Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Earth's surface; and impacted on most of the Earth's oceans. Today, “true” nature
is called “primitive” nature, and the word “nature” is applied in a very broad sense.
Sometimes, it is used as a term of praise for the countryside, but the countryside is
an anthropogenic landscape where no sign of primitive nature is found. The country-
side is rich and green - usually with beautiful landscapes - and is loved by the
general public, but, still, we need to remind ourselves that the countryside is not
truly natural and in a strict sense should be considered only as 'secondary nature'.
(What inconsistent wording!) The countryside, its vistas, landscapes and greenery
are admittedly loved, appreciated and sought for by most urban residents today, and
those who live in busy cities - as do most Japanese - sometimes experience healing
in their busy lives by visiting the rich green countryside. However, from this fact it
is evident that modern people prefer not to protect nature in its primitive state but
to modify nature to enrich their lives. The most important point is that the environ-
ment should form part of a concept of harmonious coexistence between nature and
humankind; it should never be part of the concept of exploiting nature by science-
based technology only to obtain resources from it for human gain and corporate
profit. We learned a lot during the twentieth century: namely, that terrible destruc-
tion of the Earth's surface endangers also the lives of us humans, and not just that
of other 'endangered species'.
Islands have more fragile ecosystems and are less tolerable to heavy artificial
interventions. We need scientific information to enable us to correctly estimate the
future of each island, and development there should occur only within long-term
planning regimens. We should realize that any local action on a particular part of
the Earth will influence, in various ways, the environment of the whole Earth.
Development at any particular site should be done in accordance within the per-
spective of global development; this is particularly true in regard to development
that impacts, or occurs, on islands.
It is evident that sustainable use should not be developed in accordance with the
idea of conquering nature but instead in accordance with the concept of establishing
harmonious coexistence and a friendly acquaintance with nature. Sustainable use of
the only Earth we have can be promoted only in collaboration with all of the
persons concerned, and the need for a sound scientific basis is inevitable in setting
up a long-term development plan. The purpose of biosphere reserves is well in
accordance with these points, and it is a good idea to consider the futurability of
islands by applying such useful tools as the classification of biosphere reserves.
Conclusion
For the futurability, or sustainable use, of islands, a shift away from the strict concept
of nature protection in its strict sense to that of sustainable use of nature is necessary.
The concept of sustainable development is based on harmonious coexistence with
nature, not on conquering the natural environment of the islands. We need to have
general consensus on the concept of maintenance of the island environment,
Search WWH ::
Custom Search