Environmental Destruction of the Tokyo Bay Tidal Flat -Memories of Lost Waterfront and Blue Tide 2001

Environmental Destruction of the Tokyo Bay Tidal Flat -Memories of Lost Waterfront and Blue Tide 2001

Around 2001, about 90% of the tidal flats in Tokyo Bay had been lost due to reclamation since the period of rapid economic growth, and an ecological crisis had emerged. Tidal flats, which were once rich fishing grounds and stopover sites for migratory birds in the Edo period, have been transformed into logistics centers and industrial zones, but at a cost of significant loss of the bay's self-cleansing function and biodiversity. The natural environment of Tokyo Bay has reached a major turning point, with only a few areas, such as Yatsu Tidal Flat and Sanbanse, remaining. A particular problem was the "blue tide. In 1994, a large-scale blue tide occurred off the coast of Funabashi, causing serious damage to the fishing industry. In 2001, Chiba Prefecture withdrew its plan to reclaim the Sanban Se landfill, and a policy shift was underway to focus on conservation and restoration. The need for a "regenerative" environmental policy in which the national government, local governmen
ts, and citizens work together was emphasized, and it was recognized that protecting the tidal flats was essential for the environmental restoration of Tokyo Bay as a whole. This trend became a symbolic opportunity to change the direction of environmental policy from creation to restoration, and greatly influenced environmental policy at the beginning of the 21st century.