Tidal flat creation technology ECOFLAT method Attempts to restore lost coastal breath Early to late 2000s

Tidal flat creation technology ECOFLAT method Attempts to restore lost coastal breath Early to late 2000s

The rapid reclamation and development of ports and harbors since the 1960s has resulted in the loss of tidal flats along Japan's coasts, and the collapse of the ecosystem and deterioration of water quality have become serious problems. Against the backdrop of the enactment of the Basic Environment Law and the Seto Inland Sea Environment Preservation Special Measures Law, from the late 1990s to the 2000s, the national and local governments began to seriously consider the restoration of tidal flats, and their important function as a habitat for carbon-fixing benthic organisms for water quality purification was reevaluated.

The ECOFLAT method was developed in response to this trend. This technology is characterized by its ability to precisely reproduce the natural conditions of tidal flats, including tidal substrates and water depth, and to create an environment in which the ecosystem can recover on its own, rather than simply piling up earth and sand. By adjusting the height of the topography in millimeters, improving the bottom sediment, and ensuring the stability of the tidal flat based on tidal current simulation, the authors reported cases of crabs, mussels, and bivalves naturally establishing within a few years after the construction of the tidal flat.

In the latter half of the 2000s, the ECOFLAT method was adopted for port redevelopment and urban coastal environmental improvement, and was evaluated as an effective technology for restoring the lost marine ecosystem. The concept of drawing out the resilience of nature rather than artificial creation became a turning point in coastal environmental policy, and has been carried over to today's coastal restoration projects.