IPSI welcomes three new members

We are pleased to announce that in March 2015, the IPSI Steering Committee unanimously confirmed three new member organizations, making the total of 167 member organizations. It is therefore our pleasure to welcome:

• MELCA-Ethiopia, (Movement for Ecological Learning and Community Action) based in Ethiopia, which works to increase the adaptive capacity to social and ecological shocks of communities and contribute to the creation of a healthy ecosystem and resilient community;

• Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Slovenia, whose mission is basic and applied research carried out through national research projects, centers of excellence and international projects, with special focus on environmental protection and care, preservation, protection, and management of cultural and natural heritage; and

• Hokusetsu Satoyama Museum Steering Council, located in Japan with the purpose to developsatoyama areas in the Hokusetsu region as the “Hokusetsu Satoyama Museum: Entire Region as a Museum,” and to promote their utilization in accordance with each user’s needs.

The new members, in addition to being involved in valuable projects in their own right, also help to increase IPSI’s presence by expanding our membership into two new countries (Ethiopia and Slovenia) while strengthening partnership within already represented areas. We look forward to collaborating closely with all of them in promoting the concept of the Satoyama Initiative in the future.

Public Symposium: "Satoumi in Noto Peninsula"

A public seminar was held on 24 March 2015 at Kanazawa Bunka Hall in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, titled "Satoumi in Noto Peninsula", organized by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability Operating Unit Ishikawa / Kanazawa (UNU-IAS OUIK). Satoumi is a Japanese word referring to the local type of socio-ecological production seascape.

The Noto Peninsula is designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) site incorporating a large number of satoumi seascapes. The seminar featured presentations by a variety of local stakeholders including fishers, business owners and researchers, all of whom are working together to promote sustainable resources management in the peninsula.

The event was also intended to serve as the kick-off of a new "Satoumi Movement", proposed by UNU-IAS OUIK, which will include seminars, further research and awareness-raising. Collaboration with those involved in this movement could be an opportunity to strengthen IPSI's engagement with work being done in seascapes.

Article on the Midori Press "Society in Harmony with Nature and the Satoyama Initiative"

An article related to the Satoyama Initiative recently appeared in the "Column on Biodiversity" section of the Midori Press, an online magazine devoted to biodiversity issues. The article was written by Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Senior Vice-Rector of United Nations University and Professor at the University of Tokyo. Prof. Takeuchi was instrumental in creating the academic background for the Satoyama Initiative, and in his article he touches on the development of the Initiative as well as introducing some of the current priorities and activities being carried out.

The full article can be found on the Midori Press here.

Television Programme Featuring Prof. Alfred Oteng-Yeboah

Prof. Alfred Otengh-Yeboah, National Chairman of the Ghana National Biodiversity Committee and Chair of the IPSI Steering Committee, was recently featured on a television programme titled "Sense of Wonder: The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity", about the recipients of the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity 2014. We hope all of our readers will join us in once again congratulating Prof. Oteng-Yeboah for the great honor of receiving this prestigious prize, and will take some time to watch the programme, which contains a great deal of information about current movements within the biodiversity community.

The full programme can be viewed on the Japan International Broadcasting Inc. website here.

Recent Case Studies: Foundation for Research and Social Development (FIDES)

The IPSI Secretariat recently received a case study report from partner organization Foundation for Research and Social Development (FIDES), based in Ecuador.

Mangroves are considered one of the world's most productive ecosystems (RAMSAR Convention). In addition to their significant ecological role, mangrove habitats fulfill important economic, cultural, and social functions for the various communities settled on the banks of estuaries. Despite the environmental, social, economic and cultural importance, and the existence of a legal framework for protection, more than 80% of the mangroves in Chone River Estuary have been destroyed by the shrimp industry. This destruction has caused deteriorated living conditions in families that have lived off of the ecosystem for generations, mainly due to the decline and loss of species that have been part of local community’s food security. The FIDES Foundation’s intervention with families dedicated to fishing and gathering allows the generation of alternative livelihoods for mangrove communities of Manabí through the protection and sustainable use of mangrove resources. An important example of this is the recovery of the Mouthless crab in situ, in a process that combines ancestral knowledge and practices with new technical knowledge. The case study shows an ongoing pilot project that is generating positive results for the recovery of the mouthless crab.

The full case study write-up can be found on the IPSI website here.

Contact

Please be sure to let the Secretariat know if there are any changes in your e-mail address or contact information.

Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative
5–53–70 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925
Japan

Tel: +81 3-5467-1212
Fax: +81 3-3499-2828

Email: isi@unu.edu

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