Fukui Nature Conservation Center / 福井県自然保護センター
Monday, January 26, 2015
Fukui Nature Conservation Center 福井県自然保護センター
Part 13 of the series: Satoyama Concept in Fukui
The Fukui Nature Conservation Center is located in the mountains of Okeutsukogen Prefectural Natural Park, just outside the city of Ōno. The exhibitions educate about the flora and fauna of Fukui Prefecture with interactive exhibits, models, and activities.
There is an impressive model of a traditional satoyama landscape that demonstrates how the countryside looked before the industrialisation of farming methods. The cross-section of the wetland area nestled between mountain ranges shows how fish and other aquatic life were able to pass easily into the rice paddies, providing nourishment for the storks. This gave us a deeper understanding of the kinds of landscapes the Kōnotori “Call Back the Storks” Farming project hopes to restore with their fish ladders in order to facilitate the return of the Oriental White Stork to the region.
My kids were particularly interested in the live animals that they could observe and sometimes interact with. The center has aquariums with turtles and other local aquatic animals. The kids were allowed to take the stag beetle from its cage and handle it. The center offers many activities for children and grown-ups (JP only) including bird watching, nature walks, nature lectures, and more. One special feature of the nature centre that we were not able to experience because we were there during daytime hours was its impressive observatory. More information and photographs can be found on the International Planetarium List.
Contact information:
169-11-2 Minamirokuroshi, Ono, Fukui Prefecture
〒912-0131 大野市南六呂師169-11-2
Tel : 0779-67-1655
e-mail : sizen@fncc.jp
2015 Cathy Munroe Hotes
