Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity
Mountains, hills and forests cover over two thirds of Japan, residential and industrial areas only account for less than ten percent of land area (Japan Guide, 2004). Japan has a wide variety of flora and fauna and there are over thirty national parks scattered evenly from the northern tip of Hokkaido to the southern islands of Okinawa (Japan Guide, 2004). Biodiversity is a very important element in the Japanese culture. Biodiversity is related to the religions in Japan as well as their cultural practices. Despite the importance of biodiversity in Japan it is being threatened. The threats to biodiversity are real and they are on going, due to societies consumption habits and lack of self-control. Despite the degradation of the biodiversity in Japan it is still flourishing as a country, there have many efforts recently to conserve the unique biodiversity Japan has to offer.
In order to understand the connection between biodiversity and cultural identity it is first important to understand just how diverse Japan is. Japan is home to roughly 5,600 species of vascular plants, about a third of which are believed to be endemic (Duffy, 2008). Also there are nearly 370 bird species that are known to occur regularly in Japan as well as 90 species of mammals. There are many more species occurring in Japan, these are just a few examples. One of the more noticeable examples of biodiversity in Japan is its forests. Many of the forests in Japan are being conserved by the Alliance for Religion and Conservation (ARC), because of their religious significance; many of them hold Shinto shrines, which are of great significance to their culture and religion (Massey, 2012). Many of these Shinto shrines as well as temples are ideal tourist destinations and attract many visitors each year to Japan. One of the peak times of traveling to Japan is during the Hanamachi, or cherry blossom viewing, it occurs every April and early May (Sasaki, 2012). Shinto is one of the main religions in Japan, the Shinto believe that respecting and protecting the environment is very important because various deities reside within the nature (EarthSky, 2011). Ceremonial “purification rituals are performed each year to symbolically counteract the negative effects of pollution on the environment and achieve balance with the natural gods (Massey, 2012).
In the Japanese culture nature and animals appear everywhere, and are clearly significant to them. Another example of this is the Zodiac. When visiting Japan it is hard to escape the New Years cards, posters and calendars’, as well as the clay dolls of the Animal of the year (Blankestijn, 2011). The Japanese zodiac consists of twelve animals that are rotated during the year for example the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit etc. (Blankestijn, 2011). It is believed that the person who is born in the month of a certain animal will possess those animals’ traits. The Japanese zodiac has been an integral part of their culture for hundreds of years and is still strong. Despite the importance of biodiversity in the religious and cultural practices of the Japanese, it is decreasing due to human activity.
All of the world’s major religions are sensitive to the importance of biodiversity. Therefore countries have established organizations to help conserve biodiversity and important religious practices. An example of this is The Religion and Conservation Research Collaborative (RCRC), Buddhists, Daoists and other religions have religious practices that are directly related to biodiversity (Awoyemi, 2011). However this is not the only organization there are countless others, which seek to conserve Japan’s biodiversity. In 2010 representatives from 193 countries gathered in Nagoya, Japan, for the opening of a two-week United Nations Conference on Biodiversity described as the “Kyoto Protocol for all living things” (Bird, 2010). Scientists have been warning habitat loss and climate change to cause the sixth mass extinction even in history. One of the key ideas discussed at this meet was how to protect up to 20 percent of the world’s land and sea, end overfishing and significantly increase funding for conservation projects (Bird, 2010).
One of the main environmental issues that is plaguing Japan at the moment is extinction. Back in 1993 the Act for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora went into force (The Japan Times, 2012). Despite the efforts it is clear that Japan is still lagging in measures to protect and increase the population of endangered species. There is currently a Red List of 3,430 species of mammals, birds, insects, plants, etc., that are critically endangered, the numbers have increased by 419 from the previous year (The Japan Times, 2012). Human activity is the primary cause of extinction and environmental damage. We as humans have failed to manage forests properly and are therefore contributing to the extinction of species.
Japan has a rich environment full of biodiversity that is important to its religions, people and cultures. It is important that as citizens of the world we make every effort to preserve that. If we keep abusing the environment at the rate we are at the moment there won’t be any animals, trees, or culture left in the world.
