From the Kuroshio Triangle to the Kuroshio-Related S-Shaped Zone: Introductory Remarks for the 4th Symposium

In 2009, the three participating countries – Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines – completed a round each of holding the Annual Symposium; thus, from this year, Kochi University has been exploring means of further pursuing research development among the collaborating partners. As an outcome, placing emphasis on the Kuroshio Triangle, we decided to reveal our concept of linkage among mountains, rivers, and seas. At the same time, we also decided to take up the topic of how recent societal changes and modifications to the natural environment have affected coastal and land-based environments. This Symposium will especially focus on islands/archipelagos of the Kuroshio region that have engaged in cultural exchange from a very early time in history. Here, universities and institutions representing the three countries will form a nucleus for a network to which will be added Malaysia’s Sarawak State, which possesses vast tropical forests, and West Kalimantan of Indonesia. With this development, we expect to achieve even more enhanced information exchange concerning the effectsof climate change on the ecology of coastal and land-based areas of the Kuroshio region. The addition of these countries to our network will expand the Kuroshio Triangle to form a new domain,named here as “The Kuroshio-Related S-Shaped Zone”. Representative universities from Malaysiaand Indonesia will be concerned with addressing ecological and environmental problems that extend beyond national boundaries.