Japoński budowniczy tradycyjnych łodzi Sabani z Archipelagu Ryukyu

Coral reef in the Ryukyu Archipelago. Japan. The islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago are fringes with coral and a barrier reef, called the Sekisei Lagoon, bridges the gap between Ishigaki, Taketomi and Iriomote, Japan's largest coral reef. In 2006, locals launched the Sekisei Lagoon Nature Restoration Committee after several bleaching events to preserve the richly diverse, 300 square kilometer barrier reef and help the coral reefs to recover. The seas surrounding the Yaeyama Islands (Ishigaki, Taketomi and Iriomote) in the Ryukyu Archipelago are said to have most coral species - over 350 species. Their clean lines conceal how traditional Sabani boats were born out of necessity and nascent environmental concerns centuries ago. In the early 18th century, advisor to the King of Ryukyu, Sai On, crafted one of the most impactful forest-conservation plans still referenced today in Japan and the United States. Part of that plan forbade construction of ‘kuribune’ (dug-out) canoes, ubiquitous among fishermen, to protect trees of large girth in 1737. Confronted with the need to innovate, fishermen had to come up with a new kind of vessel - one that consumed less timber. //WHITLOWDELANOJAMES_sipa.30954/Credit:James Whitlow Delano/SIPA/2401101225