Contents
Organization of AWS2017������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6

Plenary Keynote Presentations
Martha Rojas-Urrego: Wetland and Sustainable Development���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Naohisa Okuda: Conservation Strategy on Wetlands and Biodiversity of Japan����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Hiroji Isozaki: 25th Anniversary of AWS and the Prospects for the Next 25 Years���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
Ajit K. Pattnaik: Restoration of Chilika Lake: A journey from Montreux Record to Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award,
and the way forward�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9

Ariake Sea Session
Yuichi Hayami: Characteristics of the marine environment in Ariake Sea���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������10
Yasuhisa Henmi: Animals and Plants in Tidal Flat of Ariake Sea������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������10
Atsushi Ishimatsu: Reproduction of mudskippers: Aerial embryos developing in a mudflat burrow�������������������������������������������������11
Akiyuki Miyahara: Wild birds in Ariake sea (past, present, and future)��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11
Masaru Tanaka: Toward Restoration of Ariake Sea by Means of an Integrated Studies “CoHHO” Collaborated with Its
Relevant Social Movement “The Sea is Longing for the Forest”������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
Yoshiyuki Kawakami: Efforts toward Revitalization and Creation of Ariake Sea���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
Kango Nakao: Traditional Fisheries of Ariake Sea����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Gunji Aramaki: Festival and culture in Ariake Sea coastal area������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Fumihiro Koyama: The history of Nori farming in Tokyo Bay and trial to pass down it to later generation��������������������������������������� 14

Session 1 Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change
Keynote: Naoya Furuta: The Role of Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 15
Chotiwut Techakijvej: Carbon Retention in Sediment by Check Dams in Phayao Province, Thailand������������������������������������������������� 15
Chandrashekhar Deshmukh: Evaluating the impacts of hydrological variations on carbon fluxes in tropical peatlands���������������� 16
Saswata Kumar Mohapatra: Lessons learned in building community resilience: 100 villages on the bank of 3rd largest
river system of Peninsula of India in 5 years��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
Sanowar Hossain: Impact of climate change on the wetlands of Bangladesh������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
Yuki Arai: Reducing Fire on Peatlands in Indonesia – Experiences and Lessons Learnt from an International Cooperation
Project in West Kalimantan, Indonesia������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
Minerva J Martinez: Interventions for wetland conservation in the Pampanga River Basin and Candaba wetlands, Philippines������ 18
Kiyofumi Kobayashi: Huge Water Channel Construction Project with Nature and Human Friendly Approach in the Sendai River���� 18
Amado Jr. Samala Tolentino: Wetlands for a Disaster Resilient Asia: Legal Agenda�����������������������������������������������������������������������������19

Session 2 Wetlands and Policy / Changes / International Cooperation
Keynote: Yan Fang: China's New National Policy on the System of Wetland Conservation and Restoration������������������������������������ 20
Yoshikatsu Kikuchi: Ramsar COP as a turning point of awareness and the present activities: Some cases to promote local
awareness through international collaboration and understanding impressing with the concept of Wise Use��������������������������� 20
Pyae Phyo Aung: Spoon-billed Sandpiper conservation in the internationally importance wetland Gulf of Mottama�������������������� 21
Tess Elizabeth Van Geelen: The Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention: An effective mechanism for promoting
State Party compliance?������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
Mashhor Mansor: The Establishment of Southeast Asian Limnological Society Network (SEAL-Net)����������������������������������������������� 22
Akane Tokorodani: Team SPOON: Creating connection of people and nature for sustainable society and East Asia peace������������ 22
Kelin Chen: Yellow Sea Region Coordinated Waterbird Survey������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
Solongo Khurelbaatar: Opportunities to promote cooperation on the conservation and wise use of wetlands between Asiaand the Pacific����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23

Session 3 Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture / Fisheries / Food Security
Keynote: Muneharu Nakagai: Living in Harmony with Nature�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
Neda Asad Falsafi Zadeh: Lake Urmia Restoration via Local Community Participation in Sustainable Agriculture������������������������� 24
Suvaluck Satumanatpan: Response of freshwater farmers to the environmental changes: a case study of Thailand��������������������� 25
Tamotsu Sugenami: National Reclamation Project and “Ariake Sea Disaster”: “Open-gate survey” for the harmony ofhealthy fishery and agriculture������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 25
Alifereti Tawake: Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) - a pathway to holistic and integrated island management andsustainable development: A Fiji case example������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 26
Shimpei Iwasaki: New forest commons towards solving the underuse of Satoyama from fishers’ initiatives in Japan����������������� 26

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Session 4 Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural Infrastructure
Keynote: Sandhya Chandrasekharan: Urban wetlands and Governance challenges in the two Indian mega cities ofChennai and Bengaluru������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
Akihiko Higuchi: Making a wooden footbridge connecting nature and people in an artificial wetland��������������������������������������������� 27
Sonal Gupta: Sustainable Management of Urban Lakes Environment and Ecosystem: A study on Lakes of Udaipur�������������������� 28
Martinus Nanang: Conservation of Karang Mumus River and Swamps di North Samarinda: Efforts by Clean Karang
Mumus River Movement and Stakeholders’ Responses�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
Satoquo Seino: Horseshoe Crab Habitat Conservation and Coastal Zone Management in Japan���������������������������������������������������� 29
Panida Rahong: Urban Wetlands and Mosquito Born Disease Problem in Chiang Mai, Thailand������������������������������������������������������ 29
Abu Jubayer: Wetland Services for Elementary Urban Planning: Perspective from Bangladesh������������������������������������������������������� 30

Session 5 Wetlands and YouthKeynote: Takuma Satoh: The environmental activities of Youth Ramsar Japan (YRJ), NGO organized by students ranging
from junior high school students to graduate students���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
Atsushi Tanabe: Fundamental study on conservation and restoration of river estuaries habitat - Classification of estuary
and their transitions since 1900s����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
Yiqing Hu: The value of wetlands and what we students should do for it---take Hengshuihu wetlands for example���������������������� 32
Wenling Kou: My observation of status of Wetland�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32
Ruichen Zhang: Obligation to the Wetland Conservation of the Youth�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
Sreeya Patnaik: The Youth Frontier Transforming Waste to Wealth – A case of novel efforts by young entrepreneurs towards
the struggle for depolluting the holy River Ganges���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
Fumi Kasahara: Can youth help wetlands?���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
Takahiro Fukushima: CEPA activitise of Taishi high school science club����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
Hiromi Hayashi: Activities of Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary Jr.Ranger Club to foster mind for protecting wonderful our local
nature to the next generation���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 35
Min Thiha Zaw: An Assessment of Species Diversity and Abundance of Waterbirds in Gulf of MottamaWetland, Myanmar��������� 35
Darry Shel Malla Estorba: Youth-in-Action for Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) and Ecosystem-based
Adaptation (EbA)������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 36
Nichakant Kerdnamchai: The Study of Grey Water Footprint of Inorganic-Rice Cultivation for The Lower Central Plain
Management in Thailand: Case Study in Nakhonchaisi District, Nakhon pathom Province������������������������������������������������������������ 36
Thanayaporn Katesuja: River Continuum Concept and Ecological Health Monitoring of Loei River, North-Eastern Thailand�������� 37

Session 6 Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism
Keynote: Maheshwar Dhakal: Entry Fees for Environmental Services in Community Based Ecotourism: An Experiencefrom Bishazaari Wetland of Nepal��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 38
Kasimiro Talemaivatuwiri Taukeinikoro: To bring awareness of appreciation for the culture & environment by providing low
impact activities that promote conservation & preservation through socially responsible and environmentally sensitive
interaction with people, landscape and ecosystems��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 38
Shiina Suzuki: Promoting the Implementation of Environmental Treaties for Sustainable Tourism: In the Light of theRamsar Convention�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 39
Zau Lunn: Biodiversity value of Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary Ramsar Site and development of ecotourism for thecommunities ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 39
Ajit Kumar Pattnaik: Initiative by the reformed bird hunters of Mangalajodi Marsh, Chilika Lake, India for successfulconservation of biodiversity and sustainable tourism������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 40
Romell A. Seronay: Pagatpatan Mangrove Wetland Learning Center: Towards Wetland Conservation, Climate Change
Adaptation and Education for Sustainable Developmen�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 40
Sansanee Choowaew: Integration of Visits to Crab Banks in Sustainable Tourism������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 41

Session 7 Wetlands and Culture
Ketonte: Bishnu B. Bhandari: Wetland Culture in Conservation: Meaning, Concept & Application��������������������������������������������������� 42
Katsue Fukamachi: Bio-cultural diversity and flood control in the Kameoka Basin floodplain����������������������������������������������������������� 42
Mohammad Shafi Sharifi: Wetland and Culture in Afghanistan������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 43
Puspa Lal Pokhrel: People’s Perception towards Wetland Culture��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 43
Tapas Ranjan Chakraborty: Influence of Wetland in the Culture of Bangladesh����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 44
Tidimane Ntsabane: Traditional Conservation Strategies in Botsuwana’s Wetlands��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 44

Session 8 Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building, Education, Participation andAwareness) / ESD (Education for Sustainable Development)
Keynote: Lydia Lee Yan Pang: Localizing ESD Best Practice for Wetland Conservation- From Mai Po Nature Reserve toSouth China Region ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 45
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Durga Prasad Dash: Building capacity of the local communities towards conservation and wise use of wetlands through
CEPA approach in Eastern part of India������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 45
Hong Jing Ng: Penang Seagrass Project – An Environmental Education Project to Encourage Volunteerism & Field Education ���� 46
Tomoko Ichikawa: How to promote Flyway-wide activities and involve key national stakeholders �������������������������������������������������� 46
Szu Ting Hsu: Adventure Time in Shezi Island, Tamsui River: Explore Our Hometown ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 47
Hideki Sato: Efforts and Challenges for Coastal Stability and Conservation with Proper Natural Resources Management in
Sundarbans Region, Bangladesh ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47
Jenna Ho Marris: BioBlitz in Hong Kong: Best practice sharing in wetlands CEPA ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 48
Xiuzhi Yang: Development of Wetland School in China ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 48

Session 9 Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction
Keynote: Hidenobu Kunii: Present status and future prospects of the nature restoration in coastal lagoon Lake Nakaumi, Japan����� 49
Md Golam Rabbi: Haor of Bangladesh and Present Scenario���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 49
Mariko Abe: Threats to the biodiversity rich Henoko/Oura bay – Ramsar candidate site�������������������������������������������������������������������� 50
Li Yan Qi: Introduction to configuration concept of aquatic acrophytes in lake ecological restoration - An example ofecological restoration in Gonghu Bay������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 50
Masanori Sato: Anthropogenic decline of the mudflat-specific fauna and flora in Japan: significance of the restoration of
the estuary in Isahaya Bay in the Ariake Sea��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51
Sungwon Hong: Re-establishment of the Eurasian otter in South Korea��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51
Satoshi Kobayashi: Securing management measures of wild deer in Kushiro Marsh, the first Ramsar Site in Japan�������������������� 52
Shivona Suneel Bhojwani: Linking wetland bird ecology with human activities in multiple-use wetlands in India������������������������ 52

Poster Session I����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 53[Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change] Adaptive Actions by the community to resolve various issues of
Climate Change in the Wetlands along the coast of Bay of Bengal, Odisha, India / Numerical Simulation on Algae Bloom in Chaohu
Lake, China / Impact of Changes in Environment and Climate on the Ecology of a Tropical Coastal Wetland of India [Wetlands andPolicy / Changes / International Cooperation] Effect of policy change and human activity on vegetation pattern and biodiversity
conservation in coastal wetlands: A case study in Yancheng, China / The Seabirds of Tubbataha Amidst Change / JICA TechnicalCooperation Project for Biodiversity Conservation through Implementation of the Papua New Guinea Policy on Protected Area /Recent environmental changes and benthic community response in Lake Nakaumi and the Honjo area, Japan / Our approaches on
the monitoring of wetlands' biodiversity for environmental conservation [Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture/ Fisheries / Food Security] Envisaging the Wetlands Degradation due to poor management practices in Bentota Area Sri Lanka /Wetland Conservation Action by Government and NGOs in Bangladesh and Future Course of Action [Urban Wetlands / Wetland
City / Natural Infrastructure] Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve / Codes for urban wetland management in a developing country:
the case of Cameroon / Study on flood control effect of rainwater tank with small hole and creation of wetland habitat in urban area
/ A Case Study of Rainwater Society Initiative Projects that Promotes De-Centralized Water Management Systems [Wetlands andSustainable Tourism] Preparation of Lake Conservation Management Plan for Sustainable Tourism in Gaidahawa Lake, Lowland
Nepal / Lake Danao of San Francisco, Cebu, Philippines as Titlist of Clean and Green Lake: Its Development, Problems And Prospects/ The Impact of Wetland Conservation Around Tourism Protected Areas. A Case of Kashaasha Wetland Around Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park in South Western Uganda [Wetlands and Culture]Registration of Higashiyoka Higata as a Ramsar Site and Change
in Regional Culture / Study of evaluation of traditional dry-stone revetment [Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity
building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD] Always on the Way to Wetland and Environmental Protection
Education / Management Effectiveness Assessment of Jagadishpur Reservoir Ramsar Site, Nepal / Wetlands in Central Asia: raisingawareness about their values in local communities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan / Roles of Resident Researchers toPromote Adaptive Fisheries: Lessons Learned from Lake Saroma, Japan / KODOMO Ramsar in Tsurui Villege / Science communication
about the Hizen-Kashima Coast / Development of an environmental education program on tidal flat / The Progress of Environmental
Education in Kashima city [Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction] Physico-chemical Parameters of Water
and Its Impact on Biodiversity of Hakaluki Haor at Sylhet, Bangladesh / Where is the future of our wetland? It lies in the hand of ouryouth / Status and Habitat Preference of Three Threatened Waders with Regeneration and Floristic Composition of Inter-tidal Mudflat
Vegetation in Sonadia Island, Bangladesh / Community based Management of Marine Biodiversity in Bay of Bengal / Community
led bio diversity conservation in Rushikulya estuary, India / Species and functional diversities of zooplankton in shallow water
bodies and its application as ecological indicator / Large-scale private-public peatswamp forest restoration in Riau, Sumatra,Indonesia / Reasonability of cyclic floodplain rejuvenation for biodiversity and flood management in Japanese lowland rivers /Comparison of the photosynthetic responses to temperature and irradiance of two edible brown algae, Cladosiphon okamuranus
from Amami Islands and Cladosiphon umezakii from Takeno, Honshu Island, Japan / The effect of irradiance and temperature on
the photosynthesis of a temperate seagrass, Zostera marina (Zosteraceae) from Kagoshima, Japan, as the southern end of its
distribution in the western Pacific / Field Observation Study on the effect of Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material aiming at the
NAGASU Tidal Flat restoration / Protection and utilization of great salamander in Toyosaka district, Higashi-Hiroshima city / Analysing
social perceptions on the risks and benefits of tidal flat restorations: Cases from Japan and Malaysia / Red-crowned Cranes in Japan; Is it Possible for Them to be Independent? / Integrated evaluation of biodiversity in tidal flat in Tokyo Bay
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Poster Session II��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 75[Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change] Sago Eco-Techno Village: Towards Alleviating Disaster andVulnerability of Agriculture and Communities through Nature Conservation and Enhancement in the Agusan River Basin in
Mindanao, Philippines / Practice of rebirth of the Tora area in a special emergency project to cope with severe disasters / Study on
river improvement technology in high gradient river using masonry groin for environmental conservation [Wetlands and Policy/ Changes / International Cooperation] Establishment of Monitoring Program in Iranian Wetland Ecosystems / Should we goalone, if we want to go fast? Should we go together, if we want to go far? A discussion of sustainable cooperative efforts among
registered and non-registered wetlands / Develop and startup ESD activities for rehabilitation of mangrove forests in Malaysia /Continuable hydrological monitoring with high data availability [Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture /Fisheries / Food Security] Water Quality of Malaysian Tropical Reservoir Associated with Aquaculture Activities / Sustainable useof natural resources for community livelihoods in the Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia [Urban Wetlands / Wetland City /Natural Infrastructure] The roles and actions of the wetland centre of Yatsu-higata Tidal Flat, a wetland in the city that experienced
massive urban development in the inner area of Tokyo / Evaluation of infiltration characteristic of amended soil by long term
observation under natural rainfall for establishing runoff reduction technology [Wetlands and Youth] The Study of Grey Water
Footprint of Organic-Rice Cultivation for The Lower Central Plain Management in Thailand: Case Study in Nakhonchaisi District,
Nakhon pathom Province / Diversity and distribution of Macroalgae in Chiang Mai, Thailand / Diversity of Macroalgae and Benthic
Diatom in Upstream of Mae Chaem River, Kalayaniwathana District, Chiang Mai, Thailand / Project of the visit center on peatlands– young view from Siberia / Comparison of CEPA activities and base facilities in Peru and Japan / Growth and burrows of theJapanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major) in the Arao tidal flat / Benthos of the Arao tidal flat, its list and specimen / The tidelandwhich was left in the city “HIRAKATA-Bay” / The activities of Shisei junior high school biology club—Our hometown builds on thebeautiful tidal lands, levees and canals— [Wetlands and Culture] Thangmi Folk Cultural Values of Forest for Wetland Conservationin Himalayas, Nepal / Valuation of village ponds as cultural landscape component in India [Wetlands and CEPA (Communication,
Capacity building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD] Building Capacities for Wetland Ecosystem-based
Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines / Using Art in Engaging and Enabling the Public to Act toConserve Wetlands / Increasing capacity of local communities to implement wetland conservation and Eco- DRR and EbA activities
in the Laguna de Bay Region and Marikina-Pasig River Watershed / Distribution and growth of Pectinatella magnifica (Leidy, 1851)
in four large rivers, South Korea / Ramsar Biwa-Kids Ambassador Project / About the effectiveness of simple questions during natureobservation for promoting development of self-expression / The Role and Process of Wetlands Education through Environmental
Education and ESD in Japan / How can a senior high school biology teacher contribute to CEPA activities at the Arao Tideland /Collaborative activities around the Hizen- Kashima Area: MAE-UMI Citizens’ Association Activities [Wetlands and Biodiversity /Restoration / Reintroduction] From a bird to a policy: a brief history of wetland conservation in southern Taiwan / The Massive
Noxious Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata Populations were Wiped During Rainy Season; A Case Study on Chenderoh
Reservoir, Perak, Malaysia / Habitat use of Siberian warbler species at a stopover site in Far East Russia / Faunal Inventory in The
Mangrove Areas of The Three Islands of Camotes, Central Philippines / Conservation and Management of Himalayan High Altitude
Wetlands in India / Post-Project Appraisal of Urban Wetland Restoration: A Case of Mangrove Restoration Project in Jhongdou
Wetlands Park, Kaohsiung City / Landscape design and the evaluation of the artificial wetland at the Nishinotani dry dam reservoir
in Kagoshima, Japan / Practice of nature restoration in Sarobetsu Mire / Aster tripolium(sea aster) and greening of the sea wall inTokyo Bay / Temporal and spatial variability of macrobenthic fauna in the high intertidal mud flat of the Ariake Bay / Evaluation of
burrowing pattern and burrow structures of crabs in the muddy tidal flat of the Ariake Bay / The transition of river morphology andminor restoration in Kamisaigo river

