WCC 2016 Res 020 - Activity Report

An invasive ant (Solenopsis invicta) introduced into several prefectures of the mainland of Japan last year. The committee by experts and government to take countermeasure to eradicate the ant has organized.

For the landfill materials of the Henoko reclamation (the United States Marine Corps facility),Okinawa Island, the newspaper reported that the buisiness operator (Ministry of Defence, GOJ) plan to apply heat treatment. The details are not revieled. However if this method is applied other type of environmental destruction (heat impact for the surrounding environment) might occur.

Okinawa prefecture set an ordinance to prevent unintentional introduction of invasive alien species contaminated with soil and rocks for landfill in 2015. As it is not strict enough to prevent all possible alien species , we have been writing letters to revise the ordinance, however the prefecture don't have intention to revise.

The number of tourist of Okinawa prefecture is increasing. At presence 8,760,000 tourists annually. Okinawa prefecture set goal to increase the number for 17,000,000. Aamami oshima(island), Kagoshima prefecture, has the silimer tendency to increase the number of toursts. Both prefectures build new hotels and new ports.
However these prefectures don't enforce
pathway management for introduction of invasive alien species.

We sent a request titled 'Request concerning the IUCN field mission of proposed World Heritage sites in Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island' to IUCN last march. In this request we stated the above problem as well.
http://www.nacsj.or.jp/archive/2017/03/3830/