To promote the stewardship of the crested ibis’ habitat, we provide certification to rice farmers implementing ecofriendly agricultural practices (reduction of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides) and are creating initiatives to cultivate habitats for the ibis’ prey in rice fields as this is the ibis’s primary foraging grounds.This includes ensuring these foraging grounds are accessible even in the winter.
The name of the “Future of Noto: Rice and Ibis” Certification System embodies three aspirations:Revitalization of Noto’s Satoyama Satoumi landscapes, spurred by the reintroduction of the crested ibis to the areaHarmonious coexistence with the crested ibis, where people and nature live in balanceStrong recovery from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
This mark identifies rice produced using certified rice farming practices as explained below.There are two versions of the mark, depending on the specific farming methods employed.Only rice grown using farming practices that protect the habitat of the crested ibis is eligible to display this mark.Please help us to support our farmers dedicated to the reintroduction of the crested ibis.
I love soaring through Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi landscape, with the sunlight shimmering on my rainbow-colored feathers.I connect people with nature, bringing happiness to Noto as a symbol of recovery and sharing its what’s great about Noto with everyone.
・Produce rice while reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and
synthetic pesticides compared to conventional rice farming
practices
・Work to create foraging grounds for the crested ibis
Certification is based on the following two criteria:
| Mark color | Chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides | Construction of inlets | Construction of canals for fish | Construction of flooded rice paddies | Flooding of rice fields in winter | No use of herbicides | Wildlife surveys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Over 50% reduction | Select one of the above | Required | Required | Carried out at least once per year | ||
|
Over 30% reduction | Select one of the above | ― | ||||
| Mark color |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides | Over 50% reduction | Over 30% reduction |
| Construction of inlets | Select one of the above | Select one of the above |
| Construction of canals for fish | ||
| Construction of flooded rice paddies | ||
| Flooding of rice fields in winter | Required | |
| No use of herbicides | Required | |
| Wildlife surveys | Carried out at least once per year | ― |
Creation of wetland-like depressions in rice paddies to serve as habitats for aquatic wildlife that serve as prey for the ibis
Creation of channels through rice fields so that fish and small aquatic wildlife can move freely
Facilitation of rich ecosystems by keeping fallow fields and similar areas flooded year-round (biotope)
Rice fields are kept flooded during the winter ensuring the ibis can forage for food
Weeds are managed without the use of herbicides
Survey of wildlife at the project site to assess the populations of wildlife that serve as prey to the ibis
These ensure a minimal burden on the environment,
and a sustainable path for the reintroduction of the crested
ibis.
The crested ibis has a wide variety of prey, including frogs, loaches, earthworms, and grasshoppers found in rice fields.In 2022, to ensure favorable conditions for the reintroduction of the crested ibis, Ishikawa Prefecture designated “model areas”, one in each of the four cities and five towns in the Noto region in 2022.In these model areas, local farmers are reducing their use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides to create hospitable feeding grounds for the ibis.This initiative draw inspiration from similar initiatives on Sado Island.One of these model areas is Hakui City’s Minamikata district which will be the first reintroduction site on Honshū.
1.Decrease usage of chemical fertilizers and synthetic
chemical pesticides by over half
2.Construction of inlets, canals for fish, and flooded rice
paddies
3.Flooding of rice fields in winter
4.No use of herbicid
5.Wildlife surveys
Ishikawa Prefecture has a long-standing connection to the crested ibis;in Noto, they could be seen soaring through the skies until the early Showa period.The crested ibises that inhabited Noto built their nests in Oku-Noto during the breeding season and, come summer, migrated to Mt. Bijō near Hakui City in search of prey.However, the population declined due to factors such as the neglect of rural woodlands.In 1970, following a government directive, nori, the last Japanese crested ibis on Honshu, was captured in Anamizu Town and transported to Sado Island, marking the extinction of the species on Honshū.In 1981, the last five remaining ibises in Japan were captured on Sado Island, and the wild Japanese crested ibis disappeared from the country.In 1999, the crested ibises brought from China were successfully bred in captivity.In 2008, 10 ibises were released into the wild on Sado Island for the first time, returning a long-missed animal to the ecosystem.In 2010, a pair of crested ibises from the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center were transported to Ishikawa Zoo.In 2026 it was decided they would be reintroduced to Hakui City, and become a symbol for the creative recovery from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
I hope you get to see lots of us flying the skies of Noto again!