Poster Session III�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 97[Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change] Prediction of Drought Using Coupled Ocean-AtmosphericPhenomena in the Watershed of Maharlu and Bakhtegan Lakes, Iran / Estimation of Environmental Risk of Pollution Water in The
Rivers / Possibility as ECO-DRR of The Japanese Traditional Water Management System [Wetlands and Policy / Changes /International Cooperation] Response of biotic components after hydrological intervention in the tropical lagoon / Setiu Wetlands,
Malaysia: Assessing changes in landscape condition and building a case for improved management / Shorebirds and Threatened
Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Ariake Tidal Flats - Trends and Importance of Conservation [Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources/ Agriculture / Fisheries / Food Security] Handicraft And Souvenir Making Using Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) And
Tikog (Cyperus malaccensis) / Social Innovation for Biodiversity Preservation in Wetlands Kahokugata; Vegetable Cultivation for
Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society “Suzume-Yasai”, and Rice Cultivation by Cooperation in Farmers and NPO “IkimonoGenki-Mai” / RiceBEDProject, for Mainstreaming Biodiversityin Rice Paddiesby Networking People of Various Sectors in Japan andOverseas / What is the rainwater underground harvesting tank “Tametotto”? [Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural
Infrastructure] The “Wise Use” of Green Infrastructure: Community-Based Revitalization of Urban Wetland in Gowanus Canal,
New York City / Onga River Reconstruction Project: East Side High-Water Channel Design to Balance the Flood Control and PeopleFriendly Open Space [Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism] Potential of Nature Tourism in Rural Environs Around Keoladeo
National Park, Bharatpur (Rajasthan, India) / Cultural ecosystem services of temperate coastal area of Japan:from the visitors of tidal
flat, sandy beach, and rocky/coral area / Wetland and Sustainable Tourism Higashimatsushima version [Wetlands and Culture]
The Seletar Kids Art Education Project – A project to document the Wetland Jewels of Malaysia / Valuation of village ponds ascultural landscape component in India: preliminary study [Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building,
Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD] “Citizen Social Responsibility” in conserving water resources / Cultural4

Dimensions of Local Social Movements at Kuala Gula, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia / Community based management of beach litter in
Itoshima Peninsula, Fukuoka / Wetland and Culture in Afghanistan / Fundamental research on residents’ water use and consciousness
related to river environment / Development of ESD program focusing on conservation ecology of Suaeda japonica Makino(Chenopodiacea), a threatened wetland halophyte [Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction] A 3D VoxelBased Model of Peatland Hydrology / Community based migratory bird conservation at Mangalazodi in Chilika Lagoon Ramsar Site,
India / Peat accumulating mountain wetlands of South Siberia: biodiversity and ecosystem services / Habitat Restoration: Bringing
Back the Brackish Water in Guandu Nature Park / Biodiversity of The Kampar / Status of White Winged Duck in Kampar peninsula /Big Business & Big Wetlands, Can They Thrive Together? / Wetland Conservation in the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site / The
return of the smooth-coated otter to Singapore: distribution, growth, public perception and conservation management / The effectof benthos and fish habitat on the artificial tidal flat restration in urban canal area / High genetic diversity of Cottus pollux middle-egg
type in Kyushu Island and related river topography / A Study on the Present Condition and Transition of Habitats of Freshwater
Mussels in the Kikuchi River / Analyses and counter measures on the severe damages to the ecosystem of the Awase Tideland areaof Okinawa Island, southwest Japan by a dredging and reclamation project / The effects of river modification to the spawning habitatof Ice Goby(Leucopsarion petersii) / The influence of agricultural activities on water chemistry and aquatic biota in the freshwater
springs of Uchinada Dune, Japan / New fish fauna inventory and survey techniques for marine protected area planning: Environmental
DNA metabarcoding / Corn and Cameras: Wildlife Management Issues in Restoring the Migration of Red-Crowned Cranes in
Hokkaido, Japan / The environmental conservation in Yatsu wildlife protection area / Sustainable Forest Management for Soil andWater Resourse under SGEC Certification

5

Organization of AWS2017
Title
8th Asian Wetland Symposium (AWS2017) —Wetlands for Sustainable Life—Date
7–11 November 2017
Venue
Hotel Grande Hagakure, Saga, Japan
Organizers
Ministry of the Environment of Japan
Wetlands International Japan
Ramsar Center Japan
Japan Wetlands Society
Co-organizers
Saga Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
Saga City
Kashima City
Arao City
Ramsar Regional Center - East Asia
International Lake Environment Committee Foundation
Wetland Link International Asia
Supporters
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan
Collaborators
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
IUCN Asia Regional Office
Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation
Domestic Committee for Ramsar Sites related Municipalities in Japan
Youth Ramsar Japan
Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society of Kyushu University
Sponsors
Sekisui Chemical Co.Ltd.
Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc.
Maple Tours Travel Agency
INTEM Consulting, Inc.
TOKEN C. E. E Consultants Co., Ltd.
CTI Engineering Co. Ltd.
Asia Air Survey Co., Ltd.
Civil Engineering & Eco-Technology Consultants
Oriental Consultants Global
Mitsui & Co.
Maeda Corporation
IDEA Consultants Inc.
ITO EN Ltd.
Nippon Koei Co. Ltd.
ANA HOLDINGS INC.
APRIL International Enterprise Pte Ltd
Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd.
Grant Programs
Keidanren Nature Conservation FundJapan Foundation Asia Center Grant Program for Enhancing People-to-People Exchange

6

Asian Wetland Symposium 2017 Executive Commttee:
Yoshihiro Natori (Wetlands International Japan, Japan)
Motokazu Ando (Ramsar Center Japan, Japan)
Yukihiro Shimatani (Kyushu University, Japan Wetland Society, Japan)
Masaru Horikami (Ministry of the Environment, Japan)
Gunji Aramaki (Local Organizing Committee, Japan)
International Steering Committee:
Ajit Pattnaik (Wetland International South Asia, India)
Atsuhi Tanabe (Youth Ramsar Japan)
Bishnu Bhandari (Nepal Wetland Society, Nepal)
Chen Kelin (Wetlands International – China, China)
Chris Rostron (Wetland Link International, UK)
Gea-Jae Joo (Pusan National University, Korea)
Gunji Aramaki (Local Organizing Committee, Japan)
Hiroji Isozaki (Sophia University, Japan)
Kazuaki Hoshino (Kagoshima University, Japan)
Lew Young (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Switzerland)
Masaru Horikami (Ministry of the Environment, Japan)
Mashhor Mansor (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia)
Motokazu Ando (Ramsar Center Japan, Japan)
Naoya Furuta (Taisho University, IUCN Japan Liaison Office, Japan)
Reiko Nakamura (Ramsar Center Japan, Japan)
Sanowar Hossain (Bangladesh POUSH, Bangladesh)
Sansanee Choowaew (Mahidol University, Thailand)
Seung-Oh Suh (Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia, Korea)
Yoshihiro Natori (Wetlands International Japan, Japan)
Yuki Arai (Japan Wetland Society, Japan)
Yukihiro Shimatani (Kyushu University, Japan Wetland Society, Japan)

Asian Wetland Symposium 2017 Executive Committee Secretariat
Chief of Secretariat: Emiko Nagakura
Deputy Chief: Reiko Nakamura
c/o Wetlands International Japan
2F Jono Building 2, 17-1 Nihonbashi-Odenmacho, Chuo-ku,
Tokyo 103-0011, Japan
tel: +81-3-5614-2150 fax: +81-3-6806-4187
E-mail: info@aws2017.org
http://aws2017.org/
7

Plenary keynote presentations

Wetlands and Sustainable Development
Martha Rojas-Urrego
Secretary General, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is unique in that itrecognizes the importance of wetlands for the range of
ecosystem services that they provide for both people andthe environment. As a result, the Mission of Convention
and work of its 169 Contracting Parties and partners is topromote the conservation and wise use of wetlands
through collaboration at all levels as a contribution towards
sustainable development.
The work of the Convention is more relevant than ever as
it contributes significantly to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development
Goals agreed by the United Nations in 2015.
The values and services provided by wetlands are outstanding, yet they are not sufficiently recognized and they
are disappearing faster than other ecosystems.
Wetlands provide freshwater at the right quality andquantity for consumption, especially at times of scarcity(SDG6) and for farming systems feeding millions of people(SDG2). They regulate water in our landscapes and coastlines and protect communities against disasters (SDG11).
Wetlands are the greatest natural carbon stores and help
communities to adapt and be resilient to climate change(SDG13). Their protection, sustainable management andrestoration support a wealth of freshwater and marine
species and ecosystem services (SDG 15 and 14) and con-tributes to combating desertification (SDG15). When they
are sustainably managed wetlands provide the basis forlivelihoods and for local to national economies (SDG 12
and 8). The conservation and sustainable use of wetlands isthus central to achieving sustainable development.
The Ramsar Convention provides a ready platform forthe implementation of the 2030 agenda with its particularfocus on priority wetlands that have been placed on the
List of Wetlands of International Importance (‘Ramsar
Sites’) the commitments from its Contracting Parties toconserve and use wisely all their wetlands. Presently, there
are more than 2,285 Ramsar Sites worldwide covering an
area almost six times the size of Japan. Whilst these sites
are well known for the biodiversity, especially waterbird
populations that they support, they also provide vital ecosystem services for people. Of the 399 Ramsar Sites in the
Asia-Oceania region, approximately 45% provide food andwater, 54% helps in reducing the risk from disasters, andaround 70% are important for tourism and education.
The Asian Wetlands Symposium provides an important
opportunity to raise the visibility of the outstanding values
of wetlands and to mobilize the needed action to reverse
their decline and to conserve them and use them wisely toensure sustainable development to all.

Conservation Strategy on Wetlands and Biodiversity of Japan
Naohisa Okuda
Director, Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, JapanAs the islands of Japan stretches from the subarctic tothe subtropics with its geographical features extending
from the south to north, there are various types of wetlands. Japanese people have long lived in harmony withnature, so wetlands are deeply rooted in our lives. Howeverin the rapid economic growth period from the 1950s to thefirst half of the 1970s, many wetlands were converted into
other land uses and their area had been significantly
reduced.
In 1980, Japan joined the Ramsar Convention and KushiroShitsugen (Marsh) in Hokkaido was designated as theJapan’s first wetland of international importance under theConvention. In 1987, Kushiro-Shitsugen was designated asa national park, too. In the 1990s, the first Asian Wetlands
Symposium in Otsu and Kushiro (1992) as well as the 5th
Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP5) to theRamsar Convention in Kushiro (1993) were held in Japan.
Consequently, it was widely recognized in Japan that wetlands must be conserved as a significant ecosystem.
In the 2000s, Japan and Republic of Korea jointly proposed the Rice Paddy Resolution and it was adopted at the
Ramsar COP10 (2009) and endorsed at the CBD-COP10(2010). In addition, the International Partnership on
SATOYAMA Initiative was launched based on a proposal by
Japan during the CBD-COP10.Through these propositions,Japan has been sending a message on the relationshipbetween humans and wetlands with the concept of “living
in harmony with nature” to the World as a country of the
Asian region.
8

Japan has made some progress in conservation of wetlands while accumulating experience and knowledge onthat, and thus we have 50 Ramsar wetlands in Japan now.
However, we have still a lot of issues to be tackled including new issues such as problems caused by invasive alien
species. Taking the opportunity of holding AWS2017 in
Saga along the Ariake sea which has a vast tidal flat, wehope that the measures for biodiversity conservation to tie
humans and wetlands will be further promoted, as manifested in the word “wise use”.

25th Anniversary of AWS and the Prospects for the Next 25 Years
Hiroji Isozaki
Visiting Professor of Sophia University
A variety of studies and proposals during the last 25
years have contributed to improve wetland conservationand management, and AWS has played a part in it. On theother hand, some proposals have not been fulfilled yet inspite of repeated call out for them. Therefore, RCJ is
working on classifying the proposals of AWS and other relevant meetings into achieved and not achieved in order to
identify unsolved problems.

Based on the analysis of the classification as well as thereports and discussions of AWS 2017, proposals for the
next 25 years will be adopted on the last day of the symposium. This keynote presentation is going to suggest theclue for necessary actions for the future, based on the
Ramsar Convention and the essential principle, criteria andprocedure for wetland conservation and management,
which have been developed internationally.

Restoration of Chilika Lake: A journey from Montreux Record to Ramsar Wetland
Conservation Award, and the way forward
Ajit K. Pattnaik
Vice President of Wetlands International South Asia, Ex Chief Executive of Chilka Development Authority

The Chilika lake is the largest brackish water lake in India
and a Ramsar site. The lake is a unique assemblage ofmarine; brackish and fresh water eco-systems with estuarine characters. It is a hotspot of biodiversity and a wintering ground for more than one million migratory birds. The
lake basin and coastal process are integral factors determining the ecological integrity of this coastal wetland. The
freshwater inflows drive the temporal and spatial salinity
dynamics of the lake, which contributes to the mosaic ofaquatic habitats for different plant and animal species, andthe different life cycle requirements of these species. It is
primarily this dynamic salinity regime that enables the laketo support high biodiversity and a productive fishery. The
highly productive ecosystem of Chilika lake sustains the
livelihood of 0.2 million fishers and 0.8 million in the watershed community. The lake encountered a combination ofincreased siltation due to changes in the land use patternand degradation of the lake basin, as well as the partial
closure of the outlet channel connecting the sea. The
decrease in salinity caused proliferation of invasive species,
increased turbidity, shrinkage of the water-spread area, lossof biodiversity, and depletion of fishery resources. Due tochanges in its ecological character, it was included in theMontreux Record, maintained by Ramsar Bureau, in 1993.
In response to the action by the Ramsar Convention,
Chilika Development Authority (CDA) was created for the
restoration of the lake based on the Ramsar Guidelines andwise use principles by the Government. CDA initiated an
integrated adaptive management process to address thecomplex ecological and socio-economic issues of the

Chilika lake based on the Ramsar guidelines.
It is an exemplary good-practice local action of the application of the various Ramsar guidelines, and the use of theConvention's tools and approaches, to address complex
issues with an ecosystem approach. It is also a perfect
example of how the restoration of a wetland with ecosystem approach can not only result in ecological integrity of
the wetland but also, can contribute significantly towards
the improvement of livelihood of the local community. This
local action is a good demonstration how various guidelines and tools of the Ramsar convention have been successfully translated into action. In particular, this example
could assist the Convention to develop further guidance insupport of the whole ecosystem approach to wetland management and provide an example of adaptive management practices for wetlands.
The restoration strategy adopted by CDA derives its
uniqueness from the firm participation by local communities, linkage with various national and international institutions, and intensive monitoring and assessment of thesystem and its global relevance. Chilika Lake was removed
from the Montreux Record (first from Asia) in 2002, andChilika Development Authority received the prestigious
Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for the successful
restoration of the wetland.

9

Ariake Sea Session

Characteristics of the marine environment in Ariake SeaYuichi Hayami

Saga University

Ariake Sea is a semi-enclosed embayment located in western
Kyushu. It has a length of 96 km, mean width of 18 km and mean
depth of 20 m. It has a large tidal amplitude up to 6 m of tidal
range in the bay head. Because of the shallow topography andlarge tidal amplitude, there are widespread of tidal flat which isabout 40% of the total tidal flat area in Japan. The Chikugo River
which is the biggest river in Kyushu discharges into the bay
head. The area northward of the line connecting Takesaki Islandand the Miike Port is called as the inner area of Ariake Sea. Highconcentration of suspended clay and silt in the Chikugo River
water, shallow depth and large tidal amplitude generate highturbidity in the inner area of Ariake Sea. Most of the tidal flats inthis area are soft mudflats. The typical ones are Higasiyoka-higata and Hizen Kashima-higata. Here “higata” means tidal flat.
On the other hand, there are sandy mud or sandy tidal flats
located along the eastern coast of Ariake Sea including Araohigata. Ariake Sea has unique biota; for example, Mutsugorou(goggle-eyed goby) and Etsu (grenadier anchovy). There are 23
species which distribute only in Ariake Sea in Japan. Most ofthem are mainly distributed in the inner area of Ariake Sea.
From October to April, many laver cultures are conducted in the
inner area of Ariake Sea using the shallow topography andabundant nutrient supply form the rivers and mudflats. It is thebiggest commercial fishing in Ariake Sea (About 99% of thegross fisheries production in Ariake Sea in Saga Prefecture).
However, many environmental and fisheries problems are
occurring in Ariake Sea now, e,g., the decrease of bivalves anddemersal fish, increase of red tide and the formation of thehypoxic water mass (oxygen depleted water) in summer. Morethan 30 years ago, the inner area of Ariake Sea was the biggest
production area of Tairagi (pen shell) in Japan. Its production
sometimes exceeded ten thousand t/year. But its population

Animals and Plants in Tidal Flat of Ariake Sea

size became very small now and its fishing has been closed for
5 years since 2012. In the sandy mud or sandy tidal flats, thedecrease of the production of Asari (manila clam) became aproblem. From the mid 70s to the early 80s the Asari production
in Ariake Sea exceeded 50 thousand t/year. It was a half of thetotal production in Japan. But it was less than 1 thousand t/year
in 2014. There are two types of red tide problems in Ariake Sea.
One is the toxic phytoplankton bloom in summer, e.g. Chattonella sp. The other one is the phytoplankton bloom mainly
diatoms in autumn and winter. Usually they are not toxic.
However, as the excess phytoplankton production consumes a
lot of nutrients in water, the discoloration of the cultured laver is
induced by the nutrient depletion. The formation of the hypoxic
water mass is a serious problem since it induces the decrease inbenthos and disappearance of fish. The bottom water in the
inner area of Ariake Sea easily became hypoxic from the 1970s
to the early 90s and the hypoxic water mass (less than 3 mg/L in
Dissolved Oxygen) formed every summer since 2004. The main
reasons for these problems remain unclear now. But many fishermen insist that the Isahaya Sea dike construction affected. In
1997, the inner 1/3 of Isahaya Bay was shut off by the dike and a
fresh water reservoir and reclaimed land were constructed.
Now the conflict related to the Isahaya dike construction becamea big social problem.

