9,542 people have signed a petition to protect coral reefs on Ishigaki Island

February 21, 2018 - Change.org

Five reasons why this resort should not be built in Shiraho

1. The largest colony of blue corals in the northern hemisphere is at stake!
The construction site lies directly before an ocean rich in marine wildlife, not to mention the world-famous coral reef. Discharge from the hotel’s wastewater treatment system would not even be at 1/100 of the water quality that healthy corals are known to survive in.

2. Nesting grounds of endangered sea turtles!
Each year, endangered sea turtles have been laying their eggs on the shores of Shiraho. Sea turtles are extremely sensitive and would suffer from this development.

3. Excessive tourism
Shiraho is a traditional community that has retained its historic townscape and rustic lifestyle. Over years, we have maintained a careful balance between tourism and our daily livelihoods. Excessive tourism may likely irreversibly tip this deliberate balance. 

4. Can they really take responsibility? Can we trust them? 
Can we trust developers who press their plans without the consent of local residents? If they eventually sell the hotel, there is no assurance that any environmental provision or promises to the residents will be kept. The same developers built a solar panel farm in an adjacent land in 2014, and sold it in 2017. They can move on, but we are stuck with whatever damage they do to our land, ocean and community. 

5. Our 57 cultural heritages
The history, culture, and natural environment of the village have been protected by the community as the 57 ‘Shiraho Community Council-Designated Cultural Heritages’. The construction site is also a part of these assets that have been protected and inherited across generations.

Application for the development is currently under review by Okinawa prefecture.
The many flaws in the developer’s environmental preservation measures, despite initial claims that they would promote environmental conservation, confirm our concerns and we stand firm in our stance against this development.
We wish to protect the rich environment of Shiraho for future generations. 
Please support us in our appeal for Okinawa prefecture to deny permission for development, and for the developers to repeal their development application and cancel their construction plans.