This article reports on marine environmental conservation activities led by children on a remote island. This article introduces 23 years of continuous eelgrass restoration activities on Sakushima by Yukiko Mitsuya, Deputy Section Chief of Sakushima Promotion Section, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. Sakushima is the largest among three inhabited islands in Aichi Prefecture, with a total coastline of about 11km and human habitation since the Jomon period, but population has decreased from 1,600 to the current 170 due to diversification of tourism needs and stagnation of development plans, making depopulation and aging serious problems.
Island revitalization through contemporary art began in 1996, and simultaneously the "Association for Creating a Beautiful Island" composed of islanders was established. Through art projects, islanders rediscovered the value of landscapes such as black wall settlements and narcissus, focusing efforts on marine and rural environmental conservation and landscape preservation. These activities include black wall settlement preservation, satoyama maintenance, coastal debris collection, and eelgrass bed restoration activities, implemented with cooperation from people outside the island.
Educationally, the "Shiokaze Tsugaku" system was introduced in 2003 to address declining student numbers due to depopulation, accepting commuters from the mainland. From April 2019, "Sakushima Shiosai School," Aichi Prefecture's first compulsory education school, opened with currently 21 total students, 5 residing on the island and over half being mainland commuters called "Shiokaze-san."
Eelgrass restoration activities began in 2002 with one student's desire to "become fishers who can protect our own sea." As students explored causes of fish decline, they focused on eelgrass, and testimony from fishers that "the area used to be covered with eelgrass" led to the conclusion that eelgrass proliferation was necessary to enrich the sea. In the early activity period, they worked on seed cultivation with guidance from Aichi Prefecture Fisheries Research Institute, establishing the highly successful "hemp bag method" in the third year. This method involves mixing eelgrass seeds with sand in hemp bags sewn with sewing machines and sinking them offshore where waves and sand movement are minimal.
They also use concurrent transplantation of eelgrass roots from vigorous growth areas, succeeding in expanding new breeding sites. Through these activities, students understand that not only marine environmental conservation but also mountain environmental conservation is necessary for maintaining biodiversity, expanding their activity scope. Year-round learning using eelgrass as teaching material deepens attachment to the island's nature and understanding of their activities' social value, leading to improved student motivation.
Students planning to graduate state, "Sakushima is my hometown. Through these activities, I want more people to know the island's goodness and hope the island remains the same hometown as always." The article concludes that the 23-year continuous eelgrass conservation activities have created simultaneous marine conservation, restoration, and learning opportunities as a source of pride, with determination to continue this effort as an important pillar of remote island development facing population decline.