5. General Background
Prepared by the Volunteer Group to Consider Okinawa's Tidal Flats
1. INTRODUCTION
The Government of Japan announced the designation of Manko in Okinawa as its 11th Ramsar site during the Ramsar COO7 held in Costa Rica in May 1999. The Manko is a wetland complex with tidal flat, mangrove forest and reed areas, located between Naha City (the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture) and Tomigusuku Village. Okinawa Prefecture consists of its main Okinawa Island and other islands. Another wetland from Ryukyu Archipelago may be added to the Ramsar List. One possibility is Ampal wetland, which is also a wetland complex of mangrove/tidal flat, is located in Ishigaki Island.
These designations under the international treaty as a conservation measure were well perceived by the public. However, local conservationists have expressed their concerns over Manko: the greater part of Manko has been already reclaimed, therefore it is rather meaningless to call for conservation at this late stage; the very reason of designating Manko is that there is no further development schemes.
One of resolutions adopted at the Ramsar COP7 calls on the Contracting
Parties to review policies that have negative impacts on tidal flat wetlands,
and to introduce long-term conservation measures to protect tidal flats.
Within the Ryukyu Archipelago, large-scale tidal flat areas are concentrated on Okinawa Island, and most are located in the central/southern part of the Island. However, many - up to 1185 ha in total - have already disappeared, including Chatan tidal flat (49 ha), Kawata tidal flat (390 ha), Itoman tidal flat (300 ha), Uchidomari tidal flat (36 ha), Toubaru tidal flat (200 ha), Yone tidal flat (160 ha), and Itoman South Beach (50 ha).
In this context, if present plans for landfill projects are completed, tidal flats of central/southern Okinawa Island will be completely wiped out. How to conserve remaining tidal flat areas is the most important issue in nature conservation of Okinawa today.
2. AWASE TIDAL FLAT
Awase tidal flat is located in the central part of Okinawa Island, on the east coast of Okinawa City, and is about 200 ha in extent. It is one of the largest tidal flat areas in Okinawa. Another large site Hanegi Inlet is located in the northern part of the Okinawa Island. This means Awase is one of the largest tidal flats in the whole Ryukyu Archipelago. The benthic environment at Awase tidal flat is diverse, with tidal flat areas of muddy and sandy components as well as of coral rubbles. This area also has 170 ha of seagrass beds. It has been noted that this is the largest area of seagrass beds in Okinawa. The benthic fauna is also diverse; surveys by a citizens' group has identified as many as 130 species of shellfish. Of these, 15 species have been identified as endangered or threatened in "Present Status of Tidal Flat Dwelling Benthos of Japan" (WWF - Japan Scientific Report vol. 3, December 1996). In addition, an evidence of feeding by Dugong was also observed. Dugongs feed on seagrasses, and meandering lines of mowed-down seagrasses were observed here, indicating dugong feeding.
Also, several species listed in Okinawa Prefecture's Red Data Book are found at Awase tidal flat, among them are algae species Vaucheria constricta (threatened) and Acetabularia caliculus (vulnerable), as well as a crab species Mictyris brevidactylus (important local population). The two algae species are also listed as threatened in the "Red Data Book of Vulnerable Aquatic Wildlife" published by the Fishery Agency of Japan.
With regard to migratory shorebirds, according to the results of a survey of shorebird habitation in the Ryukyu Archipelago, wetlands that used to host over 1,000 shorebirds no longer exist in Okinawa (Manko tidal flat formerly hosted over 5,000 birds). In this context, it was reported at the 1999 annual meeting of the Japan Ornithological Society that 877 shorebirds were counted at Awase tidal flat. We can thus consider Awase tidal flat as the largest habitat site for shorebirds on Okinawa Island.
3. THE AWASE TIDAL FLAT LANDFILL PROJECT
The official name of the plan to landfill Awase tidal flat is the "Okinawa City East Beach (Awase region of Nakagusuku Bay) Development Plan," and this plan has the backing of the Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture, and the central Government of Japan. The plan calls for reclaiming 187 ha, including tidal flat area. The stated aim of the project is "Creating a New City for the 21st Century." The plan calls for the construction of four hotels, condominiums, cottages, a marina and an artificial beach, as well as docking facilities for passenger ships, as well as the creation of a residential area and other facilities. The overall construction cost may reach up to 43.7 billion yen, and it is said that the completed facilities will provide the employment for about 6,000 persons.
However, because the plan was originally conceived in 1985 during the bubble economy in Japan, concerns were expressed over whether the project can really be implemented as planned. In consideration of the high risk involved in developing a large-scale resort area, the 1998 budget required for the project was not granted. At the beginnng, neither the Prefectural nor the central government was involved in the project, but, because a dumping site is necessary for dredge spoil originating from an adjacent special Free Trade Zone development, the central government decided to become involved in this landfill project. This immediately activated the landfill project, which will destroy 49 ha of coral-sandy rubble tidal flat, 79 ha of seagrass beds, and 47 ha of area where reef-building coral colonies are concentrated.
4. EIA (Environment Impact Assessment)
The EIS (Environment Impact Assessment) for the Awase tidal flat landfill project was open for public inspection from 23rd March to 24th April, 2000. It was undertaken under the provisions of the new EIA law (that came into force in June 1999). For concerns expressed over this EIS, please refer to the section "2. EIA (Environment Impact Assessment) for the landfill project".
5. CONCLUSION
After the official process for the EIA procedure was finalized, the permission was issued for this landfill project. It is true that US military bases occupy 36% of the total land area of Okinawa City, and thus we do understand the demand for more lands. However, we are still not satisfied by the idea of reclaiming 187 ha of a precious wetland ecosystem mainly for a resort development.
The year 2000 was the year for G8 Okinawa Summit. Various kinds of environment-related events, such as the Children's Environmental Summit, were organized in association with the G8 meeting. Also, regarding the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy: 2001-2005, the International Workshop was held in Okinawa later in 2000. The conservation of shorebirds was one of main topics of discussion during the workshop. In this context, we wonder whether it is really appropriate to push forward a plan to landfill the most important shorebird site in Okinawa, where such international meeting was held.
If we are to respect the spirit of the Ramsar COP7 resolution which calls for the conservation of tidal flat areas, we believe that we should reconsider the landfill project at Awase. We do hope that it is not too late to change the development plan in order to save our precious natural heritage for us and for coming generations.
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