On September 6, 2023, a delegation from the Ishigaki Nature Conservation Office (International Coral Reef Research and Monitoring Center) of the Ministry of the Environment led by Mr. Yamamoto, Senior Nature Conservation Officer and Specialist for the Conservation of Remote Islands and Rare Species, visited the JIRCAS Tropical Agriculture Research Front (Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture) to inspect the research project being conducted by TARF on the development and evaluation of environmental conservation technologies for tropical islands. The delegation had a meeting with TARF Director, Dr. OMAE Hide, and Dr. ANZAI Toshihiko, Project Leader of the JIRCAS project titled "Yama-Sato-Umi agroecosystem connectivity".
 
In accordance with the Law for the Promotion of Nature Restoration, the Ministry of the Environment has been monitoring the coral reef ecosystem of Sekisei Lagoon through the Sekisei Lagoon Nature Restoration Council. In order to preserve coral reefs, it is important to reduce environmental pollution such as sediment and nutrients from land areas, and this time the participants visited TARF to learn about its research activities in the "Yama-Sato-Umi agroecosystem connectivity" project. The technologies developed by TARF not only enhance agricultural productivity, but also play an important role in environmental protection. This dual-purpose approach attracted great interest from the visiting delegation.
 
Mr. Yamamoto revealed that Ishigaki City has taken a proactive step by establishing a Coral Conservation Agency Collaboration Team within the City Hall. This organizational structure aimed to reduce the environmental impact and promote the sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems by adopting a cross-agency approach. It was emphasized that the city will implement more comprehensive measures to reduce the impact of land-based activities, as detailed in a reference article in the Yaeyama Mainichi Shimbun on August 16, 2023 (https://www.y-mainichi.co.jp/news/39759). TARF reaffirmed its commitment to continue its research efforts with the goal of contributing to broader activities and initiatives related to environmental conservation and sustainable coral reef management.