside of "human activities," because that suggest that we humans exist independent of "nature." Of course, "hands off" is one possible management policy toward nature, but it is still a form of human "management." One way or the other, we will make influence on the nature and we have to manage the nature. So what kind of nature should we aim for? What kind of management should we practice? We all have to think about these questions. I cannot say that after thinking about these questions we would arrive at conservation of grasslands. But I do think that that is an option.
Often the term "nature" means something opposite of "artificial." It is quite common for people to think that "nature" is something that humans have not touched, and therefore conservation of "nature" means putting stop in human activities. But in reality, humans have existed for thousands of years in most areas of the earth, and have influenced the surrounding environment in one way or the other. Humans were part of the nature, and if we define "nature" as something that humans have not touched on then I am not really overstating to say that there are no such thing as "nature" on earth. For better or worse, "hands off" policy toward the nature is itself one way for us to impact the nature.
In a way, it is more of a human arrogance to think that "nature" exists outside of "human activities," because that suggest that we humans exist independent of "nature." Of course, "hands off" is one possible management policy toward nature, but it is still a form of human "management." One way or the other, we will make influence on the nature and we have to manage the nature. So what kind of nature should we aim for? What kind of management should we practice? We all have to think about these questions. I cannot say that after thinking about these questions we would arrive at conservation of grasslands. But I do think that that is an option.
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