Tropical islands are increasingly affected by severe climatic events such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, droughts, and storm surges. Deforestation and inappropriate land and water use have also accelerated soil erosion and water degradation, undermining agricultural productivity and local livelihoods. Because upland and coastal ecosystems are closely connected, environmental degradation and disaster vulnerability must be addressed in an integrated manner. Although JIRCAS has developed technologies related to forest restoration, resource-circulating agriculture, and coastal ecosystem conservation, their combined effectiveness at the watershed and island scales under climate change has not been sufficiently evaluated.

The project develops and integrates technologies that simultaneously reduce environmental impacts, improve agricultural productivity, and support the restoration and conservation of natural resources in tropical islands. It also evaluates their effectiveness from field to watershed and island scales using improved and integrated crop growth and material-flow models, including assessments of performance under climate change.

• Development of sustainable island ecosystem management through forest restoration and conservation
• Development of environmentally harmonized food production systems integrating agriculture and engineering
• Development of resource-circulating, low-impact sugarcane production technologies
• Integrated modeling for environmental impact reduction and resilience enhancement in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries on tropical islands

The Philippines, Indonesia, etc.

ANZAI Toshihiko (Rural Development Division)