When we notice the end of silence: The silent collapse of the country where the ibis disappeared -2002, Japan

When we notice the end of silence: The silent collapse of the country where the ibis disappeared -2002, Japan

Japan, 2002. The traces of Japan's rapid economic growth remained in every corner of the city, and the society was still in the process of recovery after the collapse of the bubble economy. Amidst such a situation, alarm bells were ringing against the "gradual collapse of nature. The collapse of the ecosystem was not coming in like a flood, but was proceeding quietly enough to go unnoticed, like raindrops piercing rocks.

Symbolic of this is the extinction of the crested ibis (Ibis nipponica). Once visible in rice paddies and wetlands all over Japan, the crested ibis has disappeared with only a few remaining individuals on Sado Island. The reclamation of wetlands, the use of pesticides, and the decrease in their food supply - none of these were drastic destructions. However, because of this, many people either did not notice the changes or accepted them as "normal.

Much of the destruction of nature is occurring outside the sight of those of us who live in cities. In 2002, the Law for the Promotion of Nature Restoration was enacted, and the words "conservation" and "restoration" were incorporated into the policy, but at the same time, people's sensitivity to nature has steadily waned. sensitivity to the situation was steadily waning.

Destruction does not necessarily come with shouts and explosions. Rather, it is the "unnoticed collapse" that is the most frightening. A society in which no one is alerted to the silent death of nature. It is a landscape where silence reigns.

But if we feel pain at the fact that the ibis have disappeared, then there is hope. For the end of silence begins with awareness.