Shiga Formulates Japan’s First Prefectural SDGs: The MLGs Comprising Original Goals!

 Shiga Prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest and one of the world’s most ancient lakes.

 Lake Biwa has been connected to mountains, rivers, and the sea, and has always been integral to the activities of the inhabitants living in its environs.

 Given these aspects, Lake Biwa is called “Mother Lake” to recognize its support for people’s lives.

 Today, we proudly inform you that Shiga Prefecture and its citizens have formulated, through concerted efforts, the Mother Lake Goals (MLGs), which include 13 original goals to be achieved to realize a sustainable society from the perspective of the Mother Lake (Lake Biwa), as Japan’s first prefectural version of the SDGs.

 In other words, Shiga has become the first prefecture out of 47 to formulate a localized SDGs with its own goals.

The “MLGs” website is here

https://mlgs.shiga.jp

(Japanese text only)

 About 50 years ago, Japan was in an era of high economic growth. At that time, the population of Shiga and the number of factories in the prefecture were growing rapidly, as was the case in many other prefectures in Japan, resulting in deterioration of the Lake Biwa water quality. Residents of Shiga Prefecture were shocked, in particular, by a large-scale freshwater red tide that turned Lake Biwa reddish brown.

 In Shiga Prefecture, to address these environmental issues related to Lake Biwa, the four actors, namely, residents, administrative bodies, companies, and universities/research institutes, etc. have worked together, achieving both conservation of the water environment and economic development. As part of these efforts, Shiga Prefecture enacted a local ordinance on July 1, 1980, to protect the environment of Lake Biwa.

 The following year, Shiga Prefecture designated July 1 as Lake Biwa Day. On that day, activities such as prefecture-wide cleaning of Lake Biwa have been carried out over the years. In this way, prefectural residents have long been sharing the same affection for Lake Biwa with everyone, and making efforts to protect the environment.

 On July 1 this year, Lake Biwa Day celebrated its 40th anniversary.

 The SDGs are goals common to the international community, which the United Nations set up in a top-down manner, so to speak.

 On the other hand, the 13 goals of the MLGs were established in a bottom-up manner by conducting a campaign to widely collect citizens’ own promises with Lake Biwa via SNS and other means, and also holding workshops and discussions on many occasions.

 The establishment of 13 goals familiar to residents of Shiga Prefecture will encourage each resident to take concrete actions to protect Lake Biwa.

Goal 1

To ensure good river and lake water quality, prevent the abnormal occurrence of plankton, such as water bloom, and red tide, and maintain the clarity of water to be used as drinking water.

Goal 2

To increase the amount of native seafood resources, and increase the catch in a sustainable manner.

Goal 3

To expand initiatives to tackle the biodiversity crisis, and maintain the balance in biodiversity by ensuring that wildlife populations do not grow or decline too much.

Goal 4

To keep the rivers and lake clean and free of litter, appropriately maintain and monitor beaches, aquatic plants, etc., and protect a waterside landscape that is considered beautiful by all.

Goal 5

To promote the creation of forests that can serve as sustainable platforms for developing water sources, maintaining biodiversity, and producing timber, among other functions.

Goal 6

To maintain a healthy relationship between water and matter flowing from the forest to the lake and eventually to the sea, and increase the movement of wildlife between the lake and rivers, lagoons, rice fields, etc.

Goal 7

To expand initiatives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from households and businesses and thereby prevent abnormal phenomena, such as Lake Biwa’s incomplete turnover, from becoming worse.

Goal 8

To understand and predict the impacts of torrential rain, drought, global warming, and other phenomena and shift to a lifestyle that is more resilient to such events.

Goal 9

To encourage consumers to choose products and services developed from local natural resources, to create a positive cycle in the regional economy, and to protect the environment in a sustainable manner.

Goal 10

To provide people with the opportunity to engage in environmental learning at Lake Biwa and in its surrounding area—the place where they live—and to increase the number of people who actually put their interest into practice.

Goal 11

To increase participation in leisure activities, eco-tourism, and other forms of outdoor enjoyment, and cultivate a sense of attachment to Lake Biwa.

Goal 12

To pass down to future generations the concept of respecting water, skillful ways to utilize water in everyday life, and agricultural practices and food culture that have been created thanks to water.

Goal 13

To encourage people of different ages, genders,　and affiliations or with different experiences and values, as well as people living in different areas, to get together to discuss the current conditions and future of Lake Biwa, and to create a platform for such discussions.

 What can each of us do toward 2030 to create a sustainable society that will leave no one behind? When considering the SDGs, we sometimes feel that global environmental problems and worldwide economic disparities are such huge issues that it is difficult to grasp their reality.

 “The only way to achieve the unthinkable is to keep on making small achievements,” said Ichiro when he broke the major league record for the most hits in a season.

 In Shiga Prefecture, many people are working voluntarily for Lake Biwa. This, we believe, is a small but great step toward the realization of a sustainable world.

 The MLGs serve as a framework that helps people realize through Lake Biwa that, no matter how small their activities, their actions are connected to the large-scale SDGs. It can be said that efforts to achieve the MLGs empower ordinary, local activities.

 Many individuals, companies, and organizations have already approved the philosophy of the MLGs.

 These supporters have also begun taking concrete actions.

[Examples of actions toward the MLGs]

Collaboration between Seven-Eleven Nanaco Card and the MLGs

The Shiga MLGs Nanaco Card, a prepaid electronic money card with the MLGs logo printed on it, became available on July 26. Part of the amount paid with this card will be donated to environmental conservation activities carried out by Shiga Prefecture to protect Lake Biwa.

Holding an online workshop to think about actions toward the MLGs

At the workshop held on June 19, participants were divided into groups. Working adults also joined the discussions and refined students’ proposals. Some of the ideas presented at the workshop will be carried out as actual projects.

Operation of a news website by high school and university student writers

Shiga Prefecture has launched an MLGs-related news website called “MLGs WEB”. (The URL is written on the first page)

High school and university students will serve as writers, covering efforts related to the MLGs and uploading articles.

The aim of the MLGs WEB is not only to disseminate information on MLGs-related activities. In addition, we hope that the MLGs WEB will arouse the interest of younger generations in their local environmental issues.

Shiga Prefecture is located near the middle of Japan. Surrounded by mountains, the prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, which is located in the middle of the prefecture and accounts for about one-sixth of the total area.