Abstract

This book follows Shigeatsu on his journey as he discovers the importance of forests to the health of the sea. With this understanding begins his forest restoration and educational outreach work that eventually lead to successfully impr oving the sea environment.
Shigeatsu ’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning comes through in the insights and anecdotes he shares along the way.

An illuminating example of how we are dependent on nature and how we can come together to protect and restore local environments and create community at the same time.

Author’s Information

A second generation oyster farmer from Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Shigeatsu began to investigate the red tide phenomenon plaguing local seas in the 1960s. He discovered that contaminated water from farming and other human activity was flowing into the river and that the forests had been devastated. He gathered his fellow fishermen and held a tree-planting event in the mountains overlooking Kesennuma bay. This was the start of the work for which he has gained notoriety.
Shigeatsu’s work also includes educational outreach to primary and middle school children. Over 5000 children have come from all over Japan to learn about oysters and the sea. His work appears in many primary and middle school textbooks and was featured in the popular Asahi Shimbun column Tensei Jingo. He has made multiple television appearances on NHK, TBS, and NTV.
His work has also received acclaim overseas: at the time of the great East Japan earthquake his NPO received support from a number of overseas organizations including the Louis Vuitton Foundation.