Category: Information

From October 30th to November 2nd, 2024, Tetsu Sato and Phillip Kapulula
From October 30th to November 4th, 2024, Rupprecht Christoph and Talandila Kasapila
We had a meeting with key stakeholders for Talandila Kasapila’s master’s thesis. We conducted a joint research project with Phillip Kapulula on tourism resource management. Through dialogue with many stakeholders on the transformation of the relationship between people and nature in Yakushima and through site visits, we were able to accumulate knowledge on the relationship between the World Heritage Site and people’s lives. In particular, we gained new knowledge on the synergy between tourism resource management and other natural resources.

From October 12th to 25th, 2024, Masato Nikaido and Mitsuto Aibara visited Malawi. Conducted environmental DNA experiments with local researchers and technicians at the DNA lab at Chancellor College, University of Malawi. Successfully transferred technology to local researchers and technicians by jointly carrying out almost all steps of environmental DNA analysis and sharing manuals. Shared knowledge about fish species that are likely to be included in environmental DNA by visiting Chirundu in Chembe village and conducting a fish layer survey.

From October 11th to 28th, 2024, Tetsu Sato visited Malawi.
Held the 4th JCC and technical meetings, signed MOU renewal, established DNA lab, conducted joint research with Sustainable Cape Maclear and Cape Maclear Tourguide associations, and held meetings regarding community-based conservation area management.　

From October 1st to November 15th, Oscar Mwenyedawo from the Department of Fisheries was accepted as a short-term foreign researcher at the University of Tokyo.
He visited Kumejima and Ishigakijima in Okinawa Prefecture, Hinase in Okayama Prefecture, and Kochi Prefecture. He summarized his experience in resource management along the shores of Lake Malawi. At the same time, he investigated the approach of Japanese fisheries cooperatives and developed a community-based resource management approach that can be applied in Malawi. In addition, he examined the form of governance that supports community-based resource management and proliferation from both the perspective of policy and on-site support for communities.

From September 22nd to November 15th, Phillip Kapulula from the University of Malawi was accepted as a short-term foreign researcher at the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
He visited Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture and Saku City in Nagano Prefecture. In order to contribute to the realization of landscape monitoring using UAVs, which is one of the core elements of the integrated natural resource management system in Malawi, we gained knowledge about automatic waste identification technology using UAV images, which is essential for managing village landscapes as a tourism resource. In addition, in order to help promote community-based tourism in Malawi, we acquired knowledge and techniques about tourism that utilize livelihoods such as agriculture and fisheries based on a survey of advanced examples of community-based tourism, especially agritourism.

From September 2nd to October 23rd, Happy Mussa, Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho:MEXT) Scholarship Student from Kagoshima University, conducted research in Malawi.
He is conducting comparative research that combines participatory research on advanced cases in Japan with fieldwork on Lake Malawi. Based on the information he has obtained, he returned to Malawi once and conducted research for about two months. He conducted on-site research necessary to promote specific efforts to build a value-added distribution system and the sustainable and effective use of fishery resources through it, research on advanced cases, and research on fishery sociology and economics that are directly linked to fishery resource management and sustainable development in developing countries. He gathered a lot of information that will be useful in his future research.