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and Sages’ (2010, Japan), which was part of the International Forest
Film Festival.
Activities are not limited to cooperation with the private sector.
The Forestry Agency of Japan manages National Forests amounting
to 20 per cent of the country’s land area. Answering to the expec-
tation of people’s participation in and commemoration of Forests
2011, the National Forest management has introduced a special
rate of benefit-sharing afforestation for the coming three years.
According to this package, the entity that establishes forests in
National Forest lands will receive 80 per cent of the proceeds, 10
per cent more than normal.
2011 is also memorable for the registration of the Ogasawara
Islands as a World Natural Heritage Site. On these islands, National
Forests account for a significant portion of the total forest area and
they provide important habitat for various rare flora and fauna.
With 80 per cent of the National Forests in Ogasawara designated a
Forest Ecosystem Reserve in 2004, work is continuing to conserve
the natural environment for future generations.
On 21 July in Nagoya City, where Japan hosted the Convention
on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties, a leading regional
newspaper held a Forests 2011 Commemorative Meeting titled
‘Biodiversity, Tourism and Forests’. The event was timely, follow-
ing the World Heritage Conference in Paris the previous month, and
drew an audience of about 700 people. Public figures such as Junko
Tabei (the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest) and
Yoshitsugu Minagawa, the Director General of the Forestry Agency,
took the platform and told the audience about the important rela-
tionship between our lives, leisure and biodiversity.
Forests and disaster recovery
The Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 compelled the
second Forests 2011 National Committee meeting on 14 April to
discuss the contribution of forests and forestry to recovery from the
disaster. The following points were raised at the meeting:
• Forestry and wood industries are important to the affected area,
and support for them contributes not only physically but also
economically to recovery
• Donations from the private sector may develop a green corridor
along the Tsunami-affected seashore
• Evacuation shelters should make use of wood as much as possi-
ble, as it is better for the purpose and for public morale than
other industrial materials.
The meeting was well timed to discuss the relationship between
forests and the recovery, and gave us a chance to review subsequent
Forests 2011 activities in the light of disaster management.
In addition to nationwide support packages for the affected area,
the secretariat of the National Committee has also contributed to
events such as a lecture by an affected fisherman who has a long
history of tree planting to enrich marine resources; symposiums
to discuss how to revive the coastal forests; and the promotion of
wooden fans. Volunteers of the Forestry Agency have purchased
fans made of wood from thinning operations. The bulk purchase
supports the affected Tohoku region by using materials from the
region or by donating the part of the sales if produced outside
the region. Using the fans also contributed to power savings in
summer, combating the power supply issues in Kanto region.
In order to increase exposure of Forests 2011, the official logo
appeared on the fans.
Jan McAlpine, the head of the United Nations Forum
on Forests, dedicated a video message to one of the
symposiums held by the Organization for Industrial,
Spiritual and Cultural Advancement on 11 July.
At the time of writing this chapter, a number of impor-
tant events were in the pipeline. It is sad that Japan
was affected by a historic disaster in 2011, preventing a
more positive and cheerful celebration of Forests 2011.
However, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Forests
2011 together offer the opportunity to plan a future that
is sustainable, cooperative and optimistic.
A set of commemorative stamps was issued by JP Post to
commemorate Forests 2011 and the National Greening Campaign
Image: MAFF