What has the Designation as a World Heritage Site Brought to Yakushima Island?

Abstract

In 1993, a part of the mountainous region in Yakushima Island was designated as Japan's first world natural heritage site. This designation prompted tourists to visit Yakushima Island; consequently, the number of tourists who visited Yakushima Island increased from 150,000 in 1997 and to 200,000 in 2002. After this designation was implemented, the public authorities constructed boardwalks and toilets in the mountainous region in order to mitigate overuse issues. Authorities such as town offices also constructed public parks and toilets in the lowland region. The cost of maintaining the entire island increased from 21 million yen in 1992 to 138 million yen in 2002. Despite such efforts undertaken by the public authorities, the environmental conditions of Yakushima Island are now worse than they were before Yakushima's designation as a world heritage site. A top-down approach, which was highly inclined towards public works, did not serve to resolve the issue of the overuse of the mountainous region in Yakushima. In order to improve this situation, it is necessary for the public authorities to further involve local opinion in the planning of the management system. Furthermore, the establishment of a more comprehensive action plan for the entire Yakushima Island should be useful.