Updated by "Forest Circular Economy" Editorial Board on October 01, 2025, 11:04 AM JST
Editorial Board, Forest Circular Economy
Forestcircularity-editor
We aim to realize "Vision 2050: Japan Shines, Forest Circular Economy" promoted by the Platinum Forest Industry Initiative. We will disseminate ideas and initiatives to promote biomass chemistry, realize woody and lumbery communities, and encourage innovation in the forestry industry in order to fully utilize forest resources to decarbonize the economy, strengthen economic security, and create local communities.
Yurai-cho, Saeki Ward, Hiroshima City, has launched a full-scale project in the summer of 2025 to allocate a portion of the participation fees for "shower climbing," an activity that involves climbing a stream, to forest conservation and river cleanup activities. As a "new mechanism that balances tourism and conservation," the NPO is taking on the challenge of sustainable experiential tourism in which profits from the experience program are returned to the natural capital.
In the "Shower Climbing x Forest Restoration Project," participants experience activities in a rich natural environment, and a portion of the participation fee is returned to forest maintenance, tree planting, and river cleanup activities. Those who wish can also participate in a "reforestation workshop" where they will plant trees and thin out the forest with local residents after the experience. This series of initiatives is also directly related to the achievement of SDGs Goal 13 "Take concrete measures against climate change" and Goal 15 "Protect the richness of the land.
Behind this project is a sense of crisis that the value of the clear water itself, the town's main tourist resource, could be lost. Once prosperous in the forestry industry, the town of Yurai has been suffering from a serious shortage of forestry workers in recent years. The forests that have become inadequately cared for have fallen into disrepair, and the quality and quantity of the water in the connecting rivers have deteriorated.
In order to solve the problem, the corporation has introduced a system in which "playing leads to protecting the forest. In addition to the circulation of the local economy through sustainable tourism, it also aims to create a new form of regional development that will lead to the promotion of immigration and settlement. This attempt to link forests and economic circulation is attracting attention as a model case of regional development with natural capital at its core.
Reference Links
Okuyugi Shower Climbing x Forest Restoration Project
