Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
The Futurability of Islands: A Japanese
Reflection on the Harmonious Coexistence
of Nature and Humankind
Kunio Iwatsuki
Introduction
Islands are usually described as ecologically fragile places. Their sustainable
development requires careful and long-term design. By “long-term” I means at least
100 years, whereas most development designs and plans are set up for much shorter
terms of a few years at most. Development policies are usually designed for limited
terms because political and/or economic planning is based on a strict budget and
strict time frame in power which, for ministers and politicians in democratic
societies, averages at around 3.5 years. Although detailed budget sharing may be
possible only for cycles of a few years, practical planning should be conceived for
such terms within a longer perspective of centuries and on the basis of appropriate
scientific estimates. Sustainability will be maintained only when such long-term
estimations are successful.
Islands vary in such features as size, topography, geographical position, climate,
population, and the culture and history of their residents. A detailed discussion of
these variations among islands is excluded here, and only relatively small islands
are considered. Japan is a country consisting of many small- and medium-sized
islands and its geographical area is collectively known as the Japanese Archipelago.
In this paper, the development of the Japanese Archipelago is summarized in terms
of its history after the New Stone Age, in reference to traditional Japanese concepts.
In discussing the futurability of the islands, focus is placed on the smaller ones, in
particular in relation to the concept of harmonious coexistence between nature and
humankind. The four large islands, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido, are
not generally considered here: they are commonly understood as the Japanese
'mainland'. However, I suggest that peninsulas, such as the Shiretoko Peninsula,
have nearly the same kind of ecology as the islands: the narrow peninsular belt is
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