Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract/Objectives

South Aso City (Japanese:みなみあそむら) is a village located in the southern part of the Caldera of Aso Volcano in the northeastern part of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to Aso County. The entire village of Minami Aso Village is located in Aso Kokonoe National Park. There is Tokai University located in the original neighboring village, but it has been temporarily relocated after the earthquake (Kumamoto Earthquakes). In the past, there were quite a lot of college students who were engaged in rural affairs. Therefore, the current aging problem and the lack of the student young population participating in local affairs in the village has turned seriously. Local industries and population need assistance and revival. In order to implement the sustainable development goals 11, 12, and 13. Professor Chao from the Department of Environmental and Cultural Resource, NTHU, led 7 students supported by 2019 Education and Dream-Building Plan of the Ministry of Education, participated in local industry development and education services, and provided assistance in local affairs from July 14 to Aug, 16, 2019. Among them, Target 11.a is "Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning" is the subject of the main service.

Results/Contributions （500 words）

South Aso Village is located next to the Aso Volcano in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is an area that was severely affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Many local construction and educational facilities have faced challenges. Before that, South Aso Village faces the same difficulties as Taiwan’s rural areas do. The agriculture and the tourism industry is dominated and challenged by the lack of young population. The results of this project include a rich report by the local media and the cooperation team; and a graduate-style presentation successfully interacted with more than 50 people of important locals. Finally, the topic of sustainable tourism before and after the disaster was published in a domestic seminar. The research results found that Minamiaso Village kept many photos and records after the earthquake (such as Aso Shrine, etc.), successfully converting the disaster into an incentive for sightseeing, giving tourists one more reason to know Minamiaso Village; in addition, thanks to the Kumamoto earthquake The occurrence of the occurrence of earthquake disasters by the local government and people will not only leave the structures and building bodies with the traces of the earthquake, but also include the inheritance, memory, experience, and scientific education of tangible and intangible objects.

Keywords

Sustainable TourismDisaster TourismPlacemaking