Yasuhisa Henmi

Center for Water Cycle, Marine Environment, and Disaster Management, Kumamoto University

The Ariake Sea (1,700 km2) is an enclosed coastal sea withlarge tidal amplitudes of more than 6 m in the innermost areas
during spring tides. In the Ariake Sea, huge tidal flats (188 km2)
develop mainly in the estuarine areas of large rivers, and manysalt marshes are located in the upper intertidal zones of estuarine and riverine areas. Different types of tidal flats are observedin various places, and animals and plants segregate habitats by
the sediment type (soft bottom - pebble). In the northern (inner)part of the Ariake Sea (Isahaya - Yanagawa), tidal flats are hugeand composed of very fine mud (soft bottom), and Mutsugoro(mudskipper), Sarubou (ark clam), Shiomaneki (mud fiddlercrab), and Shichimenso (Suaeda sp.) etc. can be observed. In
the middle part (Arao - Uto), many tidal flats are middle-sized
and mud-sandy, and Asari (Japanese littleneck clam), Hamaguri(hard clam), and Hamamatsuna (Suaeda sp.) etc. can beobserved. In the southern part (mouth of the bay; Shimabara,
Amakusa), most seashore is small-sized and rocky, and small
sandy tidal flats are found in inner parts of inlets, and Mategai(razor clam), Hakusen-shiomaneki (sand fiddler crab), andHamasaji (autumn statice) etc. can be observed. Many dolphins(Minami-hando-iruka, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin), over 100
individuals, inhabit and forage for fish on the sea of Amakusa
Islands.
In Ariake Sea, many animals and plants are continental relicts,
Oo-syamisengai (Lingula sp.), Umi-maimai (air-breathing snail),Haragukure-chigogani (dotillid crab), Etu (Japanese grenadieranchovy), and Mutsugoro etc., and they lived around ‘Old Yellow
River’ 20,000 years ago. Now, the same species are found along
the Yellow Sea, though the distribution of these species isrestricted to the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas in Japan. Nori
(edible seaweed of red algae, mainly sold as a paper-thin, black,dried sheet) and Asari are major fishery products in the Ariake
10 Ariake Sea Session

Sea. However, Nori product is unstable and Asari product suddenly decreased since 1980s. Moreover, unfortunately, othercommercially important fishery species, Hamaguri, Tairagi (penshell), Agemaki (Chinese razor clam), Haigai (granulated arkclam), Kuruma-ebi (Japanese tiger prawn) etc., also greatly
decreased and some of them become endangered species.
Like other coastal environments in the world, tidal flats in the
Ariake Sea face high levels of destruction, due mainly to anthropogenic activities. Also in western Kyushu, many people lives incoastal regions, making coastlines highly vulnerable to humanimpacts. In addition, human activities affect tidal flats directly
and indirectly through grazing, dredging, development, saltwater intrusion, dumping of chemicals into water systems andoverfishing. Moreover, invasive alien species, Kara-mushiro(Nassarius snail), Shimamenou-funegai (onyx slipper snail),
Higata-ashi (saltmarsh cordgrass) etc., represent a major threat
to native animals and plants in tidal flats in the Ariake Sea.
Finally, tidal flats are also exposed to the threat of a global risein sea levels. Because of the environmental destruction likeabove, coastal biodiversity and the services to it underpins are
greatly lost. For example, Kumamoto is the largest Hamaguri(Meretrix lusoria) producting prefecture. The estuarine area ofthe Midorikawa River is the largest producing area in Japan. But
the production is greatly decreased since 1980s. The major
causes are thought to be sand/gravel-digging in the river, construction of dam and overfishing. The sand/gravel-digging in theriver, and construction of dam changed the bottom of rivermouth from sand to mud, which the juveniles of Hamaguri
dislike. Thus, the change of coastal environment gives serious
influences on animals and plants in the coast areas.

Reproduction of mudskippers: Aerial embryos developing in a mudſlat burrowAtsushi IshimatsuInstitute for East China Sea Research, Nagasaki University

Intertidal mudflats are highly productive ecosystems that
impose severe environmental challenges on their occupants due
to tidal oscillations and extreme shifts in habitat conditions.
Reproduction on mudflats requires protection of developing
eggs from thermal and salinity extremes, O2 shortage, dislodgement by currents, siltation and predation. Mudskippers are
air-breathing, amphibious fishes, and one of few vertebrates that
reside on mudflats. There are five species of mudskippers inJapan, and two in the Ariake Sea (Boleophthalmus pectinirostrisand Periophthalmus modestus). All the mudskippers so far
studied lay their eggs in mud burrows containing extremely
hypoxic water. If submerged in the water contained in theburrows, the eggs will perish within 48 hours due to suffocation.
Therefore, the question of how the eggs survive had been an
enigma to fish biologists.Through our 10-year field work in Saga,Japan, we found that the Japanese mudskipper Periophthalmus
modestus deposits its eggs on the walls of an air-filled chamberwithin its burrow. To ensure adequate O2 for egg development,
the burrow-guarding male mudskipper deposits mouthfuls offresh air into the egg chamber during each low tide. As a result,the O2 concentration of egg-chamber will become high enoughto satisfy O2 requirement of the developing embryos during thesubsequent high tide period, when the mudflat was covered bytidal water and the male did not add air. An artificial reduction of
egg-chamber O2 concentration revealed that the male sensed
the hypoxia and recovered the O2 concentration rapidly before
the next mudflat inundation. When egg development is complete, the male, on a nocturnal rising tide, removes the
egg-chamber air and releases it outside the burrow. This floods
the egg chamber and induces egg hatching. Video records
showed that flooding the chamber required the removal of an
average of 103±42 air gulps, which gave an almost exact volume

Wild birds in Ariake sea (past, present, and future)of total egg-chamber air (47ml) based on the buccal-branchialcapacity of P. modestus (0.46ml in an average-sized (2.6g) fish).
Thus, P. modestus has developed a reproductive strategy thatallows it to nurture eggs in this severe habitat rather thanmigrating away from the mudflat.
Data on the reproductive strategy of Boleophthalmus pectinirostrisis fragmentary, largely because of more complex and variableconfiguration of their burrows. Nonetheless, the measurementof redox potential indicated that the egg chamber is exposed tomuch higher O2 conditions than the other parts of the burrows.
Observations of burrow-guarding male and the laboratory
experiments of egg incubation in air and hypoxic water also
agree with the assumption that B. pectinirostris eggs develop in
air filled in an egg chamber.
The reproductive strategy of mudskippers requires that theeggs be specialized to develop in air and that the air-breathing
capacity of the egg-guarding male be integrated in a complex
behavioral repertoire that includes egg guarding, ferrying air toand from the egg chamber, and sensing O2 levels therein, all inconcert with the tidal cycle. Compared with the reproductivemodes of other fishes that spawn at the interface between air
and water, mudskippers have evolved the most sophisticated,but also the most energy demanding reproductive strategy,
which probably reflects the most formidable nature of theirhabitat.

Akiyuki MiyaharaWild Bird Society of Japan Saga

I’ve heard that a lot of Anas formosa flied above Ariake sea
flapping their wings before the war from the first branch chief ofWild Bird Society of Japan 25 years ago.
After that, there is the World War II, and recovery from the war,and rapid economic growth. During that, the coastlines in Japan
were concreted. The tild flats were 80,000 ha in 1945 but 51,433
in 2006, namely disappeared 36% in 60 years.
Now the tild flats that remain in Japan or 19,206 ha are in
Ariake sea. From this figure we can understand how importantthe tild flats in Ariake sea are. But in Ariake sea the sluice gate of
Isahaya bay was closed. Formally Isahaya by was the number
one landing zone. Now the number of Anas formosa landing
decreases. Anas formosa became rare bird.
The birds like Anas formosa continued to decrease but still alot of birds go through Ariake sea. Ariake sea is the place where
33% of shorebirds come to Japan. This figure is derived fromthe maximum number of individuals in the survey monitering-site 1000.
The site is consist of Core site (Arao Higata, Higasiyoka Higata,
Kasimasinkago Kaigan) and General site (Rokkaku-gawa Kako,
Hayatue-gawa Kako , Onoshima). The tild flats in Ariake sea isthe important one and in addition to shorebirds a various kindof birds (Ducks, Gulls, Herons) come there.
Chroicocephalus saundersi is the endangered specie, and
45% of the bird in Japan come to Ariake sea and pass the winter. 20% of Platalea minor and 71% of Tadorna tadorna use
there. A lot of Caldris alpine, Pluvialis squatarola, Charadrius
alexandrinus use there not as a stopping point but also as a
wintering spot.
38% of Caldris alpine 21% of Charadrius alexandrinus thatpass the winter in Japan use the tild flat of Ariake sea. Also
42%Numenius madagascarienisis and 36% of Limosa lapponica

supplement nutrition and pass there.
From these datas you can understand that Ariake sea is No.1.
Especially Higasiyoka Higata is remarkable. Higasiyoka Higat is
an indispensable place to birds.
The reason why a lot of birds come there is that there aremuch food for example, Bristle worms, Crustaceas, fishs andalso their foods microbes, plankton.
That Ariake sea is sick now.
Every time I hear about the reduction of fishery resources, I
am very sad.
We can not make the environment worse any further. Arao
Higata, Higasiyoka Kaigan, and kasima shingomori Kaigan(thewetlands of international importance that are protected) constitute only 5% of the entire Ariake sea. We must link to the future
to enjoy watching birds rest on this place, to arrest the deterioration of the environment. It is up to us enrich the sea and also
impoverish the sea.

Ariake Sea Session 11

Toward Restoration of Ariake Sea by Means of an Integrated Studies“CoHHO” Collaborated with Its Relevant Social Movement “The Sea is Longing for the Forest”
Masaru TanakaKyoto University

The Ariake Sea previously showed the highest bioproductivity and biodiversity in Japanese coastal waters, being characterised by existence of many unique species of which distribution
is resricted there. However both trends have been lost in recent
years primarily due to accumulation of large-scale humanimpacts on the environment. Although there were many humanimpacts, following three problems appear to be the mostserious impacts on the Ariake Sea ecosysytem. 1) Disembarking
huge amount of sand from the bottom of the Chikugo River
which is the largest river inflowing to the Ariake Sea during thelater half of 20th century. 2) Chikugo Ohzeki construction in 1985
at the lower reach of the Chikugo river in order to supply drinking water for Fukuoka city. 3) 7km sea dyke construction in 1997
to reclamate the wide tidal flat area in the innermost part of
Isahaya bay.
Each of those human impacts on itself is serious, but we shouldmake sure of the essence common to these problems. That mustbe human-dividing land (forest) sysytem and sea system which
originally connect each other. We could easily undersatand thattidal flat which needs continuous supply of mud and sand fromland mainly by rivesrs; tidal flat appears to be deteriorated if its
contiuous supply was disturbed, causing resultnat reduction of
bio-purification ability by benthic organisms.
Japan has a unique natural strcucture characterised by combination od rich forest ecosystem with its coverage of 67 % andhighly diversified marine ecosystem which is connected bymore than 30 thousands rivers.This is recognised as positive
connectivity in which forest ecosystem enhances marine bioproductivity by suppling nutrients and minute elements.
However increased human population along riverside has
destroyed it and chaged to negative connectivity. This could be

typically found in Ariake Sea surrounded by many volcanic
mountains like Unzen, Tara, Seburi, Kuju and Aso. Present critical situation of Ariake Sea is derived from destroying the forest-sea connectivity during the last 50 years.
In 1989 oyster-culture fishermen initiated tree-planting activity in order to restore the coastal marine ecosystem under acatch-phrase“The sea is longing for the forest”in Kesennuma,
Miyagi prefecture. This grass-root social movement becomes tobe nation-wide movement and has recently been got attention
from ovesrseas countries as a Japanese wisdom. Followed thissocial movement (Mori-Umi movement), an integerated studies
covering from the forest to the ocean was proposed by Kyoto
University in 2003, being named as CoHHO studies (Connectivity of Hills, Humans and Oceans).
We have tryed to introduce the Mori-Umi movement and
CoHHO studies to Ariake Sea for restoration, particularly tidal
flat restoration since 2010. In order to disseminate the idea wehave hold annual symposium entitled “Ariake Sea restoration”
in Fukuoka, Oita, Saga and Kumamoto prefecture. Combinedwith idea dissemination we have established a non-profit organization to start practical tidal-flat restoration experiment. One of
the important our practices has been conducted in Tara, Saga
prefecture under collaboration fishermen, citizens and researchers since 2011. This experiment has been carried out using anenvironmental restoring substance named as Chilate Marine(CM) composed of iran, baboo chachole and chelate substance.
This will be done under collaboration of young and senior generations as well as collaboration of local and urban people.
Recent our particular concern is how we could invite school children into such field activities.

Eſſorts toward Revitalization and Creation of Ariake Sea
Yoshiyuki Kawakami

Ariake Bay Rehabilitation Organization

The Specified Nonprofit Corporation, Ariake Sea Revitalization Organization was established with the aim of contributing
to the revitalization and creation of the Ariake Sea through“survey and research” and “NPO activities”, etc. mainly by university researchers in June 2005. Based on this, we have provided information widely through symposiums and lectures for
citizens, and have been thinking about Ariake Sea together. In
addition, we have also worked on the “Research Master Plan”
showing a roadmap for a future survey and a research for therevitalization of Ariake sea.
We submitted “urgent proposal leading to future of Ariake
Sea” to the related organizations of government and prefecture,
and also actively participated in the problem of opening the
Isahaya Bay reclamation project and strove for social contribution from scientific standpoint.
Today, we are gathering together with a common goal for“revitalizing and creating Ariake Sea”, and aiming to establish“Association to consider the revitalization and creation of Ariake

12 Ariake Sea Session

Sea and its coastal areas (tentative name)” composed by theadministration of government and Saga prefecture, fisheries,
researchers, NPO members etc. who cooperate toward this goal
and implement concrete efforts.
In addition, we will recruit technology seeds for revitalizing
Ariake Sea widely from all fields to discover new technology
seeds, and will hold a workshop for technological suggestion.
We will play a platform role for revitalization of Ariake Sea.



Traditional ſisheries of Ariake Sea
At least until ca 1950s, there were many traditional fishingexisted in Ariake Sea. The numbers of the traditional fishingmethods were about 100 including fishing boat fisheries andfishing activities on the tidal flat. However, their numbers fell toabout one-half due to the degradation of marine environment
and the decrease of the fisheries resources. The examples of the
traditional fishing boat fisheries are the “Ankou-ami”, the“Umitake-neji” and the helmet diving fishing of pen shell. The
Ankou-ami fishing is conducted by a boat anchoring at the bay
head area off the river mouth. The Ankou-ami is a fixed bag net
with a width of about 20m which traps the fish and shrimp
flowing into it by strong tidal current. It still can be seen off themouths of the Hayatsue River and the Rokkaku River now. The
Umitake-neji is a fishing to catch the bivalve Barnea dilatata (inJapanese “Umitake”) which has long siphon and living in thebottom sediment using a long rod with an iron hock from afishing boat. Now this fishing has been closed because of thedecrease of the population. The helmet diving fishing of pen
shell (in Japanese “Tairagi”) is one of the typical fisheries in
Ariake Sea but the history of it was not so old. It started in the
Taisho era, at first by the divers form Jeju Island, Korea. Thisfishing is also closed now because of the decrease of population. The examples of the traditional fishing activities on the tidal
flat are the “Mutsukake”, the “Subokaki” and the “Takappo”.The
Mutsukake is a fishing of the goggle-eyed goby (in Japanese“Mutsugorou”). The Mutsukake fishermen sneaks up to a goggle-eyed goby on the mudflat and catch it by whipping with along fishing rod. There are about 10 fishermen who are conducting the Mustukake in Hama, Kashima City and so on. The Subokaki is a fishing to catch the goby Odontamblyopus lacepedii(in Japanese “Warasubo”) in the mud using a rod with an ironhock. The Mutsukake and the Subokaki fishermen use the Oshi-

Festival and culture in Ariake Sea coastal area

Kango Nakao
MAE-UMI Citizens' Association, independent photographer
ita to move on the mudflat. The Oshi-ita is just like a snowboard
or a wake board, but instead of zipping over snow or water, theyslide over mud. The Takappo is a fishing of the goggle-eyed goby
hiding in the burrow using traps made of bamboos or PVC pipes.
Other than them, there are fishing methods using setnets or
fishing weirs. The “Sukui”, also known as the “Ishihibi” is a stone
tidal weir. The Sukui fishing catch fish trapped in it using the sea
level change caused by the tide. In the Meiji era, there wereabout 200 Sukuis along the coasts of Ariake Sea. However, there
is only one is remaining now. It is located in Isahaya Bay anddesignated as a cultural property of Isahaya City. The otherfishing method which is under threat of disappearance is the
Takehaze. The Takehaze is the biggest setnet in Ariake Sea. It is a
V or W shaped structure with a length of about 200 m in one side
constructed with many bamboos and one or a few nets inshallow water. Just after the World War II, there were at least 100
Takehazes in Ariake Sea. But there are only one is remaining off
Omuta City now. The traditional fishing methods disappeared inthis 70 years after the World War II is more than 10.

Gunji Aramaki

Specified Nonprofit Corporation, Ariakekai Gururin Net

Japanese people believe that “God” is inhabited in every
nature, such as the sun, moon, water, ocean, forest. OkinoshimaIsland and Munakata Taisha Shrine where registration was
decided to be a World Heritage this year, is celebrating the godof water and the famous Hurougu shrine, Koura Taisha shrine,
Yodohime shrine in this area are celebrating the gods of sea andwater.
“Hurougu Shrine Sea God Festival”, a festival that sets up an
altar on the tidal flat that the tide has drawn at low tides andprays for God the grace and peace of the sea, conveys the relation between the ocean and people. The “Umihiko Yamahiko
Legend” written in “Kojiki”, the oldest historical book in Japan,
can not be established unless the background difference is large
difference in the Ariake Sea. This strongly suggests that theorigin of Japanese courtroom was in the coastal area of Ariake
Sea.
150 years ago, the Saga clan was in charge of security atNagasaki Port which was opened to a foreign country in Japan.
The Saga clan who touched advanced Western science and technology had learned much from many foreigners and books andsucceeded in making cannon and steamship with their own
power. The former site of Mie Tsu Navy site which completed
the first steamship in Japan was registered as “World Modernization Heritage” together with “Manda pit” (coal mining) in
Arao City in 2015.
People in the coastal area of the Ariake Sea inherit the ancientfestivals and at the same time create new festivals such as the“Kashima Gatalympics” and “Hot-air Balloon Festival” anddeepen their relationship with nature. Kashima citizen came up
with the idea to compete on tideland to widely advertise theflats’ charm. Competitions are prepared such as how far you
can fly with the rope and how fast you can run on a thin platewith a bicycle not on the brake. The smiling face of muddy children in the “Kashima Goatalympics” shows that the mud
deposited in Ariake Sea is clean and fun.
Saga plain has a mild climate, paddy field where hot air
balloon can land, road runs horizontally and sideways. Thisnatural condition makes it possible to hold hot balloon competitions. In “Hot-air Balloon Festival”, people can feel that thedirection of the wind blowing in the Saga plain changes delicately because the balloon which can be steered only up anddown moves in different directions.
Let’s think about the festivals and culture people have raised
and inherited in the coastal area of the Ariake Sea.

Ariake Sea Session 13

The history of Nori farming in Tokyo Bay and trial to pass down it to later generation


Fumihiro KoyamaExecutive Director, Nori no furusato kai (Omori Nori Museum)[Omori Nori Museum] Omori Nori Museum is located near the
Haneda airport of Tokyo and next to the park with the regenerated beach. You can learn about the history and technology ofnori farming at this museum. Besides, you can get nature information about the regenerated beach.
Nori is a kind of seaweeds, which is one of the most popular
traditional food stuffs in Japan. Omori was once well-known asa nori producing region, and the production technique developed here was emulated throughout Japan. Lots of different nori
farming tools including 13-meter-long nori boat are exhibited at
this museum.
[History of Nori farming in Tokyo Bay] Nori grows naturally on
rocks or sticks in shallow areas of cold-water oceans. People
have gathered wild Nori off rocks or sticks for thousands ofyears. Farming of Nori in Tokyo Bay became active around 300
years ago (Edo period), particularly in Tokyo’s Ota Ward area.
Nori farmers drove wooden sticks into the shallow seabed close
to the mouths of rivers. In winter, they pick up Nori grown on the
sticks from the boats. Then they made them thin sheets like
papers on the land. Ota, especially Omori village soon became
the main production center.
However, in 1962, Nori farmers agreed to reclaim farming
places for the modern development of Tokyo port and history for
300 years came to an end. About 1,000 families were engaged in
Nori farming at that time. After that, shallow sea was reclaimed.
A local preservation group started collecting and preserving
their nori-producing tools soon.
They never forgot their lives which had been with the sea.
Although many years went by, Omori Nori Museum was openedby the Ota Ward government in 2008. With thanks to passions oflocal people. Management is entrusted to the NPO “Nori No
Furusato Kai (Hometown of Nori association)”.

