"Private Management of Coastal Environment"
Norihisa Yokouchi, Professor, dept. of Oceanic Architecture and Engineering,
CST, Nihon Univ.
Based on the merits and demerits of public waterfront (coastal zone)
management in Japan, the preferred methods for future development,
maintenance and mitigation were presented, including bread-and-butter
organization such as NPOs or private institutions, and necessary systems.
１．The necessity of "Integral Management of Coastal Zone"
The dimensions of United States are 25 times the size of Japan. On
the other hand, the coastal line is only 1.6 times longer than that
of Japan. However, although the United States, Korea and China have
laws for coastal zone management, Japan does not.
In view of environment and utilization, Japanese Association for Coastal
Zone Studies (JACZS) defines that the core area of coastal zone is
within 100m from shoreline as vegetation limit area of land side, and
for sea side, depths of 20m as seaweed limit depth. The most of areas
with depths of more than 20m (30,000km2), has been reclaimed. Apart
from rough classifications exist in Japan (territorial sea, coastal
conservation area up to the depth of 50m and fishing right for 1000m
as defined by fisheries low), the system for seacoast management is
not well established. One of the reasons for low public awareness of
ocean may be the absence of ocean lobby. In reality, establishment
of coastal law and system should be based on local authorities. (Fig.
1)
When the ocean may be polluted, it will have impact beyond municipalities
or countries. The existing laws for individual themes are naturally
not enough; integrated laws for coastal areas and waterfront are required.
In the 5th general meeting of 1998, "Coastal Zone Management" was
set out as a goal for the country. In 2000, Federation of Economic
Organizations decided "to enrich coastal zones" as a grand
design for ocean of the 21st century. The JACZS made an appeal to establish
a law for integral management of coastal zones.
２．Environment PFI／Private Beech System
Tokyo bay has been rapidly reclaimed since the Meiji era. One of the
options here, is to restore seashore or mud flat artificially. However,
the government and municipalities are in fragile finance conditions.
We are proposing the environment PFI to collect usage fee from visitors
in a beech. The promotion of environment creating business is based
on the concept designed for environments in the 21st century. For example,
seashore or seaweed bed will be made by filling the vertical seawall
with sand. Usage fee for seashore will be imposed. Furthermore, the
combination of seashore and coastal facilities will generate profit-earning
businesses like in Nice or Cannes. Thus, the cycle for environment
creating business will occur. However, there are a number of obstacles;
harbor law, public water surface reclamation law, and fishery infrastructure
law for coastal areas, and urban planning law, building standard law,
river law for land area, seacoast law and national property law for
the seacoast, and Fishery Act for ocean, etc. Among others, fishery
right has become most severe restriction. Even after the fishery right
has been abandoned, subsistence right for fishing is retained, for
which payment is needed each time when reclamation is conducted. (Fig.
2)
According to my hearing investigation regarding environment PFI covering
29 municipalities along coastlines, most of them are basically in favor,
but against complete transition of power. Also, from another hearing
investigation on general constructors, they will in favor of environment
PRI if it will be profitable.
In order to raise capital for environment improvement, one of the ideas
is private beech concept, which ensures exclusive use of the beech.
Although the beeches in Okinawa is public land, most of them are considered
as private beeches, because each hotel manages the beech as a commercial
product. However, the regulation of local government prohibits the
use of coastline as private land. From the hearing on hotels, they
considers the sanitation control and resource management as their duties,
but some of them wish to have rights at the same time, e.g., admission
fee.
3．Mitigation Systems in Coastal Zones
"
Mitigation" refers to the compatible pursuit of development and
conservation, without relying solely on tax. Also, mitigation is one
of the environment assurance system, which has been undertaken since
1970 in the US. In the process of mitigation, the assessment of the
development is implemented; most restictive measure is "avoidance" of
entire or part of the development, to prevent the possible influences.
The second option is to "minimization" of the scale. .The
third is compensatory "mitigation measure" such as relocation
or providing alternative resource environment. (Fig. 3)
The mitigation measures such as land substitution or regeneration from
ecological system implemented in the US, will not suit Japan because
of its restriction of space; however, mitigation will serve promotion
of environment PFI to develop coastline appropriately.
For supporting compensatory mitigation, mitigation banking system is
established in the US. When the development plan is specified as the
target of compensatory mitigation, substitute land will be required.
In addition, it sometime happens that plants and ecosystem do not take
root in that land. In the US, waiting until they take root is one of
the options. However, safe measure is to buy or rent the land with
already rooted plants from the mitigation bank. The mitigation bank
constantly grows the plant to keep mitigation bank site. Such bank
can be established by a private organization, or even an individual.
In Japan, Shiki-city of Saitama Prefecture undertakes mitigation bank
through Nature Restoration Regulation, though the target is limited
to public projects. The city has been developed as a commuter town
of Tokyo, losing greenery areas significantlly. The future theme of
the city will be the expansion of the target area because 80% of the
land is private land. |
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