Actions
We aim to pass down the rich mountains
where bears live to the next generation
The forests where bears reside hold outstanding amounts of fresh water and are extremely biodiverse.
We aim to conserve the few remaining natural forests in Japan’s remote mountains that are the source of our fresh water.
Specific Initiatives
Preventing deforestation and forest destruction
Currently, there is no effective brake on deforestation under the guise of promoting renewable energy (which is actually for investment purposes). To halt the logging and destruction of rich forests, we are raising our voices together with local residents and related organizations, appealing to government officials, legislators, and businesses
National Trust for the remote mountainous regions
The National Trust is an initiative where citizens pool their money to purchase and protect mountains rich in nature from development and other threats.
Research on the habitat of bears
We are conducting surveys across the country alongside experts to walk through bear habitats, ensuring there are safe dens for them to rest and abundant feeding grounds.
Examples of past initiatives
Preventing logging in artificially planted forests that have become needle-leaf broadleaf mixed forests
at Chikusa, Hyogo Prefecture
In Chigusa Town, which is a habitat for bears, the mountains are densely covered with artificial forests, primarily consisting of planted Cryptomeria and Hinoki trees, accounting for 83% of the forest area. In 1999, there was a plan to clear-cut 300 hectares of government-planted forest owned by the town. The bidding for logging was undertaken by a company from Okayama Prefecture.
This government-planted forest had been left with planted Cryptomeria seedlings in the clear-cut areas of natural forests, leading to a thriving needle-leaf broadleaf mixed forest where broadleaf trees had grown densely among the Cryptomeria trees, ensuring the habitat for bears.
While hectares were clear-cut, efforts to prevent logging bore fruit, and nearly all of the needle-leaf broadleaf mixed forest was successfully preserved. We are grateful for the wise decision made by Chigusa Town at that time.
National Trust for the Forests and
the fresh water it holds
at Odaicho, Mie Prefecture
The NHK documentary “Stories of Rain” begins with the narrator saying, “There is a mysterious spring at the foot of Mount Odai-ga-hara.” The owner of this mountain, renowned for its breathtaking beauty and the mystical spring, found themselves unable to sustain the land due to the downturn in forestry, leading them to decide to sell 460 hectares. Numerous buyers expressed interest in purchasing the land.
Among them, the former mayor of Odai Town at the time stated, “That place is where the first drop of water springs, the town’s water source. It must not be developed. We appealed to the national and prefectural governments, but there was no protective system in place. We asked Kumorin (the Japan Bear and Forest Association) to purchase it and ensure its perpetual conservation.”
Through a nationwide call for donations, they succeeded in purchasing the land a year later. Currently, it is under the conservation management of the Okuyama Hozen Trust, a public-interest corporation.
The Tochinoki Giant Tree Trust
in the headwaters of Lake Biwa,
Shiga Prefecture
Local residents, alarmed by the prospect of forest degradation due to extensive logging of giant trees, also rallied. Eventually, a legal battle ensued between the logging company and the community. As a result, it became necessary to repurchase 48 of the Zelkova giant trees that had already been sold to the company. Thanks to donations from many members, this repurchase was accomplished in October 2013.
In 2014, a similar plan for mass logging of giant trees by the same logging company was uncovered in Kinomoto, Nagahama City. Once again, legal action followed. In 2018, together with the Forest Culture Preservation Society of the Biwako Headwaters, the association raised donations and successfully protected all 40 giant trees from logging, safeguarding the forest heritage of the Lake Biwa headwaters.
Kumamori's Activities To Protect Water Sources, Forests And The Wildlife
We have organize many activities to protect the forest and coexist with all living things.
