Practical Studies on Developing Local Skills to Solve Community-based Problems with Forest Tourism (1) : A Case Study of Initiatives in Yambaru Area, Okinawa

This study explores developing local skills in solving community-based problems with forest tourism in Okinawa prefecture, in particular regarding with activities in Yambaru area. Yambaru is a rural area, and is currently well-known domestically and a popular ecotourism destination because of its pristine subtropical rainforest environment, unknown on the Japanese mainland. As a result of depression of timber industry, problems within forestry have been developing all over Japan and the industry needs to undergo some restructuring to change from a single dimensional usage of forest for lumber, into a consciousness of multifaceted forest usage, such as for shelter from natural disaster, carbon sequestering to offset global warming, preserving drinking water, habitat for native animals and plants as well as promoting forest environmental education. However, the forestry industry and forestry cooperative in Okinawa are completely unaware of such recent trends. A major focus of this study is that social action which leads to sustainable community development is contingent on learning about social phenomena affecting community life and on applying that learning to planning and problem solving with adult education theory. Accordingly the process orientation of community development takes precedence over task orientation in this study. As the first stage of the study, this paper identifies current usage of Yambaru forest as a tourist destination and awareness of the issues involved in the local initiatives, such as conducting forest study and tour. It concludes with recommendations for further research