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Among the three centres for bekko industry, the industry in Osaka is almost extinct. Some of the companies went bankrupt and some committed suicide. Under the Law for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, all business entities dealing with bekko raw materials are the current number of businesses (individuals/companies) which belong to JBA is 109 in 1998 with the number of workers being 628. Before the ban was imposed, the number of workers was 1,262. Out of 109 businesses currently operating, 80 % are those with less than five workers. This means that most of the businesses are a family-owned type of businesses. The bekko industry used to import 20 to 30 tonnes per year. Since the ban, the industry has tried to reform its size and structure. It is our feeling that the industry may be sustained with an annual supply of 4 tonnes. However, it would be very difficult to downsize the industry further. It takes more than 10 years to become a skilled artisan. They are so specialized in crafting bekko. In Nagasaki particularly, many handicapped people are working in crafting bekko products. It would be difficult for them to change their jobs. How Can the Industry Contribute to Conservation? The main activities of JBA include (a) funding projects within Japan and abroad and (b) hosting/ funding international workshops on marine turtles. Many of the invitees to the workshops were the members of IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) and were provided with excellent opportunities to exchange their views on marine turtle conservation issues. JBA has also provided funding to the projects executed by MTSG members. Those beneficiaries include amongst others Colin Limpus, Rene Marques and Carlos Diez. However, these activities may need to be reduced in terms of the scope and amount of funding unless the import of bekko is permitted.
As already mentioned, a supply of 4 tonnes is a minimum volume to sustain our traditional industry. The volume of 4 tonnes represents about 3,300 animals. We are not sure how 4 tonnes of bekko can be acquired. Even if the Cuban proposal is accepted by the Conference of the Parties, we are still in need of 2,800 animals. These could be obtained through downlisting other populations and developing farming or ranching operations in Japan or elsewhere outside Japan. It may be difficult to establish an operation in Japan because Japan is located in the marginal tip of the distribution area and may not be suitable for such a project. Assuming that 4 tonnes are imported to Japan, the industry wishes to set aside some portion of the proceeds as a conservation fund. If one kilo of bekko fetches US$ 400 and the industry allocate 10 %, this represents US$ 160,000. This amount may be used for the projects which is managed by JBA and other projects which may be developed by marine turtle scientists. If the funding goes 50 % to JBA projects and 50 % to other projects, marine turtle scientists will be able to get US$ 80,000. What we are considering is that the sum of US$ 80,000 should be used for small projects, up to US$ 10,000 each. |
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