14 Ariake Sea Session[Museum’s activities] Our goal is to pass down the local Nori
history and the importance of wetland to later generation. The
approach to goal consists of three elements.
1. History
We explain about history, tools, and so on to the visitors. Lotsof local elementary schools come for learning their local history.
Learning history of nori farming is related to thinking the relationship between human and wetland. In other words, wise useof wetland.
2. Nature
The most important thing of nori farming is to understand thefunction of wetland and sea. We need to learn them even now.
So we offer natural environment programs about fishes, benthosand so on.
3. Experience
The museum’s most popular attraction is a hands-on eventthat offers visitors a chance to mold dried Nori in the old way.
Former nori farmers teach us practically. It’s very valuable,
because they’re over 80-year-old. Experience is the most effective way to learn something. The traditional way usually includes
wisdom which is forgotten now.
We actually try to cultivate nori by using with bamboo sticks
and nets in the sea every winter. It’s difficult to harvest because
the tide there is very weak. But we continue, because our purposes are technical succession and reproduction of the old sea
scene.

Session 1 Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change

The Role of Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction Keynote


Naoya Furuta

Taisho University / IUCN

Since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, there has been agrowing interest and recognition of the role that ecosystems
play in disaster risk reduction and ecosystem-based disaster risk
reduction (Eco-DRR) approaches globally. Eco-DRR is defined as“the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of
ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim of achieving
sustainable and resilient development”. This trend was further
accelerated after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 andhas Eco-DRR now become widely recognized in various global
policy frameworks such as CBD decision XII/20 Biodiversity andClimate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in 2014, Ramsar
decision XII.13 on Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015,
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in 2015
and the UNFCCC Paris Agreement in 2015.
In the meantime, there is also a growing recognition of theecosystem role for climate change adaptation. Ecosystem-based
Adaptation (EbA) was defined by CBD as “the use of biodiversity
and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy
to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.”
A number of similar concepts and terminologies have also been
invented and being used to articulate these efforts such as ecological engineering, natural infrastructure and green infrastructure. Scientists started to argue the benefit of combining
ecosystems or using ecological engineering approaches as partof disaster risk reduction and adaptation strategy instead of
relying solely on conventional built structures. They argue that
ecosystem-approaches can provide more cost-effective andlow-regret solutions especially in the face of uncertain climatechange scenarios. Scientific evidences have are also been accumulated to back up these arguments. At the same time, there aremany initiatives and projects started to test these concepts on
the ground such as Building with Nature and Living Shoreline.

While disasters can happen in any place such as mountains,rivers, cities or coasts and can be caused by various types ofnatural hazards such as hurricanes, storms, flooding, tsunamis,
sea-level rise, avalanches, landslides, droughts, earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions, climate related hazards at coastal andriver basins have become one of the most serious issues as anumber of populations and economic activities are concentrated in these areas with the expected sea-level rise withextreme weather being caused by climate change. In thiscontext, wetlands have a very important potential role to play.
This presentation will overview these global trends in recent
years and discuss challenges and opportunities for wetlands toplay for the future ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction andclimate change adaptation.

Carbon Retention in Sediment by Check Dams in Phayao Province, ThailandChotiwut Techakijvej, Jaroon Jakmunee,Chitchol Phalaraksh

Chiang Mai University

Since pre-industrial times, human activities have an important influence in the global climate change by using of fossil
fuels and land use change altered the global carbon cycle especially increasing of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrationand other global greenhouse gas. One of significant factor incarbon cycle is soil that can reduce the atmospheric carbon
dioxide by storage carbon from photosynthesized which isaccumulated as soil organic carbon (SOC). Because twice ofcarbon stock in soil than in atmosphere, small losses of SOC
storage could be significant impacts on atmospheric carbon
dioxide concentration that altered to global climate change. Soil
erosion is one of the important processes that impacts on soil
carbon pool and global carbon cycle. In Thailand, the office of
research and development for land management estimated thecarbon losses from soil water erosion about 10.07 - 11.20 million
ton C / year this is the highest carbon losses from soil compare
to other process. Check dams have been widely used globallyas human introduced structures for water management and soil
erosion control. Moreover, check dams can store significant
proportion of the eroded soil carbon along with the effects of
sediment retention. However, there are few study of carbon
retention of check dam.
This research was aimed to estimate the carbon retention in
sediment by check dam and to consider check dam carbon
retention potential at watershed-level. Check dam sediment,characteristic and watershed geographic data and land use data
were collected from check dams in 3 watersheds include Nam
Kham, Nam Pook and Nam Sala at Pong District, Phayao Province, Thailand. Three types of check dam included loose rock (3check dams), wooden (2 check dams) and ferro-concrete (1check dam) were collected samples to analyzed SOC and estimate the carbon retention. The check dam carbon retention

potential at watershed-level was analyzed by integrative carbon
retention effectiveness index (ICREI) base on carbon retention
amount, carbon retention intensity and mean carbon retention
capacity of each watershed.
For the result, the estimated amount of carbon retention by
all check dams equaled to be about 652.9 tons. The wooden
check dam check dam has highest carbon retention amount
263.7 tons. Total volume of check dam is the most important
influencing factor for carbon retention. However, when comparing potentials of sediment carbon retention by different types ofcheck dam due to percentage of carbon content. The result
showed that the highest carbon concentration was loose rockcheck dam type 0.95%, wooden check dam type 0.70% and ferro-concrete check dam type 0.32% respectively. At watershed-level, the correlation showed that total storage volume ofcheck dam and the number of check dam was the main factorsof check dam carbon retention at watershed level. The highest
ICREI was found in Nam Kham watershed (0.74). Because of,
Nam Kham watershed was got highest in number of checkdams in sub watershed that related to high sediment carbon
storage volume. In contrast, Nam Sala watershed has less effective to retain the carbon. This can be used as important decision
for planning of new check dams in this watershed for morecarbon retention capacity. The results of this research can beused as important decision support for check dam development
planning in the future.

Session 1: Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change 15

Evaluating the impacts of hydrological variations on carbon ſ luxes in tropical peatlands

Chandrashekhar Deshmukh, Dony Julius, Nardi, Adly Firma

Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL)

Tropical peatlands are complex and poorly understood ecosystems with largely unknown biogeochemical and hydrological regimes. In these ecosystems, waterlogged-anaerobic
conditions slow down the decomposition of organic matter(OM) and favor their accumulation. Most of the tropical peatlands are typically ombrotrophic, where ground water table
generally follows rainfall pattern. Increased frequency andintensity of climate extremes like El Niño and land-use change
modify hydrology and thereby affecting biogeochemistry ofthese ecosystems. Over the last few decades, there have been
increasing efforts to investigate carbon dynamics and water
vapor fluxes in these ecosystems. Nevertheless, carbon andwater balances in these ecosystems are still subjected to large
uncertainties mainly due to the scarcity of the direct and continuous long-term measurements, particularly in Southeast Asia.
To improve assessment of the role of tropical peatlands inglobal carbon balance, there is a clear and urgent need for moremeasurements and a better understanding of carbon and waterbalances in these ecosystems.
In this context, we have established a long-term direct monitoring network to quantify net ecosystem exchanges of carbon
dioxide, methane and water vapor between the ecosystem andthe atmosphere at ecosystem level using Eddy Covariance (EC)technique. Direct micrometeorological methods like Eddy
Covariance (EC) provide measurements over large areas (typically more than few hectares), that can be analogous to ecosystem scale. Short and quasi-continuous integration intervals(e.g. 30 min), typical for the EC technique, are beneficial tocapture temporal variability related to biological and physicalprocesses underlying carbon and water vapor exchange.
Although several studies have reported EC measurements atseveral agricultural sites, the EC measurements of carbon andwater fluxes over tropical peatlands are lacking, particularly inSoutheast Asia.
In the context, we have installed EC towers in three major
ecosystems distinguished by land-use in tropical peatlands ofthe Kampar Peninsula of Sumatra, Indonesia; (1) plantation forestry (PF); (2) mixed land cover (ML) that includes partly burnt
degraded peatland forest and shrubland; and (3) restoration
forest (ER). The EC instruments are installed on top of the towers
at 43, 43 and 51 m above ground surface at the PF, ML and ER
sites respectively. This offers much larger flux footprint area ofmore than 200 ha. In addition, automated soil CO2 chambers
are placed directly onto the peat surface to measure CO2 emissions resulting from microbial decomposition of peat soil.
Moreover, rainfall, ground water table, soil moisture, soil temperature, net solar radiation, photosynthetically active radiation(PAR), relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind direction
and wind speed are being recorded at 30 min averages. Measurements have been started at the PF and ML sites since September 2016 and at the ER site since May 2017. The outcomes ofthis project shall allow a better estimation of regional carbon
and water balance and help scientists and policymakers better
understand how hydrological variations due to climate change
and land use change affect carbon dynamics. This presentation
will discuss the sampling strategy and preliminary results.

Lessons learned in building community resilience:
100 villages on the bank of 3rd largest river system of Peninsula of India in 5 years

Saswata Kumar Mohapatra

NET-COAST
River Mahanadi is the largest river system of State of Odisha
and the 3rd largest river system of peninsula of India. It drains
an area of around 141,600 square kilometers and has a total
course of 858 kilometers through 3 states of India. The communities living along the bank of the river are highly dependent on
the river system. Each year the river brings flood which affects
the lives and livelihoods of these communities.
Project titled ‘Partner’s for Resilience’ was launched in theyear 2011, with its primary focus on Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR), Ecosystem Restoration & Management (ERM) andClimate Change Adaptation (CCA) frameworks. The project waslead by Wetland International South Asia and Cord aid. It was
implemented by NETCOAST, a network of 8 NGOs working indifferent districts in the State of Odisha.
There was selection of 100 villages across the Mahanandi
river system in different districts of Odisha. Following Eco-system management principles as the core strategy, these target
villages were segregated in to 3 zones based on the landscapepattern and geographical locations, viz. i) Delta head zone, ii)
Central zone and iii) Coastal zones.
Participatory Risk Analysis (PRA) was conducted in each of
those 100 villages. The analysis included among many othervariables, the village’s evident problems, the extent of vulnerabilities, the available human & financial resources and the community capacities. This was final led to development of‘micro-plans for building resilience’ for each of the villages. The
activity plan thus prepared envisaged mobilization of resourcesfrom Govt. and other local stakeholders of the areas. The key
challenge of this process was the difference of approach ofthese stakeholders who did not traditionally work together.
Apart from measures to respond village specific issues, these
16 Session 1: Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Changeplans also included some of the activities due to its location in
the respective zones, which ultimately influence the ecosystemsof the other two zones.
One successful example from the project could be ‘finding
out local solutions to the issue of water logging’. The project has
supported an activity called ‘inlet/outlet clearing of Canal’ in theCentral Zone villages targeting the issue of ‘water logging’. This
eventually reduced the water logging days in the crop fields
affecting across 113 acres of land in 12 villages, near River Rajua
at Kanas, Puri. This further contributed in the introduction oftimely crop management in the zone. Another successful
outcome of the project was the “inclusion of Local Self Governance/ Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) systems” in the process.
DRR/ ERM or CCA has never been in the agenda for PRI.
The village level plans thus developed during this project
were passed in the Pallisabha/ Gramsabha(hamlet/village
meeting of local self elected Govt.) planning meetings withformal resolutions. Thus these agendas are now carried forward
to the PRI/ Local Self Governance to take up further. Therefore,
even the project was ended in 2015 the actions/ activities arestill ongoing.
The project during the last 5 years has left behind a group of
stakeholders with both the motivation and ability to work
together to promote practical approaches towards better community resilience building.
While the Mahandi river system is the life line of many small
and larger wetland systems of the State, the documentationand sharing of such cases stories will provide enormous inspirations in further mobilizing other communities, Govt. departments and other stakeholder’s joint initiatives to resolve issues
locally and having impacts on a broader scale.

Impact of climate change on the wetlands of BangladeshSanowar HossainBangladesh POUSH

Bangladesh is a land of wetlands, around 50% of the country
is occupied by different types of wetlands. Due to climatechange the wetland ecosystems area under treats. There arechanges in rainfall and temperature that interferes the productivity of the wetlands. The inland wetlands which are the breeding ground of fisheries and the habitat for resident and migratory
birds’ are being affected by extreme climate events and morphological changes. Community has been trying to cope withthe changes by practicing different adaptation practices. In thewetlands the adaptive action by the community in agriculture
and natural resource management are both proactive andplanned. The Ecosystem based Adaptation is highly recommended action for the protection of livelihoods in wetlands andenvironmental wellbeing of the wetlands. The changes in the
agriculture and fisheries, the main occupation of the wetland
inhibitors of the country are significant. Community is practicing diversification of the agriculture. Short duration crops andits early varieties are more popular to cope with the changing
climate. Climate smart agriculture is the main scope of adaptation action in an agrarian community. The paddy cultivation inwetland ecosystem is causing a risk of over harvesting of water
for the irrigation that has consequences on the biodiversity of
the wetlands. The wetlands in north-east flood plain basin arecharacterized to unique vegetation and fisheries, the flood plainin the central and northern part characterizes by sand andregular flooding. Climate change events interferes the habitatand biodiversity stability and cause fragmentation on habitat.
The coastal wetlands are habitat for migratory waders andsandbar vegetation; but the cost the most vulnerable ecosystem of the country due to climate change. Frequency of floodand cyclone has increased. There is displacement of people
from the climate vulnerable areas. there is deviation in the char-acter of seasons; population of fisheries is interfered. Climatechange consequence on those wetlands is causing loss of vegetation which results fragmentation of the habitat. The conservation action requires more attention on the vegetation
regeneration. In cooperation with the communities Bangladesh
POUSH is working for participatory habitat development in the
coastal wetlands. For the climate action government has taken
number of programs and projects. The Nationally Determined
Contribution has identified climate action which also works forthe environmental wellbeing of the wetland habitat. Technology,
legislation, educational knowledge, action plan strategy, conservation practices are required to manage wetlands. Bangladesh now needs a comprehensive approaches, strategy andintegrated system combining political, economic, social, technological and institutional supports to address sustainablewetland conservation and the newly added crisis, climatechange. To cope with the climate change in wetlands knowledge
management is an urgent.
Climate change is a reality and the community, development
actors, practitioners and policymakers need to work in a comprehensive way with the knowledge from different intervention
action taken and practised by the Government and non-government organizations. Wetland protection and conservation plans
require identifying the climate impact and the vulnerability
caused by the climate change. Ecosystem based Adaptation isthe best option to make the wetland communities’ climate smart.

Reducing Fire on Peatlands in Indonesia – Experiences and Lessons Learnt froman International Cooperation Project in West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Tropical peatlands, where peat deposits are often over 20
meters thick, are one of the largest reserves of terrestrial organiccarbon. Indonesia holds 14.9 million ha of peatland with thelargest share of tropical peatland carbon pool as a single
country.
However, because of human activities such as converting
swamp forest into farmlands by logging and draining, the tropical peatlands have been heavily destroyed since the early 1980s.
When swamp forests are logged and peatlands are drained, theground water level drops. As a result, peatlands become susceptible to fires. A large fire occurred in 1982–1983, followed byhuge land burning in 1997–1998 destroyed over 10 million ha ofpeatlands in Kalimantan and Sumatra. In 1997, because of anenormous fire that occurred throughout the peatlands of Indonesia, between 0.81 and 2.57 Gt of carbon was released into theatmosphere, which is equivalent to 13 to 40 percent of the meanannual global carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
Peatland fires in Indonesia are considered to be mostly
human-induced. Fires are used by local and immigrant farmers
as part of their agricultural practices, such as land clearing andash production for fertilizers. Fire is a cheap, fast, and easy
method for land clearing for agricultural purposes. These fires
often burn out of control and expand to become huge fires on
peatlands.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been collaborating with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of theGovernment of Indonesia (MOEF) for years in order to tackle
this issue. From 2010–2015, a technical cooperation project was
implemented by MOEF and JICA for the purpose of developinga methodology of community-based peatland fire prevention.
The project applied a collaborative planning approach called
the “Village Facilitation Team Approach”.Through this approach,emphasizing the importance of facilitation, the project formulated a team of six facilitators that mainly consisted of villagers

Yuki Arai
University of Tokyo / JICA

and district government officers. Intensive training program onvillage facilitation, providing sufficient opportunities for fieldtraining exercise at actual villages, was provided to the six facilitators. After receiving the training, the facilitators visited the 16
target villages one by one, and facilitated the villagers’ discussion to develop a village activity plan to reduce usage of fire andto improve villagers’ farming practices.
As a result, many villagers actively participated in the meetings since the discussion topics were directly related to theirlivelihoods. Through participating in the discussions, they
noticed that land burning, which is prohibited by law, could posea risk to them through legal punishments. In addition, theylearned that they could improve their farming practices without
using fire, through trainings on organic fertilizers and pesticides.
Considering the risks of legal punishments, villagers seem tohave decided to stop or reduce land burning by regulating themselves and by applying non-burning agricultural practices.
After project intervention, the number of local villagers who
use fire reduced from 62.4% to 30.2% in the Benkayang District
and from 69.7% to 41.3% in the Kubu Raya District in West Kalimantan. In April 2015, following these achievements, the project’s collaborative fire prevention approach was officiallyadopted as a part of the national government’s policy.
Based on the experiences from this project, it can be inferredthat providing sufficient opportunities for local communities todiscuss and make decisions through facilitation, and connecting stakeholders to enable access to locally appropriate knowledge may have promoted fire prevention activities by thecommunity members. Further, it can be implied that initiating a
discussion on livelihood-related topics and gradually sharing
information on the risks caused by usage of fire may haveenabled to mobilize community members toward fire prevention activities.

