A Land of Volcanic Diversity

At first glance, it may seem like a peculiar and difficult life, but people local to the area tend to see the eruptions as a blessing in disguise. We travelled to the Kirishima Kinkowan National Park to better understand local thinking about the mountain. The national park is divided into two major areas: Kirishima, in the north, which has a range of more than twenty volcanoes of varying sizes, and Kinkowan Bay, in the south, famous for the submarine caldera caused by large eruptions.  

Baku Hamamoto of the NPO Kusunoki Native World, which promotes environmental education and ecotourism from Kinkowan Bay, in the south, explains that "a disaster for humans can be a boon for nature."
"For example, typhoons are threatening for us, but they are very important for the development of coral and for shallow waters such as tidal flats. They stir the sea water and prevent sand from accumulating and hardening. It naturally creates an environment that fosters marine life. "

“We would like to encourage people to understand the idea of a ‘geopark’ - a place where volcanic and other geological or weather conditions have created a perfect environment for flora and fauna to develop, and where human beings can live off these blessings. Many animals and plants grow on the rough terrain created by the magma. "

Hamamoto says that the idea of manipulating nature had become commonplace in Japan since the modern Meiji era. "The trend was accelerating, and the tidal flats of Kinkowan Bay have decreased by 70% in the postwar period of high economic growth. Japanese people used to live in harmony with nature. They were animists, finding gods in everything. I think that way of thinking is in keeping with our idea of a geopark."

The Kinkowan Bay area is in the southern part of Kirishima Kinkowan National Park. It is an entrancing landscape - a wide expanse of sea, with islands of various sizes peeking up through it. Beneath the surface, there is surprising depth - 237m at its maximum, even though we are still within a bay.

Hamamoto speaks fondly of this area as a "treasure box of diversity".
Let’s first consider the diversity. "The changes in topography caused by the eruption gave Kinkowan Bay a very complex and unusual shape. Some of the warm Kuroshio current flows into it, and this rare environment gives us tidal flats, algae fields, rocky shores, reef areas, deep seas corals. All in just one bay. You will see dolphins and sea turtles as well. Each creature gravitates towards its suitable environment, and there are environments for a surprisingly wide variety of creatures".

"This is also true for plants in Kagoshima Prefecture. Kagoshima is such a long prefecture that it has very different climates in the north and south, giving us a subtropical, temperate, as well as cold areas, that’s why you can find a lot of different type of plants. I think biodiversity means the abundance of wildlife connections. Instead of focusing on one element, we need to see the whole picture, how every plant and animal affects one another".

"There are many organizations in Kagoshima doing ecotourism, but we don't want it to end up as just a one-day novelty. I don't like to explain too much. I’d rather ask questions, like, “what could we do to encourage these birds to come back here again next year?” The goal is to let people think about what they can do. We also cooperate with the prefectural government to visit elementary and junior high schools or public halls to give students an opportunity to study the environment. "

As interests in environmental protection grows, it is normal for environmentalists to put together plans that are tailored to the nature of a given location. Hamamoto also considers the human interest at work; only by incorporating this can the long-term be ensured.

"There’s so much of interest here, but it’s quite often that the locals are not even aware of these charms. Tourists sometimes end up knowing more. I hope the national park will help to fill the gap."