＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
Japan currently has four World Heritage Sites: Shirakami-Sanchi (inscribed in 1993), Yakushima (inscribed in 1993), Shiretoko (inscribed in 2005), and the Ogasawara Islands (inscribed in 2011).
The other day, I happened to be watching TV and came across NHK Special “A Brown Bear and an Old Fisherman: Living in Shiretoko, a World Heritage Site.”
After watching this program, I once again felt that “Perhaps World Heritage Sites are at a turning point?”
So, in this article, I would like to consider the problems and future challenges facing the World Heritage Site.
1. “Brown Bears and an Old Fisherman: Living in Shiretoko, a World Heritage Site”
Hatsusaburo Ose (84), known as “the man who scolds brown bears,” was born into a fishing family in Aomori Prefecture. However, life was tough, so he left his hometown at the age of 23 and came to Shiretoko as a migrant fisherman.
The good fishing grounds had already been taken by other fishermen, and all that remained was Rusha, a “brown bear den.” At first, he asked hunters to exterminate the bears, but he felt bad about taking their lives.
After about 10 years, he became obsessed with scolding the bears, hoping to avoid taking their lives. When they still wouldn’t run away, he chased them away with a stick. It seems that by repeatedly teaching bears from an early age that “humans are stronger,” they will no longer attack people.
Shiretoko was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2005. However, five years ago, UNESCO recommended that the Japanese government remove roads and bridges across the Rusha River.
UNESCO has also pointed out that a check dam, built after heavy rains washed away trees from the mountains and damaged offshore fixed nets, is preventing salmon and trout from migrating upstream.
In September 2019, Dr. Peteland, an American conservation expert from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, visited Japan as part of a UNESCO-commissioned World Heritage survey team, and Mr. Ose met with Dr. Peteland as a representative of the fishermen.
UNESCO’s basic philosophy regarding World Heritage sites is to “eliminate artificial elements and preserve the natural landscape for future generations.”
Japan has approved the removal of the check dam, and Hokkaido will reportedly begin full-scale removal work soon, but the issues with the road and bridge remain unresolved.
2. Problems with World Natural Heritage Sites
(1) UNESCO’s stance on “excluding extreme artificial elements”
As the Shiretoko example above shows, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), a specialized agency of the United Nations, has not changed its stance of “extremely eliminating artificial elements” that ignores the necessity of coexistence with humans, and continues to stubbornly force this onto the residents of the countries and regions in question.
In other words, even if a site is registered as a World Heritage Site, maintaining it will impose a significant burden. If a compromise cannot be reached, the site will be delisted.
(2) Lack of Perspective on Coexistence and Prosperity between Human Life and Nature
It is essential to use all our wisdom to consider how to “exterminate” and “manage populations” of brown bears before their attacks on humans become frequent or their predation by Ezo deer becomes too severe.
If salmon and trout migrations increase too much, new problems will arise.
While attacks on humans may be prevented while Mr. Ose, the “man who scolds brown bears,” is still alive, safety is not guaranteed afterward.
Due to the large number of anti-whaling countries, commercial whaling was banned for a long time. However, this has had the negative effect of causing an overabundance of whales and a sharp decline in small fish populations.
Forests will also become overgrown if they are not managed properly, such as by thinning trees and clearing undergrowth at appropriate times.
This seems to indicate a lack of respect for the wisdom of ancient people and a broader perspective.
(3) Excessive financial and human burden associated with applying for registration
Even nominating a site for World Heritage listing requires a significant amount of funding, reportedly costing billions of yen in some cases.
This includes the personnel costs of the experts who write the nomination documents, the fees paid to consulting firms that prepare the photographs accompanying the documents, and the costs of holding expert meetings to prepare the documents.
(4) The Excessive Financial and Human Burden of Maintaining Registration
The original idea behind World Heritage sites was to protect human treasures from the destruction wrought by the rapid wave of human development that began around the world in the 1960s, which affected cultural properties and the natural environment.
However, once a site is listed, obligations arise for its protection and preservation. While I believe this system itself is meaningful, the excessive financial and human burden it incurs is problematic. There are limits to the costs and human resources required for its maintenance.
As an aside, at my previous company, I was involved in part of the basic preparations for ISO certification registration. Since competitors had already obtained this certification, the management of my previous company apparently decided that ISO certification was essential to gaining credibility.
However, in addition to the large consulting fees, registration fees, and three-year renewal costs, there is monitoring with maintenance audits one and two years later, followed by a renewal audit three years later. Failure to pass these audits will result in the “ISO certification being revoked.” This can lead to reputational risk and complications.
While it may not be an appropriate comparison, World Heritage sites seem similar.
(5) Excessive Proliferation of World Natural Heritage Sites
Due to the economic benefits of tourism, they have now become a kind of “seal of approval” or “rating” for the tourism industry.
As a result, countries around the world have begun a “World Heritage Site registration race,” resulting in a sharp increase in registration applications. As of 2019, there were 213 registered World Natural Heritage sites.
3. Future Challenges for World Natural Heritage Sites
(1) Curbing New Registrations
I believe it is first necessary to put a stop to the blindly increasing number of World Heritage sites. Furthermore, we should reconsider our future policy.
(2) Relaxing the Strict Registration Maintenance Standards
I believe that the extremely strict registration maintenance standards should be revised, taking into consideration the “coexistence” between the people who live there and nature.
In uncharted territory, it may be easy to “remove artificial objects,” but I believe that a fundamentalist approach to “removing artificial objects” that disregards human life will do more harm than good.
(3) If the unreasonable fundamentalist approach to “removing artificial objects” remains unchanged, the site should be “relinquished.”
I think it is extremely unfortunate that Japan agreed to the “removal of the sabo dam” mentioned above. Shouldn’t Japan have asserted its legitimacy more forcefully and boldly?
Furthermore, if UNESCO’s fundamentalism of “excluding man-made objects” that disregards human life continues to prevail and Japan’s legitimate claims are not recognized, I think Japan should follow the United States in withdrawing from UNESCO and “relinquish its World Heritage designation.”