Session 1: Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change 17

Interventions for wetland conservation in the Pampanga River Basin and Candaba wetlands, Philippines
Minerva J. Martinez,Joy M. Navarro,Biodiversity Management Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources /Lea Ivy O. Manzanero, Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Department of Finance / Daniel S. Torres, Independent Researcher

Among the numerous wetlands in the Philippines, this paper
focuses on the Candaba wetlands which to date has not yet
been recognized for its international significance. The Pampanga River Basin, which is the second largest basin in the
country, is located in Luzon Island and covers a catchment areaof 7,978km2. The longest channel spans of 265 km. A prominent
feature within the basin is the 32,000 hectare Candaba wetlands: a complex of ponds, swamps and marshes surroundedby seasonally flooded grasslands and arable lands on a vast
alluvial plain. As portions of the floodplains dry up from November to May, most emergent lands are planted to rice, corn andwatermelon. During the rains from June to October, the wetland’s ecosystem-based function is as a natural flood retention
basin of overflows from several rivers.
The Candaba wetlands hosts 57 species of migratory birds
with an abundance totaling to 10,000 waterfowl. Among theendangered species are the Streaked reed warbler (Acrocephalus sorghophilus), Philippine duck ( Anas luzonica), Black-faced
spoonbill (Platalea minor), and previously, the near-threatened
Spot-bill pelican (Pelecanus philippensis). Such avian diversity
supports local and visiting birdwatchers and nature lovers.
Large scale flooding is a major challenge. From 2003 to 2006,
the series of typhoons of increasing frequency and severity
caused flood damage to the surrounding provinces of Bulacan,
Pampanga and Nueva Ecija. The 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption
deposited ashfall resulting in shallower drainage networks. Voluminous eruption-derived sediments blocked river drainage
systems feeding into the Pampanga Delta. Together withincreased rainfall due to climate change, flooding is expected toworsen in future years. Infrastructure-based interventions overthe past 25 years were designed to address flooding. For example,
the 1993 JICA-funded Pampanga Delta Development Project(Phase 1) constructed a 14 kilometer floodway from the rivermouth in Manila Bay upriver to Masantol thereby increasing
channel flow capacity from 500 to 4,300 cubic meters per second.
The Php 900 billion Megadike project built riverbank armoring toprevent Pinatubo-eruption related material from covering thetowns of Bacolor, Porac, Sta. Rita and Guagua in Pampanga.
Another form of intervention is non-infrastructural such as
land use-related policy and the community-based flood warningand forecasting system established in 1981 through the assistance of the Government of Japan. In terms of policy, Resolution 51 series of 2004 declared the whole town of Candaba as
bird sanctuary. Additionally, privately initiated efforts established the 72-ha Candaba Swamp Wildlife Reserve in Sitio
Simang, Barangay Vizal San Pablo. Possesing such criticalvalues for avian diversity and ecosystem services, the Candaba
wetlands was identified as a candidate site for inclusion in the
Ramsar List and as part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
Site Network.
Future flood mitigation plans include river channel improvement along downstream areas of Pampanga River and construction of flood retarding basins in the Candaba and San
Antonio swamps. Possible non-hard infrastructure interventions include nature-based approaches such as rehabilitating
Pampanga River Basin’s watershed, planting native species forriparian stabilization, and rehabilitating the protective dikes
using ecologically-sound engineering measures.
With its vulnerabilities and exemplary values, the PampangaRiver Basin and its component Candaba wetlands could becomea showcase for the multiple benefits of adopting ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction (DRR) andclimate change adaptation (CCA). In the overall strategy for DRR
and CCA, the mix of infrastructure and non-infrastructure interventions using ecosystem-based approaches will be necessary
for maintaining the unique biodiversity value, while enabling
communities to take advantage of wetland ecosystem services
that mitigate disaster risks and support adaption to impacts ofthe changing climate.
Considering the foregoing discussions, this paper hopes toencourage further discourse on protecting the Candaba wetlands.

Huge Water Channel Construction Project with Nature and Human Friendly Approach in the Sendai River Kiyofumi Kobayashi, Kyushu University Graduate School of Engineering, Daishin Co.,Ltd / Hironori Hayashi, Kyushu University Faculty of EngineeringIn the Sendai River basin which flows in Kagoshima prefecture, there was recordable heavy rain mainly in the northernpart of the Satsuma region from July 19th to July 23th 2006.
Total rainfall for 5 days exceeded 1000 mm at rainfall observatory. In particular, the damage of Satsuma Town was enormous.
There were one person dead and three minor injuries, 214 completely destroyed buildings, 367 semi-collapsed buildings and232 inundated buildings. This flood damage was mainly caused
by unprecedented heavy rain. In the downstream part of theSatsuma Town Torai area, there was a narrowed section where
the river channel was curved large. It was pointed out that risingof the water level of this greatly curved river channel part is oneof the factors which caused the damage to be expanded.
On the other hand, similar floods had occurred in the area in
1972. As a result, the residents had a strong distrust againstriver administrators (MLIT: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,transportation and Tourism). This project was accompanied by aremarkably large scale renovation that cuts waterways of about
250 m in extension, 65 m in average channel width and 700
thousand m3 of excavated sediment. In addition, the projectsite is adjacent to shopping districts and residential area in theSatsuma town. For this reason, we had to fully consider the
impact of river improvement project extending to an extensionof 2.0 km on the lives of the local residents. For that reason, it
was necessary to inherit the history and culture of the area, tomitigate the impact on natural landscapes and ecosystems, andto fully consider the utilization methods after the reconstruction
18 Session 1: Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change

Yukihiro Shimatani, Kyushu University Faculty of Engineeringin advance.
In this paper, we introduce the Sendai River improvement
project which was carried out by participating residents in thisTorai area. Specifically, the concept of planning
design, the landscape hydraulic model experiment used toevaluate the flood effect and the natural environment accompanying the division channel opening, the consensus formation
process with the local residents, the maintenance management
after the completion and the utilization. In the project site, floods
occurred two weeks after the completion of the channel construction, but the water level observation station supports thesafety of the region, such as a water level drop of 0.8 m is confirmed. Six years have elapsed after completion, flooding flows
repeatedly from 3 to 5 times each year into the channel, andnow a new wetland space that work as a habitat of aquaticorganisms is also created. In the construction section close to
the residential area, masonry bank protection utilizing construction generating rocks and a waterfront walking path incorporating universal design are in place. In view of the riverenvironment, riffle and pool habitats and vegetation which areimportant for aquatic organisms were restored. In the Torai area,
there are numerous regional event held by local residents andNPOs. Taking this opportunity, community development thatconnects the waterfront and daily lives of residents, tourism
projects of nature experience, etc. are actively undertaken in the
Sendai River basin.

Wetlands for a Disaster Resilient Asia: Legal Agenda
Amado S. Tolentino, Jr.



Ramsar Center JapanThe 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated 12 countries
including Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. As an immediate
response AWS 2005 recommended, among others, “Prioritize
the natural coastal defenses through greenbelt/coastal“bioshield” development...” In connection therewith, the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction ( identified as one of thefour priorities the matter of investing in “disaster risk reduction(DRR) for resilience.”
Not to be missed is the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (ADMER) with the intentionof providing “effective regional mechanisms to mitigate impactsof natural disasters...through concerted national efforts andintensified regional cooperation.”In the light of scientific information that natural disasters areprojected to intensify in Asia, the ADMER mentioned above
could be utilized for disaster prevention and mitigation purposes even if the Agreement leans heavily on disaster preparedness and emergency response. In short, it could serve as thefoundation for Asia’s active role at DRR by incorporating wetlands’ management legal strategies for climate change resilience.
ADMER is replete with provisions which could be used by
Asian countries in refuting the claims that while emergency
response is almost well attended to from the local to the national
government level, much remains to be done in regard to prevention and mitigation legislation, regulations, policies, plans,
programs and strategies.
In pursuance thereof, Asian countries could very well incorporate wetlands for DRR and build resilience in their legal
agenda. For instance, the strategy of of planting mangrove saplings should be a continuing year=round activity required bylaw in the extensive coastlines of Asia. Likewise massive plant-

ing of high quality and commercially productive bamboo could
be introduced as a legal technique not only for protection but
also to preserve and rehabilitate riverbanks and lakeshores andprovide added source of income to people.
To these natural ecosystem-based solutions is a sift in disaster reduction approach, i.e. build better infrastructure increasing
buffer capacity of the wetland landscape to absorb shocks andlong term changes. This requires sharing available technology
to build back better hurricane resilient house, or, in general,
improve critical infrastructures in coastal areas. This would
necessitate amendment and strict implementation of existing
national building codes to ensure that all buildings are supported by a stable and strong base. The use of legal instruments
and guidelines for DRR could be further aided by risk literacy
and risk transfer for resilience via insurance coverage against
disasters or “acts of nature.”Be that as it may, building a disaster resilient Asia needs partnerships among governments, private sector, NGOs, LGUs andother institutions with clearly defined roles in disaster prevention and mitigation. To begin with, a program on the values andfunctions of wetlands for DRR and onwards to consolidating
endeavors among Asian countries could be embarked on and,in the process, highlight also the need to scale up adaptation toclimate disruption.
Disaster risk reduction is an issue that deserves priority alongwith food security, poverty alleviation, population control, etc.
so that the region can have its much-needed disaster resilientsystem.

Session 1: Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction / Climate Change 19

Session 2 Wetlands and Policy / Changes / International Cooperation

China’s New National Policy on the System of Wetland Conservation and Restoration  Keynote

Yan FANGOffice of Wetland Conservation and Management, State Forestry Administration of the People’s Republic of China

Wetland plays an irreplaceable role in water conservation,
purification of water quality, flood control and drought resistance, climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. It is an
important natural ecosystem and a part of the natural ecologicalspace. Wetland conservation is an important part of the construction of ecological civilization in China, which is related to
the national ecological security, which is related to the sustainable development of economy and society, which is related tothe survival and well-being of future generations of the Chinese
nation. To speed up the establishment of a complete system of
wetland protection and restoration system, according to the
CPC Central Committee and State Council issued the “Opinions
on accelerating the construction of ecological civilization” and“ecological civilization reform program” requirements, thedevelopment of this program.
China plays an essential role in the maintenance of global
ecological security with its abundant wetland resource. The
Chinese government has taken large steps toward ensuring theconservation and wise use of wetland since it acceded to theRamsar Convention in 1992, demonstrating a successful
approach to wetland conservation and wise use for the majority
developing countries. However, China is also confronting thecommon problems other countries have that have increasingly
lead to wetland area decline, function degradation, biodiversity
reduction, and the pressure with an increase tendency from thedevelopment of social-economy. For the purpose of fully conserving wetlands and the sustainability of wetland ecological
functions, the Chinese government handles new tasks and challenges regarding wetland conservation in China and the current
lack of a wetland conservation mechanism. The state council ofChina promulgated the Scheme of Wetland Conservation and
Restoration on November 30th, 2016. It is a major decision in
the construction of a system for wetland conservation and restoration in recent years from the perspective of maintaining theecological security of China and even the world, promoting sustainable development in the construction of an ecological civilization as the national strategy by deepening reform andgoverning states by law.
In light of the Scheme of Wetland Conservation and Restoration, the Chinese government issued the Implementation Planon National Wetland Conservation on the 13th Five Year, from2016 to 2020. The Plan claims that China will recover degraded
wetlands amounting to 0.14 million hectares and increase
wetland area by 0.2 million hectares, promoting the percentage
of conserved wetland to above 50%. The Scheme also integrates
wetland conservation into the agendas of all levels of local governments. The China green development indicator system
regards wetland as a means to evaluate the performance of
local governments at all levels. The Chinese government will
settle down “the red line”, namely bottom line on ecology by theend of 2018, bringing wetlands with important ecological functions into the protection scope of “the red line”. China will establish a wetland classification system based on the ecology
priority, ecosystem function and biodiversity. The system
intends to divide China’s wetland into three levels by national,
local and general, creating the list of wetlands based on thesecategories and updating its regularly.
The Scheme includes 55 specific aspects, covering wetlands
classification,wetland occupied and compensation balance,wetland ecological evaluation, water bird monitoring, alien species
prevention, the carrying capacity assessment on the wetland
utilization, wetland destroy investigation, wetland rehabilitation, converting farmlands to wetlands, wetland ecological benefits compensation, water security for ecological use, andwetland conservation volunteer. The establishment and perfection of the above all has determined the most priority tasks on
wetlands conservation and restoration in the near future in
China.

Ramsar COP as a turning point of awareness and the present activities:
Some cases to promote local awareness through international collaboration and understanding
impressing with the concept of Wise Use

Yoshikatsu KikuchiKushiro International Wetland Centre

Kushiro Shitsugen is Japan’s largest wetland. It was listed
under the Ramsar Convention in 1980 when the first COP of
Ramsar was held in Cagliari, Italy. Kushiro Shitsugen became
the first Ramsar site in Japan. But with the exception of someexperts and administrations, people’s interest to the wetland
was still limited.
Kushiro Shitsugen is located in the eastern part of Hokkaido.
The history of cultivation in this island was comparatively new,because after Meiji Restoration of 1868, the new government
placed great emphasis on Hokkaido’s economic development,
encouraging settlers to come from other other parts of Japan.
But the scale and speed of cultivation were fortunately notlarger, because of harsh environments and small population. So
people thought there would be no crisis by destruction of theenvironment in their abundant and inexhaustible land. So as in
Kushiro area. The wetland was left mostly untouched without
large-scale developments, but open seams on the fort of nature
have been growing as human behavior and the improvement ofliving standards has extended.
Kushiro Shitsugen has a rich habitat for a variety of precious
flora and fauna, including the Red-crowned Crane. After it waslisted as a national park of Japan in 1987,
Kushiro Shitsugen has known far and wide in the country, but
it was still not enough to draw many people’s interest to its
eco-system. One of the reasons why wetlands didn’t contributeto raise awareness to the importance of the wetlands in the past
was that local people have regarded the wetland as barren or
useless land from the old times of their ancestors. They preferred to live staying out of wetlands and they had no intention
to evaluate their land’s value, the importance of wetlands.
In 1993, COP5 of Ramsar Convention was held in Kushiro. It
20 Session 2: Wetlands and Policy / Changes / International Cooperation

was the first Ramsar COP held in Asia. Many people worked andhosted the meeting as volunteers. A lot of NGOs and nature-related organizations and groups gathered from all over Japanand they joined at the meeting and held many events. Then
COP5 made them to recognize the important of wetlands in thearea after the meeting, and many of nature-related organizations and NGO groups went home with enthusiasm of theiractivities. The time of COP5 in Kushiro turned to the turning
point for many people to move to the next phase for wetlands.
After Ramsar COP5, Kushiro International Wetland Centre(KIWC) was established with the support of local areas. It aims
at a network acting vigorously with members including national
government agencies, wetland-related local governments, local
universities and NGOs, experts and individuals. To enhance
local people’s awareness to nature and conservation of wetlands, we always arrange lectures, tours, environmental surveys
and various other events to communicate the appeal and sharethe significance of wetlands are very effective. We attach weightto the wise use of wetlands - a concept by which all wetlands
are treated as valuable local assets whose blessings are used toenrich people’s lives and passed on the wetland to future generations. We actively promote international cooperation toadvance the preservation and wise use of wetlands. Related
work includes the organization of training programs (of JICA)
and workshops for developing countries and the dispatch ofexperts to such nations. We also collect, exchange and provide
up-to-date information on wetland conservation and biodiversity, and works to extend its international cooperative network.
In the presentation I introduce some cases of our attempts toenhance the awareness of local people to conserve the environment being aware of international collaboration.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper conservation in the internationally importance wetland Gulf of MottamaPyae Phyo Aung

Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is a long distance migrant, breeding in Russia and it regularly migrates
more than 8,000 km passing through 14 countries and winteringin South and South-east Asia, South along the East-Asian Australasian Flyway, including major staging posts in the Yellow
Sea, with approximately half of the global population is understood to winter in Myanmar. This species is categorized as globally Critically Endangered on the Red List of the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is thehighest category of extinction threat for any species still present
in the wild. The current population decline could lead to its
extinction within a decade. The population is declining by 26%
per year, with a global population estimate of approximately
100 pairs. If the current rate of decline continues then thespecies will be extinct within a decade. The Gulf of Mottama(GoM) is one of the most dynamic estuaries and famous intertidal mudflat ecosystems in the world. The Gulf is bell-shaped
and has dynamic estuary ecosystems. The Gulf is one of theworld’s most important wintering areas for the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, hosting probably more than halfof the remaining global population.
The local communities use the site for fishing, grazing,duck-rearing and paddy farming. However, the Gulf of Mottama
is a vulnerable and changing environment where communities
have lived by adapting to change over time. Surrounding thecoastal area of Gulf of Mottama has 180 villages in this area andnearly two hundred thousands of people live there. Their main
livelihood is fishing. The standard of their education is low andthe condition of their health is still poor. The gulf of Mottama
will be demarcated as one of the biggest Ramsar site in Asia.
But due the different administrative government structure,
Northern part of Mottama Gulf was designated as fourth Ramsarsite in 10 May 2017. The designation of this Ramsar site is of
special significance because it is the first in Myanmar that is
outside a legally-designated protected area. It therefore sets animportant precedent for Myanmar’s many other wetlands ofglobal importance that merit Ramsar status.The Gulf of Mottama
is meets six out of nine Ramsar criteria, a comparatively highproportion. On the other hand, the Gulf of Mottama is suffering.
Fish catch has declined by 50-90% over the past 10 years as aresult of overfishing, often due to use of illegal nets to harvest
fish of all sizes, even juveniles. Small-scale fisher folk are being
forced to either look for work in other sectors or migrate. The
local fishermen catch the fish excessively by using drag nets
which is also called wire mesh. So the fish stock is rapidly
depleting in this area. The local people said that it has affected
their livelihoods. Community involvement and management
plan is crucial role for further sustainable of natural resources in
Gulf of Mottama. Community-led Coastal Management Gulf ofMottama Project is pioneer project in Myanmar for enhancing
coastal wetlands conservation.

The Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention:
An eſſective mechanism for promoting State Party compliance?


Tess Van Geelen, Evan HammanQueensland University of Technology, Faculty of Law

The world’s wetlands are in decline. In Asia, and South-East
Asia in particular, scientists estimate up to 50% of wetlands
have been lost over the last hundred years. Other figures put
the percentage of degradation and change in ecological character of wetlands significantly higher. Much of the degradation
has been due to land reclamation, intensive agriculture, urban
development and industrial pollution. Wetland decline in China’s
Yellow Sea region has been particularly catastrophic, despite
the existence of over a dozen important Ramsar-Listed sites inboth China and South Korea.
With the escalation of the impacts of climate change, thechanging ecological character of wetlands is emerging as a key
concern for decision-makers world-wide. But what mechanisms, measures and strategies do decision-makers have toaddress this? How can they appropriately identify wetlands at
risk, and develop the strategies and mechanisms for restoringand managing them going forward?
In this paper, the authors provide a analysis of the Montreux
Record (MR) under the Ramsar Convention. The MR is a list ofRamsar sites which have undergone negative ecologicalchanges, due, for example, to excessive development or industrial pollution. The authors have undertaken a quantitative analysis of the MR, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Using thedata from their study, they consider, from a legal perspective,
whether the MR is an effective regulatory mechanism for ensuring compliance and promoting good governance at wetland
sites.
The authors suggest that the MR, whilst well-intentioned, hassome flaws in its operation. There appears, for instance, to be
no significant incentive for nations to voluntarily list their sites
on the MR (despite many being in decline). A developed country

like Australia has refused to do so recently for several of its
sites, presumably due to ‘bad press’ or a lack of administrative
oversight (and competing concerns). Funding and expertise fordeveloping countries might be available for future MR listing,but Ramsar, like other Protected Area frameworks, is stretchedwith current commitments as it is.
One suggestion from this paper is for developed states in aregion to ‘buddy-up’ with developing states to propose MR listings and follow them up with a funded plan for restoration
through collaboration and consultation with communities andother stakeholders. This approach meets the aims of multilateralenvironmental governance which is best practice the world
over. Transparency around MR decision-making is anothermajor concern. Whilst the Ramsar Secretariat holds detailed
information about Ramsar sites, information about MR discussions, decisions and threats to specific sites is not easily
obtained. Without proper transparency, States, non-states andother stakeholders lose confidence in the Ramsar system as ameans of addressing wetland declines.
The authors conclude that the MR could be modelled on the
In Danger List under the World Heritage Convention, which provides for a certain level of ‘public naming and shaming’ ofStates, but also the technical, financial and administrative
support to remedy the challenges at the sites themselves. Similarly, for the MR to be more effective, its status as a compliancemechanism needs to be elevated and strengthened. This begins
and ends with greater transparency and State Party support
around the decision-making and remediation process.

