NATURE TALK — What We Can Do to Protect Wildlife Around the World

The poaching and extinction of wild animals may seem like issues happening in faraway countries, but they are actually connected to our own lives.

Even if we think we understand the value of nature, if we do not grasp the realities facing wild animals, we may unknowingly be contributing to harming them.

NATURE TALK is a newspaper about wildlife conservation, independently produced by middle school student Meiko Oki.

It clearly explains the background to topics that may seem unrelated to Japanese people, such as wildlife poaching in Africa and the extinction of tigers.

Furthermore, Oki has created the newspaper focusing not only on the background to issues affecting wild animals, but also on what we can do.

Here are the voices of wild animals that Oki has featured in her newspaper to help protect animals around the world.

What is NATURE TALK?

NATURE TALK is a newspaper about wildlife conservation, published irregularly by Meiko Oki, a middle school student living in Kurashiki City.

Here, we introduce the information Oki, who loves animals and insects, shares in her newspaper.

Overview of NATURE TALK

NATURE TALK covers topics such as wildlife poaching and extinction caused by climate change, sharing what Oki has researched through lectures, books, and the internet.

Issues related to wild animals are often thought to have nothing to do with the everyday lives of Japanese people, but it seems that we too sometimes contribute to these problems without realizing it.

Oki continues to produce NATURE TALK because she wants to share actions that we can take.

What NATURE TALK covers

The first issue was published in July 2021, and four issues had been published as of January 2023.

Here are some of the topics covered in NATURE TALK.

The newspaper carefully explains the realities and causes of issues involving wild animals, as well as actions we can take.

Where can you read NATURE TALK?

NATURE TALK is distributed at zoos and museums across Japan.

Here are some of the facilities that carry NATURE TALK.

It is also available at schools, bookstores, hospitals, accommodation facilities, roadside stations, and other locations throughout Japan.

If you would like to read it online, check the link to NATURE TALK on the information-sharing site note.

NATURE TALK brings together important issues that we may not be aware of.

You are sure to learn a lot about wildlife conservation.

Atelier NATURE TALK

Atelier NATURE TALK is a fundraising initiative that Oki runs to support wildlife conservation.

Postcards and tote bags created by Oki are sold on the Atelier NATURE TALK website.

The proceeds to date have been donated to organizations working to protect wild animals around the world.

Here are the organizations that have received donations from Atelier NATURE TALK.

Interview with NATURE TALK publisher Meiko Oki

We spoke with Meiko Oki, who publishes NATURE TALK, about her approach to producing the newspaper and the thoughts behind it.

Here, we introduce the ideas that inspire Oki as she creates NATURE TALK.

How NATURE TALK came to be

What inspired you to start NATURE TALK?

Oki (surname only)

I took part in an online event featuring Yuka Ota, who works to protect wildlife in Africa.

The event was hosted by Tiger Mov, which provides internship opportunities in emerging countries, and included a talk about the poaching problem in South Africa.

One of the topics discussed was elephant poaching.

I learned that ivory is also bought and sold in Japan, and that poaching in Africa is an issue that affects Japanese people too.

I decided to create a newspaper as something I could do to help more people learn about poaching.

Why did you choose to make a newspaper?

Oki

With websites and social media (social networking services), only people who are already interested will visit.

I thought that if libraries and museums carried NATURE TALK, people who noticed it could pick it up, giving them a chance to become interested.

Also, distributing it at school means that middle school students around my age, as well as younger elementary school students, can read it.

How do you do your research?

Oki

I go to the library to research in books and look things up on the internet.

Sometimes I summarize what I learn by attending lectures, and sometimes I ask people like Yuka Ota, who works on the ground in Africa, questions.

I ask questions by email, and when they have time, I sometimes talk with them directly online.

How do you decide where to distribute it?

Oki

Sometimes I ask places to carry NATURE TALK.

For example, when I took part in a nature experience event in Hokkaido, I went all the way to Shiretoko and asked facilities associated with Shiretoko’s World Heritage Site to carry NATURE TALK.

Sometimes people who have read NATURE TALK also ask if they can carry it.

Places carrying NATURE TALK have expanded beyond Okayama Prefecture to locations across Japan.

The thoughts behind NATURE TALK

What can we do?

Oki

Even when it comes to exotic pets, I think it is fine if they are kept at facilities that have established an environment, like a zoo, where the animals can live without stress.

It can be a valuable opportunity to learn about the diversity and behavior of animals that we do not usually get to see.

However, I think it is better not to visit facilities where the animals do not seem to be properly cared for or it is unclear how the animals were obtained.

We must also remember that the decline in tigers, an endangered species, is affected not only by poaching in their native habitats but also by our way of life.

In forests that are tiger habitats, forests are being converted into farmland to secure food, trees are being cut down to obtain timber, and forest fires are occurring due to drought caused by climate change.

It may seem like something happening in a faraway country, but the reality is that tiger habitats are being lost to support the convenient lives we lead here in Japan.

Reducing consumption in our society also helps protect wildlife.

What would you like people to know?

Oki

I think many people feel that wildlife conservation has nothing to do with our lives, but that is not true.

We sometimes have an impact, and there are things we can do.

In NATURE TALK, I have written not only about the background to these issues, but also about how we can contribute.

I hope you will pick up NATURE TALK and learn what we can do.

After Reading NATURE TALK

What came to the writer’s mind about the animals living in Africa were images shown in television programs about wildlife.

The sight of large mammals such as elephants, rhinos, and lions surviving on vast plains seemed like something happening in another world.

I had also heard about extinction and poaching, but had probably never thought about them in connection with our lives.

In fact, the reason I thought they had nothing to do with me was that I lacked knowledge, and NATURE TALK carefully explains how they are connected to our lives, too.

Because Oki loves insects and animals, she can hear their voices and interpret for us what we can do.

I felt that NATURE TALK is a record of discussions that carefully captures dialogue with nature.

I would like to keep listening to the voices of nature that come through Oki.

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