The Yakushima Ecotourism System

Definitions of Ecotourism

Although a range of nature tours are available covering mountains, rivers and the sea, in recent years, ecotourism is based on the idea of not simply experiencing nature but taking responsibility to avoid harm to that particular environment and to preserve it for future generations while invigorating local communities and tourism.

• 'A movement focused on the natural environment, and conducting tours that attempt to protect the ecosystem of the land and minimize impact' (Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA))
• 'Responsible travel that offers visitors an opportunity to experience and learn about the natural environment, history, and culture of an area' ( Ministry of the Environment's Ecotourism Promotion Council)
• 'Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people' (The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Ecotourism on Yakushima Island

Yakushima Island provides tours of the mountain area including the Jomon-sugi Cedar and Shirataniunsui-kyo Ravine, as well as numerous tours focused on rivers and the sea. More than two hundred guides offer these tours, and the local community has developed tours that can be considered some of the top nature tours in Japan. Within this context, Kamiyaku Town and Yaku Town established the Yakushima Island Zone Ecotourism Promotion Council in 2004 with the participation of 16 related organizations. The objective of the Council was to establish ecotourism that simultaneously provides opportunities to come into contact with the unique nature and culture of Yakushima Island, to conserve and properly manage local resources, and to contribute to local development.
The Council investigated the creation of a system to certify and register Yakushima Guides, developing tours leveraging the local natural environment, and the best ways to preserve and use the Western Area. In response to the Ecotourism Promotion Act of April 2008, the Council was restructured into the Yakushima Town Ecotourism Promotion Council in August 2009, and since then it has formulated the Comprehensive Ecotourism Promotion Concept to promote ecotourism throughout Yakushima Town. In the course of this work, various issues were debated such as how best to protect and use the precious nature of various areas including the heavily-used mountain area encompassing the Jomon-sugi Cedar and Mt. Miyanoura, the Western Area with its vertical distribution of vegetation extending from the subtropical seaside to the cool temperate peak area (one of the reasons for the area being registered as a World Heritage site), and Nagata Beach which boasts the largest number of loggerhead turtles coming ashore in the Northern Pacific, and how to communicate the appeal of each village to people outside the island.

Ecotourism Event