Session 2: Wetlands and Policy / Changes / International Cooperation 21

The Establishment of Southeast Asian Limnological Society Network (SEAL-Net)

Mashhor Mansor, Luki, S., Wan Maznah, W.O., Muzzalifah, A. H. and Siti Norasikin, ISchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

During the 16th World Lake Conference which was held at
Kartika Plaza Hotel, Bali, from 7th to 11th November 2016, theSoutheast Asian Limnological Society Network or SEAL-Net wasestablished. It should be noted that this historical event had
taken place on the 10th November 2016 with 30 participations
form various Asian countries. This is mainly due to a close political cooperation between the 10 ASEAN nations. The current
geopolitical situation in the 10 nations is encouraging andmoving fast in becoming the economic power in the global economic arena. Perhaps it is undeniable that the ASEAN nations
are not only rich in biodiversity, but also rich in freshwater ecosystems.
For example; the Mekong River which flows through sevencountries is the 12th longest river in the world and the 7th
longest in Asia, passing through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao
PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam. In addition there are several
unique lakes such as Tonle Sap, Cambodia, Moeyungyi Lake,
Myanmar, Toba and Matano Lakes in Indonesia. One of thewidely recorded species in this region is the Irrawaddy Dolphin(Orcaella brevirostris). The populations are also thrive in coastal
zones. Concurrently with the Bali declaration, the SEAL-Net was
official adapted and recognized. Among the items insert were
the sustainable usage of the river basins and lakes. The global
water systems from tropical countries should be widely recognized. The scientists are urged to establish a common platform
for sharing either globally or regionally.
International networking focusing on data requirement onriver basins and lakes management are encourage.Uniquecomplex issues facing nations should be addressed accordingly. The conference offered several solutions based on policies, scientific data gathering and crucial information wereheighted. Therefore, at this junction SEAL-Net is looking forward

for further international cooperation with other agencies allover the world. Perhaps the tropical ecoregion is relatively different from other ecoregions such the temperate and polarzones. Based on the cooperation between Universiti Sains
Malaysia (USM) and Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia(LIPI), it is very encouraging and timely that a book entitled‘Lake Ecosystem & Services: Temengor Reservoir, Malaysia and
Selected Indonesia Lakes’ was published. Several issues on
Malaysian and Indonesian Lakes are addressed. This book offersa strong guideline for further studies in the lakes ecosystems ofIndonesia and Malaysia. It is interesting to note that Temengor
Reservoir was morphometry studied in detail. The bathymetry
mapping method based on acoustic findings was used in orderto obtain a model on the surface topography and bottom water.
This bathymetric survey apparently is the pioneer study on the
deep and dark zone of a tropic. To date, there are 22 university
networking among the universities in Mekong Delta. The cooperation between ASEAN universities, seems to be very encouraging. Most of the lakes in Myanmar, Thailand, Loa PDR,
Cambodia and Vietnam have been surveyed by this team. The
Limnological studies on deep lakes in Indonesia are initiated by
LIPI. Meanwhile, the USM team is focusing on the biodiversityof the lake ecosystem. The detail information could be surfed;
http:// www.sealnet.forum.org

Team SPOON:
Creating connection of people and nature for sustainable society and East Asia peaceAkane Tokorodani, Akihumi Shimada, Dai Machida, Masato DohiTokyo Institute of Technology and Team SPOON

In wetlands, and especially tidelands, rich nature has fostered
diverse cultures. However, there is history that such rich nature
has been decreasing due to urbanization. At the same time, thisalso means that the relationship between the people and thewetland has been disappearing. On the other hand, there arestill many great wetlands around the world, and they havediverse cultures. Especially wetlands in East Asia have many
common aspects in its features and the relationship between
the people and the wetlands. In other words, cultivated culture
in a certain wetland would be a hint to solve other wetland
issues. In order to achieve conservation and wise use of wetlands, it is necessary to bridge the gap between people andnature, cities and nature that has been growing due to modernization, and cooperate with East Asian regions that havecommon climate and culture.
In this context, we are engaged in activities to build peaceful
foundations in East Asia by connecting people and nature, cities
and nature, and at the same time connecting people acrosscountries. This paper introduces our activities, Team SPOON.
Team SPOON is working with the Black-faced Spoonbill as asymbol of our activities. The Black-faced Spoonbill is an endangered species which are only about 3,900 birds around theworld, and it is a migratory bird across East Asia such as Taiwan,
Korea, Japan, and China. Some individuals of this bird are put afoot-ring to identify individuals for research, and Team SPOON
makes a ring which is the same design of this foot ring for visualizing the connection between people and the Black-faced
Spoonbill individuals. Additionally, Team SPOON is sending
daily news of the Black-faced Spoonbills (“Daily Black-faced
Spoonbill Times”) on Facebook or E-mail to our members.
In the daily news, we report observation data of the Black22 Session 2: Wetlands and Policy / Changes / International Cooperation

faced Spoonbill, and introduce the relationship people and theBlack-faced Spoonbill, people and wetlands such as mural
paintings and songs about the Black-faced Spoonbill, lifestyle
related to wetlands like fishery, sightseeing and foods, andevents related to the Black-faced Spoonbill held in various
places of its flyway. Since members can freely make comments
and questions on the daily news, not only does it connects
people with the Black-faced Spoonbill individuals, but plays therole of connecting people.
Team SPOON was established in January 2015. Currently,
SPOON members are 254 people, mostly living in urban areasof Japan. SPOON plans to extend these activities to East Asia
which is the flyway of the Black-faced Spoonbill. From June 26
to 30, 2017, we are going to visit Korea and spread these activities. Furthermore, we are going to research good examples ofculture and wisdom produced by the relationship between
people and wetlands in Korea, and plan to build a system thatpeople thinking about the Black-faced Spoonbill in various
regions can access and exchange such experiences. Throughthe Black-faced Spoonbill, people in East Asia are connectedacross countries to exchange the culture and wisdom cultivatedin various places of its flyway for preserving habitats and protecting local communities culturally and economically. It willcontribute to not only building diverse regions where people
and nature coexist but leading to peace in East Asia.

Yellow Sea Region Coordinated Waterbird Survey The Yellow Sea wetlands are amongst the most important
stopover areas for migratory waterbirds in the world and areused by millions of waterbirds for feeding and resting during
the both northward and southward migration along the East
Asian - Australasian Flyway. Waterbirds breeding in the Far Eastof Russia and Alaska, Mongolia and northeast and northern
China migrate along the coastlines of the Yellow Sea region tospend the northern winter in the Yangtze River floodplains andsouthern China, while many others continue their journeys tosouth to Southeast (and South) Asia, Australia and New Zealand
where they spend the non-breeding period. The coastal wetlands of the Yellow Sea also serve a very important purpose forshorebirds of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway, especially as
the northern coast is the last stopover site for many species ofshorebirds before they get to their breeding grounds.
With support of the Ministry of the Environmental Protectionof China and The State Forestry Administration, a Yellow Sea
Region (China site) Coordinated Waterbird Survey in April 2016
was organized jointly by the Wetlands International-China, The
China Wildlife Conservation Association, The Northeast Instituteof Geography and Agricultural Ecology of the Chinese Academyof Sciences and the Beijing Biodiversity Conservation andResearch Center. Approximately 34 partners from institutions
related to environmental protection, forestry, wetland reservesin the marine sector, wetland parks, universities and research
institutes along the Yellow Sea Region (China site) worked
together to undertake the survey. Altogether, 154 professional
and technical personnel and volunteers along with international
waterbird experts from Australia, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom and the Netherlands participated in the survey. The
survey was conducted from 18-24 April and lasted one wholeweek.
The total length of survey area stretches about 6500 km, from

Kelin Chen, Xiuzhi Yang Wetlands International- China
Qi Chen Beijing Biodiversity Conservation and Research Center

the Yalu River estuary in the northeast (adjoining North Korea),along the sea coast to south of the Yangtze River estuary, covering six provinces and municipalities including Liaoning, Hebei,
Tianjin, Shandong and Shanghai and Hangzhou bay in Zhejiang. The survey recorded a total of nearly 80,7000 waterbirdsof 119 species in 18 major sites along the Yellow Sea Region(China site). The count was dominated by shorebirds, with about
656,830 recorded (81.4% of the total).
According to the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2015), the survey recorded three Critically Endangered species,
namely Baer’s Pochard, Siberian Crane and Spoon-billed Sandpiper, six Endangered species, and seven Vulnerable species. In
addition, 11 Near Threatened species were reported.Fourteen
survey sites have been found to meet the criteria of wetlands ofinternational importance in accordance of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The survey found a total of 35 waterbird
species reached criteria of international importance.
The results of the 2016 Yellow Sea-Bohai Region Waterbird
Coordinated Survey highlight that wetlands of Yellow Sea
Region (China site) remain crucially important for migratorywaterbirds during their northward migration. However, thesurvey reinforces other recent studies that have shown that theregion is facing threarts including severe degradation and lossof wetlands due to rapid economic development across theregion. This is resulting in further loss of migratory waterbird
habitats that lead to loss of safe feeding and roosting areas forbirds that are of crucial importance during their migration.
It is proposed by the organisers that such surveys need to be
carried out regularly during different seasons to monitor theimportance of these wetlands and to inform decisions for theirimproved management. The survey provided a unique opportunity to identify conservation issues for waterbirds and wetlandsin the Yellow Sea and offers eight recommendations.

Opportunities to promote cooperation on the conservation and wise use of
wetlands between Asia and the PacificSolongo Khurelbaatar, Lew Young

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Pacific region comprises 23 small island nations and territories across an expansive seascape. Out of 12 independent
states, six are Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands, i.e. Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the
Marshall Islands, Palau and Samoa. With the exception of Papua
New Guinea which acceded to the Convention in 1993, theremaining Pacific Parties are relatively young members of theConvention having acceded in the past 15 years.
Although the Pacific region is socio-culturally, demographically and geo- morphologically different to Asia, there are biological similarities especially in relation to wetlands ecosystems
and the issues and challenges facing their conservation andwise use. This is especially for the coastal ecosystems such as
mangroves, tidal flats, sea- grass beds and coral reefs. For
example, the ‘Coral Triangle’, spanning across Asia and Pacificharbours more than 700 species of corals and supports essential ecosystem services. Cooperation between the countries thatshare the Coral Triangle has provided an opportunity to promote
cooperation and learning between countries from Asia and thePacific. The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
is strengthening their links with the Coral Triangle Initiative andother relevant bodies, to further support the countries in the‘Coral Triangle’ to share experiences, work jointly to build capacities at various levels, and collectively address the challenges
such as overfishing and land-based threats to these invaluableecosystems.
In terms of species, Asia and the Pacific islands share a diversity of highly migratory marine species such as globally threatened sea turtles, whales, sharks and porpoises with thecountries in the western Pacific Ocean. The conservation ofthese species therefore depends upon collaboration between

the countries in Asia and the Pacific.
The wetlands in the Pacific are facing similar pressures as
those in many Asia countries. These include population growth,urbanization along the coastlines, and greater economic prosperity that entailed more intensive sometimes unsustainable
use of natural resources. The impact on Pacific wetlands fromthese pressures can be most easily seen on the coastal wetlands. Many countries in Asia face the same challenges to aneven greater extent and so there is a great deal of good practices and lessons learnt that to be shared with the Pacific islands
in terms of conserving and sustainably using coastal resources.
Well managed coastal Ramsar Sites in Asian countries andsharing the relevant experiences with coastal communities in
the Pacific can be a good starting point.
On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific region is home to tens of
millions of indigenous people engaged in subsistence fisheries
and agriculture in rural areas often in harmony with the nature.
However different they might be from one another, the principleof community-based conservation of wetlands and theirresources applies to these indigenous communities invariably.
One successful example of such community-based initiatives is
promoting ‘locally managed marine areas’ (LMMA) across Asiaand the Pacific. Other isolated examples of community engagement in the management of wetlands should be promoted,
adapted and piloted.
The economic growth in many of the Pacific islands attracts
foreign investment from a number of countries in Asia, mostnotably, from China. This is a potential avenue to strengthen
partnership with the private sector in the area of attaining theconservation and wise use of wetlands.
Session 2: Wetlands and Policy / Changes / International Cooperation 23

Session 3 Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture / Fisheries / Food Security

Living in Harmony with Nature  Keynote

Muneharu NakagaiToyooka CityThe Oriental White Stork, an endangered species, is a large
carnivorous bird that has an average wingspan of nearly 2
meters and a body length of 1.1 meters. The Oriental White Stork
was once a common bird in Japan, but its population decreased
dramatically due to man-made changes in the environment, andstorks eventually disappeared from the wild in Japan. The lastwild stork in Japan disappeared from Toyooka’s skies in 1971.
After World war II, river modifications caused the wetlands todisappear in Toyooka. The disconnection of the Maruyamagawa
River from the low-lying rice paddies, and the modernization ofagriculture led to a sharp decline in the population of living
creatures. The use of agricultural chemicals caused the living
creatures’ extinction and it also physically hurt the storks. In an
attempt to save the storks, captive breeding started in Toyooka
in 1965, before the complete local extinction of the species inJapan.
In 1985, six young storks from Khabarovsk Krai, a region in
the Russian Far East, were sent to Toyooka as a gift. In 1989,
chicks were hatched successfully in captivity for the first timesince the start of the captive breeding program 25 years ago.
From that time on, the storks have been hatching chicks every
year. The first reintroduction of the stork was held in 2005. Twoyears later, some of the released storks mated and laid eggs.
Chicks were hatched from the eggs successfully, and one left its
nest to fly into the skies of Japan for the first time in 46 years.
Twelve years have passed since the reintroduction of the Oriental White Stork. Currently, there is around 100 captive storks,
and over 100 storks that are living free in the wild.
The stork is a bird that stands at the top of the food pyramidin our country’s natural ecosystem. For the Oriental White Stork
to be reintroduced into the wild, the restoration of a rich naturalenvironment was essential. It was also necessary to educate
people so that they are ready to welcome storks back into theirlives, and to make them change their habits, because the human
lifestyle had already destroyed the environment and broughtstorks to disappear in the past.
To restore and preserve this environment in which humans
and storks can coexist, Toyooka started an environmentally-friendly agriculture called ‘White Stork-Friendly Farming
Method’ that does not rely on agricultural chemicals and chemical fertilizers. In addition, Toyooka focused on restoring the wetlands to increase the number of organisms to become prey forthe storks in the wild. Abandoned rice paddies were converted
into wetlands and into habitats for fishes and aquatic insects. In
order to increase awareness and appreciation for the storks,
special lessons have been established in Toyooka for elementary schools students. The particularity of these lessons is thatthey take place outside, directly inside the wetlands.
These efforts represent a collaborative effort by local governments, universities and research facilities, residents of Toyooka
and many corporations. The hard work was recognized when
the wetlands of ‘Lower Maruyamagawa River and the surrounding rice paddies’ were designated as a Ramsar site. The
wetlands have attracted not only storks, but also researchersand volunteers who have helped liven up the local community.
These efforts to bring back a once extinct bird have connected
several fields together including agriculture, local economy,
ecological conservation, community development and education.

Lake Urmia Restoration via Local Community Participation in Sustainable Agriculture

Neda Asad Falsafi Zadeh, Abolfazl Abesht, Mehri Asnaashari, Hamid Soltani



Iran Department of Environment, Government of Japan, United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

With an area of 5000 km2, Lake Urmia (LU) is one of the largest
inland lakes situated in North West of Iran. This vast hyper-salinelake which is a Ramsar Site, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve anda National Park, has for long contributed to the biodiversity of
the area, as well as livelihoods of local communities around it.
There are more than 5 million inhabitants living in the basin anddrying of this lake will have tremendous impacts on their daily
livelihoods.
Over the past decade, Lake Urmia has been affected by severe
droughts and increasing pressures of over-extraction of water
which have disturbed the inflow- outflow balance of the lake.
Despite the fact that in the past two years, the situation of Lake
Urmia has been stabilized to a certain level, but the Lake still
faces the threat of an irreversible drought where the dimensionof its impacts would gradually spread from biodiversity to socioeconomic, affecting livelihood and health of the surrounding
communities. According to aforementioned points and considering the agriculture sector share of wetland basin water
resources, “modelling public participation in Lake Urmia restoration through establishment of sustainable agriculture” projectis being implemented in pilot villages of East and West Azerbaijan provinces from 2014 with the aim of reduction in water consumption.
In 2014, the high-level arrangements between the governments of Iran and Japan led to allocation of one million USD by
the Government of Japan (GoJ) to address the issues of thecritically endangered LU. Therefore, the “Contribution to Restoration of Lake Urmia via Local Community Participation in Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation” project wasadded to Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project as a new
outcome. Implementation of the first phase in 41 villages
resulted in successful achievements in water saving, awarenessraising and biodiversity conservation which led to allocation of
two million USD to institutionalize the process in 41 villages andscaling it to 49 new pilots in three further years until now.
The next phases of the project was developed based on thecapacity built and lessons learnt from the previous phases ofthe project and effectively contributed to restoration of LU
through local community and farmers engagement to bring
together the pieces of the puzzle (promotion of sustainable agriculture and effective reduction of water consumption at farmlevel which would lead to increase of inflow to the lake, social
mobilization and public awareness campaign, local water
network initiatives, alternative livelihood practices aiming atwater saving).
During implementation of the three phases, application of
Sustainable Agriculture Techniques in 90 villages has been welcomed by more than 10000 local farmers, successfully covering
30% of villages located in the LU ecological zone encompassing
250 villages. The results of monitoring water consumption at
project pilots for autumn/spring crops and orchards has shown
significant water saving (by an average of 39.5%) as well as 40%
saving of chemical agricultural inputs (Fertilizers and Pesticides)
in treatment farms as compared to control farms.
During this period 200 local experts mainly in the form of
local cooperatives were employed and trained on socioeconomic as well as technical aspects of Sustainable Agriculture,
150,000 local communities were targeted in the awarenessraising campaign and 800 local communities were involved inapplying new tools and mechanisms as complementary elements of sustainable agriculture.

24 Session 3: Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture / Fisheries / Food Security

Response of freshwater farmers to the environmental changes: a case study of ThailandSuvaluck Satumanatpan, Kamalaporn Kanongdate, Chumlong Arunlertaree,
Anawach Saithong, Poonyawee Srisantear, Thiyada Piyawongnara

Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand

This paper examines factors influencing resilience among
Thai aquaculture-farmers in Nakhon Nayok Province locatedupstream of the Bangpakong Watershed, the inner Gulf of Thailand. The area is defined as freshwater ecosystem but often
prone to seawater intrusion. With regard to the aquaculture
practice in the study areas, the main two types identified are : 1)
Polyculture – this could be more than one species of freshwater
fish or several fish species and the Pacific white shrimp or the
Pacific white shrimp and the Giant freshwater prawn in one
pond; and 2) Monoculture – this could be the Pacific white
shrimp alone or one fish species in one pond. Generally, several
aquaculture types are found in the area; polyculture of freshwater fish (37.9%), monoculture freshwater fishes (27%), Pacificwhite shrimp (24.3%), polyculture of freshwater fish and Pacificwhite shrimp (20.45%), and polyculture of the Pacific white
shrimp and the Giant freshwater prawn (18%). On one hand,
culturing a selected brackish-species (the Pacific white shrimp)
instead of freshwater fish in some areas becomes a strength of
freshwater farmers’ adaptability to the seawater intrusion. On
the other hand, apparently, the vulnerability to seawater intrusion and rising water temperature in Nakhon Nayok Riverduring the dry seasons as well as droughts and floods has
adversely impact the aquaculture productivity.
Aquaculture-farmers were randomly sampling for 206 casesand semi-structure face-to-face interviews was applied to thetargets. The results revealed that farmers have adaptability to
the change of environments in several ways. Changing type ofculture from single species-culture comprising the Pacific white
shrimp to polyculture of freshwater fish was reported as due totheir higher resistance to diseases. Farmers also indicated thatthey adapted to the physical environment by enhancing farm-fa-

cilities. For instance, increasing pond height, storing freshwater,
providing shade on water surface, and temporary avoiding culturing during severe environmental conditions. Response todeal with cost effectiveness, improving techniques of cultural
practice by adopting multi-species culture such as a polyculture
between Pacific white shrimp and Giant freshwater prawn, as
well as between polyculture of freshwater fish and the Pacificwhite shrimp, were also evident in the study area.
In addition to the environmental changes that reflect aquaculture-farmers’ resilience in the study areas, we first study measuring how farmers generally response or perceive to the future
decline of aquaculture production. The results of principle component analysis revealed that farmers’ perception to the future
decline of aquaculture production is determined by four key
resilience components including: ability to obtain work elsewhere; ability to cope when there is a change; ability to compete;
and ability to plan for survival. Based on the results, we hypothesize that farmers’ background (such as age, education, years ofaquaculture, income), climate change awareness, level of satisfaction with aquaculture, types of aquacultures, and farmers’
membership in aquaculture association have influence on
farmers’ perception of resilience. The findings of this study willcontribute to structuring programs appropriate to existing
farmers’ characteristics, hence, enhancing the livelihood of
aquaculture sustainability in Thailand and similar locations.
External forces that may influence farmers responses to thechanges have been discussed. Enhancing knowledge and stimulate important future research about aspects of adaptability inaquaculture-farming communities specifically with regard totheir impact on future policy strategies are suggested.

