What are the SDGs initiatives in Ishigaki Island, including a team building program to learn about the SDGs!

Current topic! What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Have you ever heard of the SDGs?

The SDGs are the Sustainable Development Goals, which are also promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and are designed to bring people together to solve various issues such as the environment, human rights, and poverty not only in Japan but around the world.

These goals and plans are not vague, but have a clear deadline of "by 2030," which is a matter that more people should know about.

Therefore, in this issue, we will consider the necessity and importance of the SDGs, focusing on the SDGs efforts on Ishigaki Island.

If you are interested in traveling to Ishigaki Island and the SDGs, please read to the end!

Current Situation on Ishigaki Island

Ishigaki Island is a paradise for tourists and is known as one of the best tropical resort areas in Japan, but on the other hand, the island's environment and the lives of the islanders are not always in good condition.

Surrounded by the sea and far from the Japanese mainland, Ishigaki Island residents often experience inconveniences in their daily lives.

In addition, natural disasters such as tsunamis, typhoons, and earthquakes are always a concern.

In addition, one of the most important challenges facing Ishigaki Island is the serious decline in the number of young people on the island due to the increasing number of people moving out of the island.

In fact, because there are no new or large-scale industries on Ishigaki Island, there are few job opportunities for young people, and many of them go to the mainland in search of work.

However, the decline of these young people must be halted for the development and preservation of the cultural sphere of Ishigaki Island.

The tourism industry, which is also an important source of revenue, has also been severely damaged by the decrease in the number of tourists due to the pandemic of the new virus in the past few years.

If we can do all we can to address this and realize the boosting of existing industries such as tourism, we can create new jobs and stem the exodus of young people.

This is expected to result in an increase in population and financial resources.

Goals to be achieved by tourism operators on Ishigaki Island

The SDGs can be used to improve the aforementioned current situation on Ishigaki Island.

The goals to be achieved by 2030 according to the Ishigaki Island Citizen SDGs have been defined, and we have briefly summarized the goals to be achieved by tourism operators in major industries extracted from the SDGs, which are presented below.

Expand activities for community development

Each one of us will take pride in being a citizen of Ishigaki, and everyone will be motivated to create a prosperous town.

Promote equality and mutual understanding.

Peaceful living is achieved when citizens trust and understand each other and live in accordance with the rules of society.

Improving the quality of education and promoting health

We will promote dialogue and sports activities to create a town of education and health so that more young people will have hope for the future.

Pursuit of a society with less environmental impact

Everyone loves the beautiful nature and culture of Ishigaki Island and is eager to work to make it a town of tourism and culture.

Resource Circulation

Industry and citizens will collaborate with each other to promote the circulation of natural resources for the creation of an industrial town and a beautiful town.

Promote sustainable tourism

We will formulate and implement policies to create jobs, promote culture, and promote products.

Protecting the richness of nature　

The above goals, "pursuit of a society with less environmental impact" and "resource recycling," are important items for preserving the richness of nature on Ishigaki Island and are by no means indispensable.

Ishigaki Island belongs to the subtropical zone and is rich in untouched nature, including coral reefs and mangroves, which are rare both in Japan and abroad.

In order to pass on this nature to the future, we need to take the initiative to protect the environment in accordance with the SDGs.

In particular, the tourism industry cannot be indifferent to the natural attractions of Ishigaki Island, as they attract many tourists to the island and beyond.

Therefore, it can be said that long-term activities should be undertaken to reduce tourist waste and prevent coral bleaching due to sewage drainage and high temperatures of seawater.

To achieve this, we must seriously consider securing sustainable energy sources (natural energy) and waste disposal.

And it can be said that taking this approach will also help to achieve the goal of "promoting sustainable tourism.

Initiatives to Achieve Goals

You asked about the need for the tourism industry to address the SDGs, but did you know that there are already various initiatives in place to achieve the goals?

Among them, the following activities are being promoted on Ishigaki Island, taking the initiative because the island's marine tourism industry has always been with the sea of Ishigaki.

Regular beach cleanups by local marine stores

Beach cleanups are part of international activities, so-called beach cleanups, in which garbage and flotsam are collected while being sorted.

In fact, local marine stores on Ishigaki Island regularly conduct beach cleanup activities in cooperation with local residents and tourists to keep the beaches and ocean clean.

In addition, the company implements activities that have minimal impact on the environment during marine activities, and prohibits people from touching or feeding organisms in order to prevent marine ecosystem and water pollution.

They also make an effort to take small initiatives, such as encouraging participants to use sunscreen that is less harmful to the coral reefs during activity tours that take them into the ocean.

Team building program to learn about the SDGs initiatives in Ishigaki Island

(in Japanese history)https://ishigaki-pipi.com/team-building)

The marine tourism industry on Ishigaki Island offers programs to inform many people about the importance of creating a good marine environment and to think about it.

Strengthening Bonds! Ishigaki Island Team Building

The team-building program, in particular, focuses on the possibility of achieving what cannot be done individually through teamwork, and is expected to be highly effective in creating a marine environment.

The content is not a rigid training program, but rather an activity that requires teamwork in an unusual space.

Furthermore, by implementing this activity in a tour style with an added activity component, the system is designed to attract a large number of people to participate.

In the team building program, members also learn about the natural problems facing Ishigaki Island together and conduct beach cleanup activities.

The program itself is customizable, from half a day to a full day, etc., and participants can enjoy activities after the activity so that they will want to continue participating next time.

Strengthening people's team power through this program will ultimately help to protect the nature of Ishigaki Island.

summary

In this issue, we have picked up the current situation and efforts of Ishigaki Island with regard to the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals.

If you have ever wondered "What are SDGs? I hope you now understand the purpose and necessity of the SDGs by understanding the efforts of Ishigaki Island citizens and tourism businesses.

We hope that this event will encourage you to think about the SDGs in your own community and in Japan and abroad, and to start working on the SDGs from what you can do!

Even if each one of us is aware of this, Japan and the world in 2030 could change drastically, and various problems could be solved.

If you like Ishigaki Island, visit Ishigaki Island often, or are thinking of moving there in the future, why not participate in the beach cleanup activities and team building programs introduced here?

By engaging in these SDG activities and protecting the beautiful Ishigaki Island, we can gradually develop it into our prosperous future!