The OKEON Churamori project is a terrestrial biodiversity monitoring effort run by the OIST. We have established 24 monitoring sites across Okinawa Island, from north to south, that record the nature of the island 24/7.

One of our long-term goals is to elucidate how our human activities affect the natural environment of Okinawa. By documenting nature over a long period of time, we can analyze data to get a better understanding of the ecosystem 20-30years from now, which can better inform targeted conservation measures.

The OKEON Churamori Project documents Okinawa’s diverse natural environment in a variety of ways, by conducting surveys, analysis and research together with the local community.

Through the data and insights gained from OKEON’s monitoring, we are also focusing our efforts on activities to convey the diversity of Okinawa's nature, particularly to younger generations.

Project Publications (Excerpt)

  1. Ross S.R.P-J, Friedman N.R, Dudley K.L, Yoshimura M, Yoshida T, Economo E.P, Armitage D.W, Donohue I. (2024). Divergent ecological responses to typhoon disturbance revealed via landscape-scale acoustic monitoring. Global Change Biology 30 (1), e17067. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17067
  2. M. Suwabe, M. Ogasawara, M. Yoshimura, K.L. Dudley, T. Kinjo, C. George and E.P. Economo (2024). OKEON: A Community-Collaborative Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Network in Okinawa, Japan. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 8 https://doi.org/10.3897/biss.8.138109
  3. Kass J.M., Yoshimura M., Ogasawara M., Suwabe M., Hita Garcia F., Fischer G., Dudley K.L., Donohue I. and Economo E.P. (2024). Breakdown in seasonal dynamics of subtropical ant communities with land-cover change. Proc. R. Soc. B.290: 20231185 http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1185
  4. V. Dinets, N. R. Friedman, M. Ogasawara, M. Yoshimura, E.P. Economo (2023). Impacts on Bats by a Supertyphoon vs. Ordinary Typhoons along a Habitat Urbanization Gradient. Research in Ecology :5(2)
  5. J. H. Lewis and H. Yositake (2022) New Records of Weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from Okinawajima Island, Southwestern Japan. Elytra, Tokyo, New Series 12 (2): 146–150
     
To sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss

Take Action:

Support our efforts
Join or Contact Us
Share on:
x icon facebook icon linkedin icon mail icon