National Reclamation Project and “Ariake Sea Disaster”:“Open-gate survey” for the harmony of healthy fishery and agriculture

Tamotsu Sugenami



The Ariake Sea Network of Fishermen and Citizens

1. Ariake Sea is one of the highest productivity and biodiversity sea area around Japan. Especially, Isahaya Bay was highly
important for spawning or growing up of fishes, so we called
Isahaya Bay, “the womb” of Ariake Sea. The wide and muddy
tidal flat of Isahaya Bay is also important for wintering or restingof migratory birds.
Japan has joined Ramsar Convention in 1980. From thesedays, Ariake Sea and Isahaya Bay has long been eligible for thecriteria of Ramsar site. Now, in Ariake Sea, there are three tidal
flat is listed as Ramsar site; Arao (Kumamoto pref. listed in2012), Hizen-kashima and Higashi-yoka (Saga pref. listed 2015).
However, we should have evaluated whole Ariake Sea ecosystem include not only now listed tidal flats, but also Isahaya Bay
and other area, and implement “wise use” of Ariake sea.
We think the National Isahaya Bay Reclamation Project is an
impediment to comprehensive evaluation and preservation of
Ariake Sea.
2. Isahaya Bay Reclamation Project started in 1989 and 7km
sea dike has completed in April 1997. The 3,550ha tidal frat andshallow sea was dried up and fresh water reservoir was createdby building the sea dike.
The impact of the Reclamation Project for environment andfishery is far above the estimation of EIA. The catch of fisherydeclined in 1990s, according with the construction of sea dike.
After the closing of sea dike in 1997, damage for the environment and fishery became clear. In December 2000, widespread
red tide prevailed over middle to northern part of Ariake Sea
seriously damaged seaweed vwater culture. Since then, in
Ariake Sea, the red tide frequently happens and massive fishkill because of poor oxygen water in bottom layer occurs almost
every year.

The construction of sea dike may have change the tidal
strength and direction, then stratification of sea water become
stronger. Researchers explain the reason of the situation andcall such structural crisis as “Ariake Sea Disaster”.
3. We, Ariake Sea Network of Fishermen and Citizens areorganized with approximately 600 fishermen from 4 prefectures
around Ariake Sea and over 100 citizens which includes many
scientists, lawyers and other expert from several fields. We areworking for the restoration of Ariake Sea seriously damaged by
Isahaya Bay Reclamation Project.
4. Now regarding Ariake / Isahaya issue, the focus is “opengate survey”. According to the court decision, Japanese government planed “open-gate survey”. In this survey, government
going to open the sluice gate to flow sea water with tidal
exchange into the reservoir which is made under the Reclamation Project for agricultural freshwater supply. The purpose of
the survey is to investigate the impact of construction of sea
dike and reservoir, This is one of the wetland restoration activities implementing in other countries.
5. Actually, some people around Isahaya Bay who care thenegative impact of “open- gate” don’t agree with the survey, thegovernment is going to give up to operate “open- gate”.
However we think “open-gate survey” after impact reduction
measures is reasonable and possible. We have been suggesting
to make round table discussion with farmers and residents who
have concern about the survey and cooperate to find out theway to ”open-gate” for the future in which not only the restoration of Ariake Sea ecosystem, but the restoration of local community and economy based on the harmony of healthy fisheryand agriculture.

Session 3: Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture / Fisheries / Food Security 25

Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) – a pathway to holistic and integrated island
management and sustainable development: A Fiji case exampleAlifereti Tawake LMMA Network International, Fiji LMMA Network / Margie Tabunakawai Fiji LMMA Network
Jovy Cleof, Hugh Govan LMMA Network International / Saimoni Waibuta, Roko Sau Josefa Cinavilakeba Fiji LMMA Network

Coastal and wetland resources is the lifeblood and mainstay
of most Pacific Island peoples livelihoods. However, its statushave been dwindling rapidly over the last several decades. As aresult, coastal communities are facing challenges to food security and are increasignly more vulnerable to disasters andclimate change impacts.
Creating locally managed marine areas (LMMA) is one such
effort to reverse this trend that utilises community based adaptive management (CBAM) process, based on progressive participatory community-driven approaches informed by marrying
scientific and traditional knowledge. Local marine management
undertaken by communities has often achieved benefits that
may have eluded well funded and top-down initiatives.
LMMAs in the Pacific have proliferated since 2000 motivatinga growing global movement based on a learning network ofcommunities, managers and practitioners. The approaches arebuilt on a unique feature of the region – customary tenure andresource access – and often making use of traditional governance system. LMMAs in the Pacific are implemented by over1000 communities spanning 17 independent countries and territories, representing a unique global achievement. Other examples also exist around the world. The spread and endurance of
LMMAs is attributable to communities’ perceptions that benefits are very likely to be achieved and is a pathway to addressing
community aspirations and needs holistically such as water
sustainability, adaptation to climate change, improving income,food security and sustainable livelihoods. The main innovationthat has supported the proliferation of LMMAs is the operationof clusters of communities supported by islands, regional,
national and sub-national umbrellas or social networks. The
LMMA Network International includes Fiji, Solomon Islands,

Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Palau and Federated
States of Micronesia each of which have developed affiliatednational and provincial sub-networks.
In Fiji for example, the progress of scaling up LMMAs tonational level have reached 466 Fijian communities so far covering 79% of Fiji’s customary marine areas. Both empirical andexperiential evidences on successes and challenges of LMMAs
also resulted in an improved household incomes by as much as30%, fish catches increased, communities adaptive capacity
enhanced, knowledge and attitudes improved and a sense ofocean stewardship, ownership and pride being restored backinto communities. LMMAs have also transformed decision
making for customary marine areas from a more traditional,
autocratic style to a more participatory and democratic processof governance. In addition, social learning motivated by the
CBAM approach is clearly evident in the adaptive measures
implemented by communities and in policies and legislation
put in place by provinces and the national government. In
essence, Fiji through FLMMA is taking leadership role globallyon the promotion and implementation of locally managed
marine areas demonstrating the power of collective community
efforts if given the chance. Fiji LMMA Network in ensuring Fishfor the Future Generations! is committing to scale up its work tocover 100% effectively managed and governed customary
marine areas by 2025.
Key success and challenges facing LMMAs in other countries
and their supportive social networks are also discussed. In
essence, LMMAs serve as building blocks for integrated island
management and sustainable development by communities.

New forest commons towards solving the underuse of Satoyama from fishers’ initiatives in Japan

Shimpei IwasakiDepartment of Environmental Science, International College of Arts and Sciences, Fukuoka Women’s University

Satoyama is commonly described as secondary forests
nearby human settlements, and represents the socio-ecologicalproduction landscape. It used to be fundamental to the environment, people and living organisms so that the local people had
been able to maintain the productiveness in its biodiversity bythemselves. In response to modernization, however, underuseof Satoyama has been widely occurred especially in the depopulated areas of Japan. Stagnation of the forestry industry andthe aging of the population resulted in weakening roles offorests to act as a variety of environmental functions. The
underuse problem impacts not only forestry sector but also awide range of stakeholders including fishery one. Soundness ofthe forests has been believed to improve the condition for fish
growth in the coastal areas among the fishers in Japan. There isan urgent need to apply an integrated approach to forest conservation with active participation of various stakeholders in themodernized and aging society.
With this recognition, the paper highlights a case of newforest commons towards solving the underuse of Satoyama
from fishers’ initiatives in Japan. The research summarizes theoutputs and challenges of fishers-based forest conservation at
the regional and national levels, in terms of places, contents offorest conservation, planted tree species, and so on. Furthermore, it presents innovative cases of fishers’ initiatives to copewith the underuse problem of Satoyama at the local level.
Findings revealed that forest conservation activities withactive participation of fishes were reported in 539 areas of 39
prefectures out of 47 in Japan during the period from 2001 to
2012. Hokkaido is the most active region of these activities,
amounting to 76 places per year. These activities in Hokkaido
was mainly triggered by a movement entitled “fish-breeding
forests plantation campaign” since 1988 by the initiative of fish-

er-wives. At the national level, the organizers of forest conservation activities vary from place to place, but 56% of forest
conservation activities were hosted by fishers. Out of 14 categorized work, tree plantation was the major activity. As the years
passed, however, forest management has been shifted fromplantation to forest maintenance activities including weeding. It
is important to note that tree plantation with multi-tree species
at favorable habitat and fertilizable trees have been put into
practice. In particular, around 81% of planted tree species was
deciduous tree, in order to ensure soil and nutrient enhancement, which is expected to contribute to higher fishery production in the river and coastal ecosystems. However, the study
also revealed that the fishers tend to face with difficulties incoping with such constraints as shortage of budge and manpower, maintenance of planted trees, and securing lands forplantation. In fact, around half of these activities were suspended. To tackle with these challenges, the lessons learned
from successful case studies indicated that the fishers exploredbuilding collaborative partnerships among relevant stakeholders by sharing the advantage of their own resources to cover foreach other’s weaknesses. Based on these findings, this paper
provides new insights on identifying potentials and challengesof new forest commons from fishers’ initiatives in Japan.

26 Session 3: Wetlands and Use of Natural Resources / Agriculture / Fisheries / Food Security

Session 4 Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural Infrastructure

Urban wetlands and Governance challenges
in the two Indian mega cities of Chennai and Bengaluru Keynote

Sandhya ChandrasekharanCentre for Biodiversity Policy and Law (CEBPOL) of the National Biodiversity Authority

Bengaluru and Chennai are two-major cities in the southernpart of India which have population sizes of a few million people.
While geographically, both are in the south and less than 500km
apart, they are part of two distinct bio-geographic zones – theDeccan Peninsula, and the Coastal.
The key ecosystem service related challenge that has been
the topic of considerable discussion in recent times in both
rapidly growing urban regions pertains to the quality and quantity of fresh water. The Chennai Metropolitan Area is reported tohave had 650 waterbodies till a few decades ago, since reduced
to only 30 (Janakarajan cited in Laksmi, 2017). It also has tworivers – the Cooum and Adyar, and the artificially constructed
Buckingham Canal. The city gets an average rainfall of 140cm
every year, with recorded rainfall of less than 100cm (the anticipated ideal) having occurred only 5-6 times in the last few
decades (Laksmi, 2017). As a city on the high-energy coast of the
Bay of Bengal, it is also no stranger to extreme climatic events(Jayaram, 2015). From the Indian ocean tsunami in December
2004 to depression-induced heavy rains that caused flooding in
the city in December 2015 and a super cyclone in December
2016, the city has seen it all. Delving into the management of its
ample waterbodies and the denuded resilience that would otherwise be offered by its original ecosystems presents an interesting case of the story behind a city that is prone to both water
stress and urban floods. The combined capacity of the tanks andreservoirs is estimated to be 80 thousand million cubic feet ofwater (80 tmcft), but their current capacity, owing to poor maintenance and lack of periodic desilting is only 11 tmcft (Janakarajan cited in Laksmi, 2017). Nearly 300 tmcft of rainwater drained
into the sea in the 2015 floods as a result (ibid), leaving in its

wake the world’s 8th most expensive natural disaster for theyear, estimated to have cost a USD 3 billion loss to the economy(article in the Business Standard, 11 Dec 2015) . New and post
facto regularised urban infrastructure came sharply under thescanner from sections of academia, media and civil society – a
new airport terminal on the floodplains of the River Adyar, a
Mass Rapid Transit System constructed almost wholly over the
Buckingham Canal and the erstwhile 50square kilometre Pallikaranai marshlands, an Information Technology (IT) corridor
and engineering colleges constructed on waterbodies (Jayaram,2015).
In Bengaluru, the story is not very different. A report by the
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) shows that between 1973 and2013 there has been an estimated 79% decrease in the total areaof its many lakes and waterbodies, with over 50% of the area oflakes being built-up in violation of existing laws, and local government agencies being implicated in the same (Sengupta,
2016). The matter was discussed in the state legislature as well(ibid). The city too has witnessed a spate of waterlogging events
after regular rainfall, and water shortages and dependence, as
in Chennai, on the growing phenomena of private watermarkets, where private operators truck in water in tankers fromperi-urban areas (Nelliyat, 2016). Governance of the factors
behind the transformation of urban wetlands and the undervaluing of their ecosystem service values is a complex matter, andis analysed in the paper. Areas for improvement include technical know-how and capacities in green infrastructure, as wellstrengthened synergies between government departments.
Keywords: urban wetlands, ecosystem services, governance of
ecological infrastructure

Making a wooden footbridge connecting nature and people in an artificial wetlandThe purpose of this paper is to report the epoch-making
process of realizing a twenty- five-meter-long wooden footbridge in Karatsu, Japan as a spatial and psychological connecter of Downtown Karatsu and Nishinohama, one thousand
meter-long artificial coast.
The bridge is also unique as one of the first examples of
newly introduced funding system that is structured by citizen’s
contribution, municipal funding, and direct financial support
from the national government.
Originally, the footbridge was planed and proposed by
Karatsu Minatomachidukuri Konwakai, a local community
group that had been active in the past decade to promote revitalizing Karatsu’s waterfront. The organization argued that the
footbridge would dramatically improve citizen’s access to theartificial coast.
Many local citizens and organizations granted the value of the
proposal, and donated about two million yen, one third of theestimated total cost of the construction of the footbridge.
Another feature of this project is that the bridge construction
was mostly done by local citizens rather than by subcontracting
construction firms. A design team that includes the authors anda local wood structure specialist carefully designed the bridgein order that amateur weekend carpenters could assemble thebridge easily on the site with saws and drills from their garages.
Sugi, Japanese cedar, grown in a regional forest were chosen
for structural lumbers of the bridge from an ecological point ofview. Sugi has been used as a major shipbuilding material in
Japan for its strong and flexible nature. In this regard, the bridge
is a green infrastructure that is friendly to the natural environment. To enhance the durability, a latest preservative treatmentthat was harmless to the nature was applied on lumbers.
Historically, numbers of social infrastructures, such as

Akihiko Higuchi Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University
Kazuhiko Ito TOKEN C.E.E. Consultants Co.,Ltd.

bridges, ports and canals have been built by funding out fromlocal citizens’ pockets and their direct participation in the construction process, particularly in Edo period in Japan. This kindof civic contribution was called “Fushin” in Japanese. Karatsu’s
footbridge could be regarded as a revival of the Fushin concept
in the 21st century.
The revival of Fushin concept in Karatsu is an irony to thecontemporary society that tends to believe that the social infrastructure is supposed to be built and managed by the government alone and the society has no responsibility on it.
It is also an alternative approach of vitalizing urban wetlandthat aids the local government that has been suffering fromserious financial difficulty in managing urban wetland due tothe long-lasting recession in Japan.
Thanks to the footbridge, the access to the coast is dramatically improved, and numbers of local citizens visit the precious
coast through the bridge and enjoy experiencing the nature
throughout the year. The city is now in charge of the maintenance work of the bridge. However, because of the long life of
the lumber, required maintenance work is very limited. In addition, the simple shape and the texture of the bridge made of
local Sugi lumbers fit well as a green infrastructure to the existing originally artificial but now ecologically natural wetland
environment.
The authors and the volunteers who participated in assembling the wooden bridge wish that the bridge will be loved andsupported by the local community for a long time.

Session 4: Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural Infrastructure 27

Sustainable Management of Urban Lakes Environment and Ecosystem:
A study on Lakes of Udaipur
Sonal Gupta



Lingaya University Faridabad Haryana

Water is one the most important elements required for life onearth. The natural water bodies are vital for the survival of
human civilizations. Among the water bodies, lakes are important and contribute about 87% of all the fresh water on the earth
surface. Inhabitations living in and around lake depend on it forwater, food, recreation, tourism etc.
The lakes are generally of many types-Natural, Manmade andEphemeral. Many lakes in India are categorized as wetlands by
Ramsar Convention.
Udaipur city is located in the south west of Rajasthan State. It
is the sixth largest city of Rajasthan. Due to lakes and water
bodies, it is called the “City of Lakes or Venice of east”. It is oneof the most beautiful cities in the world. Udaipur city is uniquein its own way. Being situated in drier part of India, the city constitutes hilly soil and unmatchable water resources.
The city holds great ecological importance. Lakes of Udaipur
are the lifelines of city as they not only add a picture perfectbeauty to the city but also act as a boon for tourism that helps
the local economy. However, these lakes are under immense
threat of degradation as a result of catchment degradation,
encroachments, urbanization and waste disposal.
My presentation includes the threats to these man madelakes and the steps needed to conserve these water bodies. The
impact of human activities and the change in the land use of thesurrounding of the lakes is discussed in the presentation. The
Socio-economic and ecological issues are included in the presentation. The impact of tourism and growing industries on thelakes are discussed in this presentation.
Presentation include the role of various agencies on the protection of wetlands. The paper include the evaluation of various
programme and projects which are developed by various agen-cies and the sustainable solutions for the protection of wetlands
and urban lakes are suggested in the presentation.
The catchment area is very important for the protection of
wetlands and the paper deals with the planning of catchment
area and how this affect the water quality of the lake ecosystem.
The role of citizen in the protection of lake and the role ofyouth groups and other groups of citizen is included in the presentation. The master plan of Udaipur for the year 2040 which
include the planning of the wetlands at Udaipur is also discussed. The economy of Udaipur is mainly tourism and fast
growing industries and mining in the area. There are impact ofgrowing human population and the floating population in thearea and have pressures on the lakes. The discharge of effluent
from the surrounding area in the lakes and the impact of eutrophication on the water quality is included in the presentation.

