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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Mizubeni Asobu Kai's community-based conservation program at Nakatsu Tidal Flats wins World Wetland Network "Blue Globe" in Nagoya

Yuriko Ashikaga of Mizubeni Asobu Kai accepts "Blue Globe" award in Nagoya. (Photo: World Wetlands Network)

Mizubeni Asobu Kai (headed by Yukiko Ashikaga), a community-based conservation program to restore and protect Nakatsu Tidal Flats won a World Wetland Network "Blue Globe" for best practices and wetland restoration in Nagoya.

The Oita-based group is a dynamic facet of Kyushu's vibrant civil society and interconnects with communities throughout Japan, the A-P, and the rest of the world. This past event "Water - connecting the human life and wildlife of Oita, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region" flyer reflects Mizubeni Asobu Kai's holistic framework and outreach. The NPO proposed and helped to organize the first Asia-Pacific Water Forum, held in 2007.


Nakatsu Tidal Flats. (Photo: Biodiversity Center of Japan)

They completed the Nakatsu Tidal Flats conservation project in 2005:
Natural morphologies, such as sand dunes, river mouth bars and wetlands around a river mouth, are formed by dynamic processes of waves, river currents and wind, and are dynamically stable unless a large-scale anthropogenic effect is induced.

Their coastal protection and ecosystem functions for maintaining habitats of many organisms were re-evaluated. The sand dune and wetland in front of an earth dike were maintained as they were, and the overall morphology was regarded as a shore protection facility against storm surges. The setting back of the protection line for maintaining a sand bar and a salt marsh was planned for the first time in Japan with the participation of local citizens and stakeholders, and the construction was completed in 2005.

These conservation activities are effective not only for enhancing the safety of the area but also for keeping the sustainability of fishery.
Congratulations to Yoshiko Ashikawa and her colleagues at Mizubeni Asobu Kai and the other winners of the World Wetland Network awards in Nagoya!

For more info on Nakatsu Tidal Flats, see this page at the Biodiversity Center of Japan's website. For info on more wetlands in Japan, see this page at the same site.

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