As Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to damage from global warming and natural disasters, have small populations, and are located in remote areas, their sustainable development has become difficult. While the ocean now attracts attention as a source of valuable mineral resources, for giant ocean states, the majority of whose national territory comprises vast Exclusive Economic Zones, it is hoped that marine resources are developed equitably and in a sustainable manner.

While large users of medicines such as medical facilities and veterinary clinics are one of the major sources for drug resistant bacteria, it should not be forgotten that marine environments also contain areas that serve as hotspots for drug resistant bacteria. One of these are mariculture sites. Mariculture sites that make use of antimicrobial agents and antibiotics are sources for drug resistant bacteria, but at the same time are points of contact between the ocean and humans. This article discusses the current and future states of drug resistant bacteria in aquatic environments, with a focus on mariculture environments, which can also serve as an environmental risk factor.

On Sado Island, blessed with a rich natural environment where people’s lives are closely intertwined with nature, the Sado Island Center for Ecological Sustainability, Niigata University, was established to serve as a scientific focal point for local revitalization and coexistence with nature. Concentrating on the three fields of forests, satoyama, and the sea, the Center hopes to develop research and educational programs for a comprehensive understanding and conservation of these ecosystems, aiming at the creation of a Sado Model which could contribute to the realization of societies in which man and nature can coexist.
Selected Papers No.26