DR. ITOW AND THE SCALESIA FORESTS
Dr. Syuzo Itow, a Japanese botanist who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, became one of the most influential figures in the scientific study of Galápagos. A Professor of Botany at Nagasaki University, he dedicated much of his career to researching the Scalesia forests and, in 2005, founded the Japanese Association of Friends of Galapagos (JAGA). Beyond his work as a passionate researcher, he succeeded in mobilizing Japanese funding that, to this day, has helped sustain the Charles Darwin Foundation’s botanical research.
Alan Tye, member of CDF’s general assembly and former head of botany at CDF, recalls his close work with Dr Itow in the late 90s: “Dr. Itow achieved something extraordinary: convincing people to support plant research at a time when almost all funding was directed toward tortoises. Thanks to his efforts, I was able to travel to Japan three times to present our program. On one of those visits, we even had tea with the Emperor—unique opportunities that allowed us to share the Foundation’s botanical work in Galápagos.”
Miriam San José
Tui Roy
Dr Itow began his research on Galapagos’ endemic Scalesia forests back in 1964, when he joined the historic Galapagos International Scientific Project—an interdisciplinary study of the islands being conducted by the University of California which saw a group of 60 international scientist spend five weeks on the island to study species in their natural setting.
Alan Tye adds: “In his studies, Dr. Itow observed something almost magical: that Scalesias followed a cycle of around fifteen years, and just before dying, released seeds to ensure their regeneration.
Within the Charles Darwin Research Station, there is a botanical collection where, together with Juliana Puentes—Herbarium assistant—we identified Scalesia specimens collected by Dr. Itow during his research in Galápagos in 1970 and 1986.
The Creation of JAGA
The Japanese Association of Galápagos (JAGA) is a non-profit organization that collaborates with the Charles Darwin Foundation to promote conservation and cultural exchange between Japan and Galápagos. It contributes to projects for the protection of endemic plants, social support programs, and the exchange of botanical information with the Ogasawara Islands. Like Galápagos, Ogasawara is an oceanic archipelago, located about 1,000 km from the mainland, harboring species that have evolved in unique manners.
Tamaki Okuno, current representative of JAGA, recalls the beginnings of the Association: “I had long dreamt of creating in Japan an organization similar to the Galapagos Conservation Trust in England. After reading several of Dr. Itow’s publications on the archipelago, I was inspired to write to him in 2003 with the proposal of establishing such an organization. His reply was marked by a generosity I will never forget: ‘When you return to Japan, we will work together.’ That exchange became the starting point, and in 2005 JAGA was born.”
From its earliest years, Dr. Itow insisted on connecting research efforts between the two oceanic archipelagos, Galápagos and Ogasawara. He knew Galapagos was too distant for most Japanese researchers, and that Ogasawara offered a closer, comparable natural laboratory to study processes of evolution and island ecology. Thanks to his drive, Japanese scientists were able to build a scientific bridge between these parallel islands. Among the comparative studies was a chromosome analysis of Scalesia incisa—a plant unique to San Cristobal Island in Galapagos—which revealed that it shares the same chromosome number as related sunflowers in Ogasawara, according to research by Dr. Shimizu, now director of JAGA.
Dr. Itow loved to talk about the history of Galápagos, from Darwin to Crocker’s expeditions. “He felt deep pride in the Charles Darwin Foundation as an institution grounded in science-based conservation. He also dreamed that more Japanese researchers would one day devote their work to studying Galapagos. At JAGA, we are committed to carrying on that legacy—sharing the value, beauty, and importance of conservation science in Galapagos with Japan and with the world,” says Tamaki.
Dr. Itow was an honorary member of the Charles Darwin Foundation’s General Assembly until 2019 and a friend and colleague to many CDF staff and fellow General Assembly members. His mark on Galápagos and in Japan will be remembered not only through his scientific contributions, but also through the bridges he built between the two archipelagos, the generations of researchers he inspired, and the friendships he cultivated along the way. His legacy continues to live on in the work of those who follow in his footsteps.
Carlos Espinosa
