Koajiro Forest Conservation Activities

Koajiro Forest, which surrounds Riviera Sibonia Marina at the southernmost tip of the Miura Peninsula, is an extremely valuable place. At Riviera, we work with Kanagawa Prefecture, Miura City, Kanagawa Trust Green Foundation, NPO Koajiro Outdoor Activities Coordination Council, and others to preserve the rich natural environment and flora and fauna.
We spoke with Yuji Kishi, a leading figure in this initiative, representative director of an NPO and university professor emeritus.
``The Koajiro Forest,'' a single watershed consisting of continuous forests, wetlands, tidal flats, and the sea, has been left in its natural state, and its land area alone is approximately 70km wide. It is equivalent to 15 Tokyo Domes. There are no paved roads or houses in the approximately 1.3km stretch from the upstream to the tidal flats at the mouth of the river, making it the only ``watershed in a complete natural state'' in the Kanto region, making it a valuable national treasure.
In addition to the red crab, the symbol of the forest, there are over 2000 species of living organisms, including many endangered and rare species, forming a diverse ecosystem. We did not introduce new creatures into the forest. By creating a living environment centered on water and light, the creatures that originally lived there began to revive. By managing water and light, we can now grow plants and trees that are suited to the location, providing a place for a variety of living things to live. In 2011, the number of "wild fireflies" seen in Koajiro Forest was around 10, but as a result of continued conservation of rivers and wetlands, three years later there were 3, and now there are around 700. The person behind this effort understands how important manual protection is, ``constant maintenance work.'' This type of natural conservation method is possible because Koajiro is a place where the entire watershed is protected. That's it.
The Riviera Group not only continues to support our activities, but also collaborates with NPOs and regularly carries out conservation activities by its staff.
I hope that we can continue to walk together hand in hand.”

The red-clawed crab lives in the forest, which is rare among crabs. On the nights of the spring tides during the summer full moon and new moon, mother crabs flock to the shore and release their larvae into the sea (release). Red crabs can only live in lands where beautiful forests and the sea coexist. Koajiro's forests, tidal flats, and the entire ocean support the life of red crabs.

Riviera staff are also volunteering to guide people through the viewing experience in a safe manner. Why not take a stroll through the magical night forest where countless lights dance in the evening darkness?