The Beach as a Local Commons: Ownership Change of Owner Unknown Land by an Authorized Community Association

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the rationale behind a local community's decision to spend a large amount of public money in order to transfer the land ownership of a beach, which was not being used efficiently, to a community association.

The case study in question involves a raised coral reef island in the Yaeyama archipelago of Okinawa. The beach, which is composed of coastal forest, sandy beach, and reef lagoon, has, in the past, provided substantial resources in the form of a local commons for public use. However, after 1955, the traditional usage of the beach fell into decline. As a result, the commons itself eventually became “an owner unknown” stretch of land.

This paper attempts to elucidate the significance of changing the ownership of commons, which have a lower usufruct, from the perspective of resource utilization. The paper also highlights the significance of local people working together to guarantee their community's “sustainable life”, keeping their lives and environment safe from harmful changes, which is an important concern when conducting local commons research projects.