チョウの棲む草原環境と一の瀬の未来の話

Ichinose, dotted with ponds of different appearances, flowing streams, and grasslands where you can enjoy seasonal wildflowers, is a popular spot for visitors to Norikura Highlands. It is a place that local people treasure as a pristine landscape, and they have been continuously caring for and protecting it since ancient times in an effort to maintain its rich grassland scenery. But did you know that Ichinose is actually a valuable habitat for grassland butterflies?

Biodiversity conservation has been positioned as an important issue both domestically and internationally, and various efforts are being made to address it. Perhaps the activities surrounding Ichinose and butterflies offer a clue...? Here we present excerpts from a study session (sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment) held recently in Ichinose, inviting butterfly experts.

Butterfly-inhabited grassland environment and the future of Ichinose

❶ What is biodiversity?

According to the Ministry of the Environment, we are currently in the sixth era of mass extinction, with the rate of species extinction accelerating. If things continue as they are, there is a risk that approximately one million species will become extinct worldwide in the next few decades.

In response to this critical situation, international (Convention on Biological Diversity) and domestic (National Biodiversity Strategy) movements are gaining momentum, and the nation as a whole is working together with the world to ensure the survival of biodiversity.

Biodiversity, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity, "refers to the variability among all living organisms, including diversity within and between species and between ecosystems."

Diversity brings various benefits and increases productivity and adaptability, so based on the basic recognition that biodiversity and natural capital are the foundation of society and the economy, efforts are needed from various angles to ensure their survival.

❷ Butterflies are becoming increasingly endangered

Looking at the butterfly species we will be looking at this time, there are approximately 240 species living in Japan. Of these, 42 grassland butterfly species live in Honshu. However, as their habitats become more and more threatened each year, the survival of these species is at risk, and an increasing number of species are being added to the Red List.

According to Michito Watanabe, president of the Lepidopterological Society of Japan and president of the Koshu Insect Club, there are some precious grassland butterflies that barely survive in certain parts of the country, and their conservation is an urgent issue. Habitat surveys and conservation activities are being carried out in various places. In fact, Ichinose in the Norikura Plateau is one of the best habitats for grassland butterflies.

❸ Why Ichinose is a treasure trove of butterflies

According to Masashi Fukumoto, a member of the Nature Conservation Committee of the Lepidopterological Society of Japan and a member of the Matsumoto Insect Society, who is knowledgeable about the ecology of butterflies in Nagano Prefecture, the habitats of grassland butterflies have been rapidly decreasing in recent years due to factors such as forestation caused by vegetation transition, damage to herbaceous plants by deer, and collecting pressure.

For grassland butterflies, the habitat of plants that serve as egg-laying grounds and food sources for their larvae holds the key to the survival of the species. Ichinose has not yet been affected by deer feeding, and sustained human care has prevented the grassland from becoming forested. This appears to be the reason why it exists as a habitat for a diverse range of grassland butterflies.

❹ The unknown value of Ichinose

In the past, cattle were pastured here, colorful flowers bloomed with each season, and looking up, you could see the gentle and gentle shape of Mount Norikura. Even now, when cattle are no longer pastured here, the idyllic scenery of Ichinose is still carefully maintained by local people, who carefully tend the grassland by cutting down young trees such as birch and mowing the grass.A primordial landscape that I want to cherish" This has ultimately fostered a habitat for grassland butterflies and contributed to the conservation of biodiversity. The local residents who have continued to care for Ichinose were largely unaware of its biological and ecological value.

Now that we have become aware of their value, we have once again positioned grassland butterflies as a symbol of the Ichinose environment, and as a region we want to preserve the "original landscape that we want to cherish."Grassland Ecology with a Diverse Range of ButterfliesIf only we could consciously add this and continue to protect it...

To achieve this, according to expert Fukumoto, detailed biological surveys, including of butterflies, and environmental assessments will be essential, as will raising awareness and cooperation among the general public. As a community, we have renewed our resolve to take the experts' advice seriously and put it into practice through concrete efforts (selecting the right method and timing of mowing to maintain the ecosystem, and raising awareness of ecosystem conservation both within and outside the region).

❺ The Future of Ichinose and Nature Positive (Regeneration of Nature)

If we broaden our perspective to the world, we can see that while the loss of biodiversity is accelerating, we need to stop this loss and put nature on a path to recovery, thereby reversing the trend.Nature PositiveThis idea has been raised at international conferences and is attracting attention.

However, in order to achieve nature-positive, it is said that conventional efforts to conserve the natural environment alone are not enough, and that a comprehensive approach involving collaboration across various fields is necessary.

Meanwhile, Masato Morikawa, director of the Chubu Sangaku National Park Management Office of the Ministry of the Environment, has been working on the "Relationship between people and natureIchinose's win-win approach, which ultimately contributes to the conservation of biodiversity through "nature positivity," will "become a new model for the whole country in spreading nature positivity." This study session left a lasting impression on the possibilities for the future.

For the locals, this has given us a new appreciation for the value of Ichinose, and has given us an opportunity to think about what the best way to maintain Ichinose in the future is. For those of you who are interested in Norikura Plateau, I think you will feel even more connected to Norikura's nature if you walk there in each season, looking at small creatures like butterflies, the environment they live in, and the future ahead. Visiting this place will lead to local vitality and will also lead to activities to protect Ichinose's grassland environment. I hope you will keep this in the back of your mind...

We believe that the actions of visitors and local residents will help create a positive future for Ichinose, where a diverse range of butterflies continues to dance, and as a local community, we would be thrilled if we could move forward together with everyone involved.