NaGISA = 渚 (foreshore) • The symbol of mudflats, coral reefs, and sea grass beds • Coastal zones in Japan are threat caused by development. Zostera • Some eelgrass species is endangered, but data deficient & still threat by development 2002/6/21 DIWPA OBIS 1 DIVERSITAS & IBOY • DIVERSITAS = a program to promote and facilitate the international research activities on the analyses of biodiversity under the support of UNESCO, SCOPE, IUBS etc. • IBOY= an International Biodiversity Observation Year (2001) by DIVERSITAS • Using the same sampling protocols, NaGISA: Coastal scuba transects to 10m depth 2002/6/21 2 DIWPA (DIVERSITAS Western Pacific and Asia) • An international project to understand the latitudinal gradient of marine and terrestrial biodiversity • IBOY 2001= the launch of a three-year biodiversity assessment program by DIWPA. • The outcome of DIWPA should be essential for the construction of OBIS (The CoML Ocean Biogeographic Information System). 2002/6/21 Shirayama Symposium IB03 3 Why be Western Pacific & Asia? Marine from the Bering Sea to the New Zealand without any discontinuity, Humid climate spans from Siberia to New Zealand, supporting unusually high biodiversity and productivity. The area is also experiencing rapid economic expansion and ecosystem change. Ca.100 research sites in forest, coastal and freshwater ecosystems across more than 20 countries and areas 2002/6/21 4 NaGISA as a Field projects Natural Geography in Shore Areas 2002/6/21 5 Concentration Distribution of PCB Data from Miyazaki, ORI, U. Tokyo 2002/6/21 Air Sea Surface Water 6 Are Coastal Zones Stable Nursery for Pelagic Fishes? • Watanabe Y’s project: latitudinal gradient in life history pattern in Clupeiodae • Herring = mature at 2-3 yrs, iteroparity – Huge fluctuation in recruitment – Spawning area = sea grass beds • Anchovy = mature at 1 yr, short longevity • Some clupeiod matures at 1 yr, spawns in coastal zone and stable 2002/6/21 7 Thank you! 2002/6/21 8