We are concerned deeply about the destructions of Ishigaki Island. Since the World Heritage registration of Okinawa Prefecture, tremendous subtropical nature destruction plans are underway on Ishigaki Island in ”Iriomote and Ishigaki National Park” as ignoring the global warming and the climate change　Iriomote Island was registered as a World Natural Heritage Site in July 2021.

We would like to send a call to Ms. AUDREY AZOULAY, Director General of UNESCO,     (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to visit to Ishigaki Island next to Iriomote Island registered as a World Natural Heritage Site for the investigation into the actual situation of nature destructions by sightseeing for World Heritage.

More than 96,000 people was sign already in opposition to these five plans on "Change .org"

1. Yoshitaka Nakayama mayor of Ishigaki City who cannot understand what is SDGs with the population of 49,000 allowed to build a missile base facing deforestation ignoring the result of the pole of residents.

2. Unimat Precious Co., Ltd has plans that the mayor Nakayama is pushing forward with the construction of the resort hotel with golf courses.This plan is pumping up ground water nine hundreds of tons just in a day. The water is scheduled to be used for the visitors of hotel and pools of each cottages, and they flow out agricultural chemicals from golf course to the coral sea.Though the supply amount of drinking water of Ishigaki-city citizens has already reached the limit in summer time.

3. The Japanese government, Okinawa Prefecture and Ishigaki city decided to cut down five precious natural big trees that we call mother trees from the forest of Mt. Yarabu in Ishigaki Island to used for rebuild Shuri castle, that had disappeared by the fire two years ago in the World Heritage Site although 26.000 people is oppose

4. The Japanese leading travel agency JTB plans to build a leisure pontoon (fixed floating island) on the coral sea and that makes damage the coral reef although more than 46,000 people is oppose to the plan.

5. There is another plan to build a large-scale resort hotel in the Kabira area though the residents call out against the regulation of Ishigaki city that is unable to make the building with height more than 2nd floor.

We know that UNESCO manages the registration of World Heritage Sites, has rang the following alarms regarding environmental issues in World Heritage Sites.

◎As the value of World Heritage Sites continues to increase, members of UNESCO conduct strict examinations to prevent from increasing disorderly development for sightseeing.

◎If the environment of　 World　Heritage Sites is not fully complete, it is possible to cancel registration of the World Heritage Site.

We cannot keep silence about the destruction of our precious island. Our mother earth get already the limit to save lives. We regret that there are so many companies and politicians in Japan they are thinking just present day, instead of taking care about the next generations.

We decided to take action to stop the destruction of nature somehow.We, an environmental protection group in Ishigaki City, decided to work together to launch the campaign to protect our island and the global environment.

We hope that the people of Okinawa and peoples in the world could understand the meaning of our actions. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

                                           -The campaign participants-

*Nobuhiro Miyagi  Representative of  " The Association of Thinking the Nature and Environment of "Our Island Ishigaki "

*Setsuko Yamazato  "Association of Grandma -Protect our Lives ond Living-  " 

*Kensho Shimamura, Co-Representative of  "The Association of  Protection of the Nature of Anpal"

*Shohei Aida, Representative of  "The Association of Saving  the Mother tree of Ishigaki Island"

*Kouhei Izumi  Representative of  "The Assosiation of Thinking the Sea of Yaima "

*Shigeo Tanizaki Representative of  "The Association of Ishigaki island Eco Tourism "

*Roe Takagi  Representative of  "Yaeyama Nature Agency"

*Non Yoshimori Representative of " Yaeyama Organic Association "

                                              -Special support-

 *JAWAN＝Japan Wetlands Action Network