Rugosa Rose Conservation Activities

Have you ever heard of a plant called rugosa rose?
Rugosa rose is a member of the rose family and is a plant often seen on the coasts of cold regions such as Hokkaido. There were once many growing wild on the coasts of the Oki Islands, but human activity and environmental changes have reduced the specimens that are considered to be truly wild to those at Kasuga-no-ura Beach in Fuse.
If this continues, the islands’ rugosa roses may be lost forever. 

This sense of urgency has led us to conduct on-going rugosa rose conservation activities together with the local people, their children, and researchers. 

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■Activity Participants 

Active Groups 

Fuse Experience Club / Fuse Community Center / Town Hall (Fuse Office) / Okinoshima Town Board of Education / Oki Islands Geopark Management Bureau 

Cooperating Groups 

Okinoshima Municipal Kita Elementary School / Shimane University 

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■Past Initiatives 

【FY2022】 

• Weeding at Kasuga-no-ura Beach to improve the rugosa rose habitat 

• Rugosa rose education and beach clean–up at Fuse Hometown Fest 

• Rugosa rose educational activities for Kita Elementary School classes (making sprouts and conservation signs) 

• Began genetic surveying of rugosa roses distributed around the Oki Islands 

【FY2023】 

• Kasuga-no-ura Beach Festa 2023 (education, beach clean-up, country life experience) 

• Exhibited display of conservation activities at Fuse Farmer’s Market 

• Continued education in classes at Kita Elementary School 

• Rugosa rose jam making experience in an afterschool children’s program 

• Genetic analysis of rugosa rose from the Oki Islands and San’in Region 

• Brought researchers and the local community together to talk about conservation at Rugosa Rose Chat. 

【FY2024】 

• Conducted studies in Kita Elementary School classes themed around “Kasuga-no-ura Beach”, where wild rugosa rose grows 

• Kasuga-no-ura Beach Festa (education, beach clean-up, country life experience) 

• Exhibited a display at Fuse Farmer’s Market about conservation activities  

• On-going beach clean-ups 

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■A Look at 2024 Activities 

Kasuga-no-ura Beach Festa 2024 

Approximately 35 local people participated. Activities included a mini-lecture about rugosa rose, a beach clean-up of Kasuga-no-ura, and even a chance to catch fish. 

It was a day filled with fun for everyone, learning as they interacted with nature. 

 

 

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These activities are not just about protecting plants, but are also a vital opportunity for us to re-examine our local environment and for our children to come into contact with it as they learn about it. 

We hope that rugosa roses will continue to bloom on Kasuga-no-ura Beach. 

To that end, we will continue our conservation efforts together with your—our local community’s—support.