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SATOUMI - Ago Bay-Shima City, Mie Prefecture, Japan

2,870 views · Published 31 July 2012 · 12:12 · Indexed 7 October 2026

Channel: UN University · 2012 · Science & Technology

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The diverse aquaculture of Japan's Ago Bay has evolved from a pearl culture tradition seeded more than a century ago. But as the scale of pearl culture and aquaculture has increased, so have negative impacts such as coastal land development.

Faced with ecosystem degradation and ebbing marine resources, the Ago Bay community has embraced a successful satoumi approach to revive scientific understanding of the Bay that promotes economic and ecosystem sustainability (satoumi is defined as marine and coastal landscapes that have been formed and maintained by prolonged interaction between humans and ecosystems).

Ago Bay, located in Mie Prefecture in Central Japan, is a typical enclosed coastal sea with a complex 'ria' coastline of submerged coastal river valleys forming a fingered bay of inlets and islands. The Bay is central to Ise-Shima National Park, which, because of its scenic beauty, valuable natural endowments and long cultural history, was the first national park to be established in Japan.

Historically, the Ago Bay area was known as Miketsu-kuni, a name that reflected its special status as a source of food, particularly marine products, for the Imperial Court and Ise Shrine, one of Japan's most revered and ancient Shinto shrines. Today, Ago Bay's calm seascape and rich marine heritage imbues the local community with an innate sense of stewardship rooted in Japan's traditional satoumi.

See the full version of the "SATOUMI" documentary
http://youtu.be/4fj-iW60CGk

Read the related article on OurWorld to know more on Satoumi: http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/satoumi-in-ago-bay-embracing-integrated-coastal-management

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