Incorporating Biocultural Values in Biodiversity Conservation Policies: A Case Study of the Regional Strategy for Biodiversity in Okinawa

The article discusses the importance of linking policy and local culture to achieve the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Brazil in June 1992, with the aim of addressing biological diversity in cooperation with the global community. This Convention not only stipulates the conservation of biological diversity but also the sustainability of cultures and societies in human activities, including the protection of traditional cultures with respect to resource use and the equitable sharing of benefits. The interaction between region-specific biodiversity and cultural diversity was subsequently clarified using a biocultural approach by Mafii et al. In recent years, the concept of biocultural diversity has gained increasing attention in ecosystem conservation as it relates to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and the fulfillment of human potential. This study focuses on the regional biodiversity strategy of Okinawa Prefecture, a World Natural Heritage-listed biodiversity treasure, and reveals the process by which local biocultural values rooted in regional uniqueness were adopted as indicator items to evaluate biodiversity strategies in response to global policy imperatives. The paper examines how biocultural values and policy imperatives interact to define environmental policy at the prefectural level, which lies "between" the two. The wisdom and creativity of biocultural diversity is not only a treasure inherited from the past but also a compass for living with nature toward the future. To create an island society based on sustainable and enriched interactions between humanity and nature, it is urgent to deepen specific research in the Ryukyu Arc as a comparative study through exchanges with biocultural diversity researchers and local communities in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.