In order to understand the connection between biodiversity and cultural identity it is first important to understand just how diverse Japan is. Japan is home to roughly 5,600 species of vascular plants, about a third of which are believed to be endemic (Duffy, 2008). Also there are nearly 370 bird species that are known to occur regularly in Japan as well as 90 species of mammals. There are many more species occurring in Japan, these are just a few examples. One of the more noticeable examples of biodiversity in Japan is its forests. Many of the forests in Japan are being conserved by the Alliance for Religion and Conservation (ARC), because of their religious significance; many of them hold Shinto shrines, which are of great significance to their culture and religion (Massey, 2012). Many of these Shinto shrines as well as temples are ideal tourist destinations and attract many visitors each year to Japan. One of the peak times of traveling to Japan is during the Hanamachi, or cherry blossom viewing, it occurs every April and early May (Sasaki, 2012). Shinto is one of the main religions in Japan, the Shinto believe that respecting and protecting the environment is very important because various deities reside within the nature (EarthSky, 2011). Ceremonial “purification rituals are performed each year to symbolically counteract the negative effects of pollution on the environment and achieve balance with the natural gods (Massey, 2012).
In the Japanese culture nature and animals appear everywhere, and are clearly significant to them. Another example of this is the Zodiac. When visiting Japan it is hard to escape the New Years cards, posters and calendars’, as well as the clay dolls of the Animal of the year (Blankestijn, 2011). The Japanese zodiac consists of twelve animals that are rotated during the year for example the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit etc. (Blankestijn, 2011). It is believed that the person who is born in the month of a certain animal will possess those animals’ traits. The Japanese zodiac has been an integral part of their culture for hundreds of years and is still strong. Despite the importance of biodiversity in the religious and cultural practices of the Japanese, it is decreasing due to human activity.
All of the world’s major religions are sensitive to the importance of biodiversity. Therefore countries have established organizations to help conserve biodiversity and important religious practices. An example of this is The Religion and Conservation Research Collaborative (RCRC), Buddhists, Daoists and other religions have religious practices that are directly related to biodiversity (Awoyemi, 2011). However this is not the only organization there are countless others, which seek to conserve Japan’s biodiversity. In 2010 representatives from 193 countries gathered in Nagoya, Japan, for the opening of a two-week United Nations Conference on Biodiversity described as the “Kyoto Protocol for all living things” (Bird, 2010). Scientists have been warning habitat loss and climate change to cause the sixth mass extinction even in history. One of the key ideas discussed at this meet was how to protect up to 20 percent of the world’s land and sea, end overfishing and significantly increase funding for conservation projects (Bird, 2010).
One of the main environmental issues that is plaguing Japan at the moment is extinction. Back in 1993 the Act for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora went into force (The Japan Times, 2012). Despite the efforts it is clear that Japan is still lagging in measures to protect and increase the population of endangered species. There is currently a Red List of 3,430 species of mammals, birds, insects, plants, etc., that are critically endangered, the numbers have increased by 419 from the previous year (The Japan Times, 2012). Human activity is the primary cause of extinction and environmental damage. We as humans have failed to manage forests properly and are therefore contributing to the extinction of species.
Japan has a rich environment full of biodiversity that is important to its religions, people and cultures. It is important that as citizens of the world we make every effort to preserve that. If we keep abusing the environment at the rate we are at the moment there won’t be any animals, trees, or culture left in the world.
Sources
Duffy, J. (2008). Biological diversity in japan. Retrieved from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biological_diversity_in_Japan
Sasaki, U. (2012). Tourism in japan & its limitations. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2012/09/18/editorials/protect-japans-biodiversity/
The Japan Times. (2012, September 18). Protect japan's biodiversity. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2012/09/18/editorials/protect-japans-biodiversity/
Bird, W. (2010, October 21). At japan biodiversity meeting, access to resources divides rich and poor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1021/At-Japan-biodiversity-meeting-access-to-resources-divides-rich-and-poor
Blankestijn, A. (2011, December 26). Japanese customs: The zodiac. Retrieved from http://www.japannavigator.com/2011/12/japanese-zodiac.html
Japan Guide. (2013). Japan nature. Retrieved from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2122.html
Awoyemi, S. (2012). Executive summary. Retrieved from http://www.conbio.org/images/content_policy/2012-7_RCRC-Position-Statement-Final_Web_Version.pdf
Massey, A. (2012). Religious forest sites. Retrieved from http://www.biodiversity.ox.ac.uk/researchthemes/biodiversity-beyond-protected-areas/religious-forest-sites/