Biodiversity / Food / Water

May 22, 2014

 

Harie Shozunosato Committee Wins Japan's 9th Ecotourism Awards

Keywords: Ecosystems / Biodiversity NGO / Citizen Water 

Photo: Kataba
Image by wakamoana Some Rights Reserved.

Japan's Ministry of the Environment announced on February 6, 2014, that the Harie Shozunosato Committee of Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, was selected from among 57 applicants for the Grand Prize at the Ninth Ecotourism Awards, which were jointly organized with the Japan Ecotourism Society. The Committee was highly praised for its efforts to revitalize the community of Harie and conserve its environment by utilizing its traditional water culture of using spring water in daily life.

The Ecotourism Awards have been recognizing and publicizing outstanding ecotourism efforts by businesses, organizations, and municipalities in Japan since 2005.

The Committee introduced the entire Harie district as the "Harie Satoyama Mizu Hakubutsukan (Harie Managed Land and Water Museum)," describing the region's various connections to water including the regional Harie Okawa River and Lake Biwa, and focusing specifically on "Kabata," a network of canals linking natural springs at individual houses with other houses for water use by residents. As one of the members of the community planning committee, the Harie Shozunosato Committee has been revitalizing the district and trying to promote opportunities to preserve the nearby natural environment.

Japanese  
 

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