Ecological Lessons from Japan

Ecological Lessons from Japan

By Dr Arvind Kumar

The people of Japan are now faced a prime example of the importance of biodiversity in nature — the arrival once again of the hay fever season. According to a recent editorial published in Japan Times, Japanese homes, which used charcoal for heating prior to the Second World War, switched to oil in the post-War period thereby leading to steep decline in demand for trees associated with charcoal production. Therefore, in the 1950s and 1960s it was national policy to plant forests of Japanese cedar trees (sugi) and Japanese cypress trees (hinoki), as they grew rapidly and produced hardwood for housing. With trade liberalization, however, cheaper hardwoods from Southeast Asia flooded in and the cedar and cypress forests were left to grow unchecked, emitting masses of pollen each spring. The editorial predicts an unusually large pollen crop in 2011 because of the record high temperatures in 2010. Air filters are popular for home use and special nonstick anti-pollen coats are also available.

According to the editorial, the ultimate countermeasure is of course to diversity Japan's woodlands. Efforts in this area appear to be proceeding slowly. Tokyo started a 10-year program in 2006 to cut down mature trees emitting large amounts of pollen and replace them with varieties of cedar producing much less pollen. It is hoped that allowing other trees to grow naturally in their place will reduce pollen and provide a natural habitat for more diverse plant and animal populations. However, probably it is a long term process to show results. We in India can learn lessons from Japan to prevent ecological mistakes in the future.