Conservation of Karang Mumus River and Swamps di North Samarinda:
Eſſorts by Clean Karang Mumus River Movement and Stakeholders’ Responses
Martinus Nanang



Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia

Samarinda, the capital city of East Kalimantan Province inIndonesia, is located in lowland area. Its low altitude and very
high annual rainfall contribute to the frequent flooding every
year; many are massive in scale. One of the main factors contributing to the flooding is the reduction in the size and numberof river swamps in and around the city, mostly due to conversion for housing areas. Karang Mumus River, which flows
across the city and is badly degraded, urgently needs to be conserved along with the remaining swampy areas connected to it.
The conservation is important as an effort to protect the riverine
ecosystem and biodiversity, promote healthy environment andhopefully better livelihood for local residents (e.g. ecotourism,production of rice and other wetland vegetation), and preventthe city from further escalation of the environmental disaster.
It is a movement named Gerakan Memungut Sehelai Sampah
Sungai Karang Mumus (GMSS-SKM, literally Movement forCollecting a Piece of Garbage from Karang Mumus River) that
has initiated a civil society movement to clean the Karang
Mumus River and to conserve the river and its surroundings(river space). GMSS-SKM operates an education center called
Sekolah Sungai Karang Mumus (SeSuKaMu) or Karang Mumus
River School. The movement projected and is struggling to get
an area as large as 10 hectares in the northern part of the city,
the size it believes to be a minimum level necessary to be conserved for the benefit of the entire city. The movement so far
enjoys limited support from concerned academia and university students and from the limited number of concerned city
government officials as well as local residents. It continues tobe very active despite limitation and challenges it encounters.
Then the question is: How can the movement survive? How can
28 Session 4: Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural Infrastructure

it achieve the conservation goals?
This abstract is an initial result of a 4-year (2017-2021) ongoing
research focusing on the environmental ethics and values of thepeople of Samarinda. The presentation itself explores the
GMSS-SKM perspective, strategy and action and responses
from related stakeholders to its effort to conserve the river andrelated surrounding swamps. To put it in a more operational
way the particular objectives of the presentation are formulated
as follows: (1) To identify the scale of the river degradation as
perceived by GMSS- SKM. (2) To analyze the values and ethicalperspective of GMSS-SKM vis-a-vis other stakeholders’ perspectives; (3) To describe the strategy and action of GMSS-SKM,
including financial strategy and how it interacts with local
authorities, academia, and local residents. (4) To assess the willingness of local residents to cooperate with the GMSS-SKM in
the effort to conserve the river and related swamps. This
includes the reasoning of their thoughts in which cultural, economic, and political values and norms are assumed to be inplay.
The results of the study have both strategic and practical
implications in supporting the movement, or more precisely inachieving the conservation objectives, whoever or whateverorganization taking the lead in the future. Strategic implicationrefers to overall approach that can be formulated based in thefindings and practical implication simply means the way todevelop encouragement, motivation, and cooperation among
stakeholders.

Horseshoe Crab Habitat Conservation and Coastal Zone Management in Japan Satoquo Seino

Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University

The Horseshoe Crab (HSC) in Japan (Tachypleus tridentatus)
was designated an endangered species in the 1990s. After WorldWar II, recovery and economic growth pushed large-scale
coastal development including reclamation and dredging,
inducing water and substrate pollution and habitat loss. HSC
habitat shrank to the western edge of its original extent, and is
now limited to northern Kyushu. Interests of researchers havechanged. Small beaches as spawning sites were examined.
Micro conditions of spawning and embryo development wereobserved and measured. Next, beach material grain size anddistribution were examined. Conditions in Moriye Bay, Oita
included coarse sand (d50: about 0.7mm) and lower silt andclay ratios (about 3%), which ensures enough water circulation
around eggs and embryos with tidal changes. Beach nourishment has been the standard method to restore sandy beachspawning sites, but it proved unsustainable due to erosion andsiltation on restored beaches.
Beach morphology and sand transport and sedimentation
dynamism were re- examined. Coastal engineering studies
revealed the responses of sandy beach development, and theknowledge was utilized for restoration. Beach nourishment
without predictions of littoral sand flow tended to fail. Continualsupply and adequate natural sand sieving are essential to maintain sandy beaches. Specialists realized that involving enoughspace to allow influences from waves, currents and othernatural external forces is very effective for maintaining sanddynamism. Awareness of zonation of the coastal zone was keenin the late 1990s, because by 1993, about half of Japanese coasts
had become affected by artificial structures. The methodology
and philosophy of Japanese coastal public works were criticizedby the public, especially naturalists and surfers. Japanese land
use policy was organized to protect the physical line of beaches

from erosion and severe outer forces like typhoons. Under the
first version of the Seacoast Act, landscape and ecosystems
were almost completely ignored. But in 1999, this act wasamended to open the door to nature conservation and public
participation. Furthermore, recognition of the importance of
topographical continuity from sandy beaches to tidal flats to offshore areas in HSC life history became shared among related
sectors and persons. Awareness expansion from point to line toplane was popularized. This evolution of conservation methodology migrated into coastal zone management perspectives.
Beach erosion was worsening and became a pressing problem.
Preservation of sandy beach topography demands sufficient,continual supplies of sand flowing from the mountains andmoving as littoral drift at the shore. Dams and weirs disturb
sand flow. Dredging river beds and coastal zones induces
erosion. HSC spawning beaches also suffer from these problems. Thus, not only coastal but watershed management
became a hot issue. Comprehensive sediment management
was introduced to sectioned-off administrations. HSC habitat
conservation started with only small-scale beach conditions,but evolved to acquire large-scale and long-term viewpoints
which were understood conceptually and promoted step-bystep. If habitats for all stages of HSC life history are conserved,
coastal disasters may be lessened. Coastal geomorphology liketidal flats and foreset slopes are known to have natural disasterprevention functions. HSC habitats are important buffer zones.
Thus, in reconsidering coastal matters in the wake of tsunami
damage HSC habitat conservation can symbolize integrated
coastal management, especially land use.

Urban Wetlands and Mosquito Born Disease Problem in Chiang Mai, Thailand Panida Rahong, Chotiwut Techakijvej Environmental Science Program, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University
 Nattawut Sareein, Yeon Jae Bae Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University
 Chitchol Phalaraksh Environmental Science Program, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University / Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University
Water is the most important resource for every living things.
On other hands, water is the one of problem on human life suchas flood, storm, low quality of water and disease that comingwith water. Mosquito borne disease also comes with water also.
Anthropogenic environmental alterations, urbanization, global
warming and habitat change that lead to mosquito outbreakand may be contributing to the spread of vector-borne diseases.
Mosquito is one of the famous insects group in the order
Diptera. Over 3,520 mosquito species that recognized in theworld and 459 species in Thailand. Many species of mosquito
were transmitted serious disease- causing viruses or parasites.
The study of their life cycle, habitat and their ecology were
important to reduce the mosquito population. In this work, theecology of mosquito was studied in term of their habitat, there
enemies and the overpopulation problem of mosquito. There
are many small wetland, freshwater lakes, ponds, retention
areas and paddy field in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Six observationsites were divided into 3 groups of habitats include natural wetlands with low disturb areas, natural wetlands with high disturb
and manmade wetland. Those habitats were recorded water
physicochemical data, habitat data, and predator-prey data.
Then, all of data were used to calculate the correlations between
mosquito larva and other factors. The relation between predator
and mosquito in natural wetlands were analyzed. For the result,Culex quinquefasciatus was the most common species thatfound in manmade wetlands. Number of mosquito data were
given the negative correlation with dissolved oxygen andhabitat quality score. In the natural wetland with low disturb,
high diversity of predator and low number of mosquito were
found. But the result was different between from the predator
and prey in natural wetlands with high disturb. High number of

predator, low diversity and high number of mosquito larva were
found in high disturb and manmade wetland. The predator that
we found were classified in to two group 1) Dissolved oxygen
demand predator such as fish, dragonfly larva (Odonata), diving
beetle larva (Dytistidae), water scavenger beetles larva (Hydrophilidae) 2) Low dissolved oxygen predator such as diving
beetle (Dytistidae), water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae),elephant mosquito (Toxorynchytes sp.), Lutzia sp. mosquito. In
addition, high water velocity from rain storm was effected on
the population of mosquito larva.
Chemical pesticide methods were used for short term mosquito management. The reason is high efficiency and fast.
However, pesticide also eliminated other living thing. The scientist try to develop the natural enemy of mosquito to get rid ofmosquito larva in natural wetland. Ecological friendly and sustainable were remarked point of this biological principle. Moreover, the mosquito predator should selected in a suitableenvironment. The environment should be change to the supporting of predator growth and suppressing the mosquito larva
growth. Additionally, the number of predation should be introduced in the suitable amount that not become another problem.
The efficiency and species selection will be study in the future.
After finished the research, public education will be used topromote the management wetland and natural enemy method
to reduced mosquito in sustainable way.

Session 4: Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural Infrastructure 29

Wetland Services for Elementary Urban Planning: Perspective from Bangladesh Abu Jubayer Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University / Md. Sanowar Hossain President, Bangladesh POUSH
Md. Badrul Alam Core Team Member, CCECR, Stamford University Bangladesh (SUB)

Municipal areas in Bangladesh are dependent on the wetland
beyond their city limits, but also get benefit from internal urban
wetlands. Major planning of a municipal area is depends on
better drainage management plan. This paper is focused on thebenefits of wetlands in context of drainage management andimpact analysis of mismanagement of urban wetlands. In
context of Bangladesh major types of wetland around themunicipality are rivers, oxbow lakes, dead hand of river called
beel, canal (manmade and natural), pond and some large
ditches are common. Due to the detail analysis 13 economicallyimportant municipal areas (Benapole, Bera, Charghat, Chuadanda, Chatak, Ishwardi, Joypurhat, Kishorgong, Magura, Muktagaccha, Nilphamary, Nougaon and Shahjadpur) in Bangladesh
were selected. Field visit with GPS tools, FGD and KII method
were used for scrutiny analysis of wetlands in the selectedareas. The regular exercise of wetland benefits are attentive tomanage consistent rain water surface runoff, storm water management, drainage (primary, secondary and tertiary) management, continuous city household water supply as well asrecreational services. Demerits of wetland mismanagement
includes water logging (permanent and seasonal), environmental disruption, draw down of ground water table in dry period,
disruption of household water supply systems, seasonal economic losses and recreational mega damages. Different typesof master plan like drainage master plan and urban master plan
are under planning are going on however there is no morewetland master plan is present in these municipal areas. Drainage master plan only focused on the wetland management andrecommended that, without proper wetland management nosustainable master plan can play better. The basic hindrance towetland conservation and management are focused like illegal
encroachments (new housing, market expansion and dumping

30 Session 4: Urban Wetlands / Wetland City / Natural Infrastructureyard), city extension (new satellite residential project, randombridge and culvert construction and market permission near thewetlands), unplanned city migration (people from other areastransformation for better living and low income floating people)
and lack of awareness (no program of awareness and benefitsof wetlands) are prime concerns. Commonly identified procedures of management of wetlands and urban planning arefocusing, the understanding functions and value of wetlands.
Like as drainage system continuation, fishing, grazing and otherservices along with addressing the importance of wetland in
urban areas. By managing urban wetlands more important
issues are to resolve the water logging (seasonal and permanent) program, urban household water supply, steady groundwater recharge and waste water passing as well as treatment
are common every municipal area. On the other hand raising
the public awareness similar as monthly, half yearly and yearly
campaign program and institutional like school, college, university, local government and NGO level program and other local
government initiatives kind of law enforcement and systematicannouncement can plan a significant role for wetland service
sustainability. Most of the KII interviewee (70%) result reflectthat they need a wetland management master plan according tonational and international context and rest of (30%) have large
water bodies and they don’t have any problem to manage urban
services at present. It is revealed that the locally generated
wetland services have a substantial impact on the quality-of-life
in urban areas and should be addressed in land-use planning. In
turn, this research focus on the distinctive aspects of constructed wetland services can contribute to fundamental urban
services planning.

Session 5 Wetlands and YouthThe environmental activities of Youth Ramsar Japan (YRJ), NGO organized
by students ranging from junior high school students to graduate students Keynote


Takuma Satoh, Tatsuya Togari, Atsushi Tanabe, Kohaku Hida, Karin Ishii, Yuma Sato

Youth Ramsar Japan

Youth Ramsar Japan (YRJ) is the NGO organized by “Youth”
ranging from junior high school students to graduate students in2013 for strengthening “CEPA” and “Wise Use” of the Ramsar
Convention through activities such as learning about wetlands
and planning and practicing conservation of wetlands conducted on a self-mobilization level. Core members of YRJ consistof youths who had participated in the Wetland Environmental
Education “KODOMO Ramsar”. “KODOMO Ramsar” has beenpromoted by Ramsar Center Japan (RCJ) since 2002, targeting
elementary school students, and has greatly contributed to thewetland conservation activities and network formation of children. But, until now, there were few opportunities for young
people to make a network with members of the same generationand conduct capacity building, awareness-rising and communication at the self-mobilization level. Therefore, we wanted toestablish YRJ, as young people are target groups and stakeholders of the Ramsar convention’s Programme on CEPA 2016-2024.
YRJ has conducted the following activities: (1) “Youth Ramsar
CEPA Workshop (CEPA-WS)” to learn about wetlands and gain awide perspective through communication with other youths, (2)“Youth Research Project (YRP)” to research wetlands and offer
information of wetlands to public, (3) Participating and cooperating in environmental events for CEPA.
Here, we introduce our CEPA-WSs, “Youth Ramsar Exchange
Meeting” for 1st and 2nd WSs and “CEPA Workshop” since 3rd
WSs, as follows:
1. “The 1st Youth Ramsar Exchange Meeting in Fujimae tidal
flat” focused on Environmental Education,2, “The 2nd Youth Ramsar Exchange Meeting in Lake Biwa”
focused on Relationship between Lake-Biwa and Humanbeing,

3, “The 3rd Youth Ramsar CEPA Workshop in Kabukuriuma andits Surrounding Paddy Field” focused on Agriculture,4, “The 4th Youth Ramsar CEPA Workshop in Hamatonbetsu”
focused on Tourism / Facilitation,
5, “The 5th Youth Ramsar CEPA Workshop in Toyooka” focused on
Tourism / Conservation of stork, 6, “The 6thYouth Ramsar CEPA
Workshop in Tsuruimura village” focused on Staff training.
YRJ will plan and manage “KODOMO Wetland Exchange
Meeting in Arao Tideland” for elementary school students at“The 7th Youth Ramsar CEPA Workshop in Arao” held on
November 3-5. This is the new challenge for YRJ.
Youth Research Project (YRP) is the project in which youths
visit wetlands in Japan, find the treasures of wetlands from perspectives of youths, and offer information of wetland. YRP wasstarted last yea r. We are actively offering information throughthe YRJ official website and the SNS.
Through CEPA-WSs, YRJ has made opportunities for youths
to learn wetlands and communicate with the youths who are
active in wetlands in Japan. In YRP, we reviewed the values/
treasures of wetlands from the position of the next generationof environmental managers. These achievements were appreciated by the organizing committee of Asian Wetlands Symposium 2017, and YRJ was entrusted with the management of“Wetland and Youth” session at 1st meeting of the international
steering committee of AWS 2017 held at Suncheon, Korea on
Feb, 2017. “Wetlands and Youth” is the session for youth byyouth.

Fundamental study on conservation and restoration of river estuaries habitat— Classification of estuary and their transitions since 1900s
Atsushi Tanabe Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University
Tomoko Minagawa Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University

Background Biodiversity conservation and management in ariver estuary requires a thorough understanding the environments of the river estuary, which differ between rivers. Therefore, in order to establish a conservation and restoration plan, it
is necessary to classify the river estuary by such as morphology
and history. The morphology of river estuaries is related to riverflow, tide, and wave (Galloway, 1975), and areas’ classification
is based on these factors (Wells, 1995). In addition, there aremany studies relating these factor and species to estuary habitats (e.g., Kishida et al., 2007; Itsukushima et al., 2017a; Itsukushima et al., 2017b). However, only a few studies associated local
topographies in river estuaries with species presences. Heap etal. (2001) classified estuaries based on the topography, identifying areas such as the delta in Australia. Yet, because of the differences in the natural environment between Japan andAustralia, we cannot extrapolate from their study to the environment of Japan.
Purpose The present study aims at classifying river estuaries inJapan based on their morphology, in order to contribute to theirconservation and management. In particular, our objective is to
identify the specific factors that determine the morphology ineach river estuaries, as well as their relationships, and to study
the transition since 1900s.
Method We classified 107 rivers in Japan based on their forms,
such as sandbar and tidal flat. Aka-gawa and Ara-kawa were
excluded from this study, because it did not have a river estuary
until the 1920s to 1930s. We used 1/50,000 topography maps
constructed around 1900, which seemed to contain few artificial
structures. Furthermore, we investigated the characteristics ofeach class such as: 1) the river flow rate in correlation with river
basin area data(Yoshiyama, 1990), 2) the tide level difference atthe observation stations that are closest to the river estuary, 3)
the significant wave height around the river mouth, calculatedusing the coastal wave model (Japan Meteorological Agency,2010).
We studied the geomorphological evolution of 107 river estuaries using the 1/50,000 topographic maps at five survey periods
around 1900, 1925, 1950, 1975, and 2000.
Results and Discussion
The river estuaries are classified into two groups; open sea(68 sites) and inland bay (39 sites). In addition, the open sea
group is divided into three subgroups depending on the presence or absence of a sandbar and a lagoon, as references todifferent physical environments (Hatano et al., 2007). There areno sandbars or lagoons in the inner bay group, and there are
estuary tidelands in many points. The open sea group has ariver basin of about 150–15000 km2, a significant wave height ofabout 0.3–1.4 m, and atide level difference of about 20–200 cm. The inner bay group
has a river basin of about 100–8000 km2, a significant wave
height of about 0.2–0.6 m, and a tide level difference of about
100–350 cm.
39 sites lost their sandbar or tideland, 44 sites showed adecrease in their sandbar or tideland sites. Among the open sea
groups, the lagoon subgroup was lost in four out of seven sites,
and the sandbar subgroup was lost in 19 sites. The inner bay
group was lost in 20 sites, and it was decreased in 17 sites. There
are many reasons for disappearance such as landfill (in inner
bay group), landfill and port maintenance (in lagoon subgroup),and installation of training dike (in sandbar subgroup).
Conclusion 70% of the tideland sites in the inner bay and 50%of the lagoon sites were lost in 100 years.
Session 5: Wetlands and Youth 31

The value of wetlands and what we students should do for it—take Hengshuihu wetlands for example

The importance of Wetlands in the lives and survival of many
species of wa-terfowl, as well as humans, are greatly overlooked. When I first viewed a wetland I was ten. Apart from it’slack of civilization and apparent vacancy, nothing else reallystuck in my memory. The young me was unable to grasp theimportance and crucial role that the wetlands played in the conservation of certain species. Last summer, I was able to visit
Hengshuihu wetland reserve in Hebei during an internship withWWF China. The feeling and impression of wetlands was totallydifferent from that of eight years ago. On the surface, the wetlands were just tall blades of grass standing in waist-deep water,
with the occasional clearing with a few ducks wallowing in it.
However, by taking a stick and parting the grass at the water’ssurface, my guide and overseer showed me an entirely new
way of looking at this ecological marvel. This time, what we (mydirector and me) saw was not the empty, hollow world on thesurface, but a refined ecosystem, overflowing with the quiet
energy of life and possibility.
I also learned the sad part of the story—that these alcoves ofhidden wonder and life were receding—how they were being
demolished in the path of human industrialization. Upon that, I
asked myself, and beseech you to ask yourselves: Do we nothave enough factories already? Enough sources to pollute ourwater, poison our air, corrode our soil? Can we pause in ourrelentless pursuit of domination and glory, simply because weneed some place, some time, to take a break? I realized thepressing need for me to take actions after coming back to thecity.
• Made presentations at class meeting and association events
to raise my peer student awareness and also argue with them
the true values of wetlands.

My observation of status of Wetland My hometown is in Inner Mongolia, China. Every year, I go
back to my hometown and visited beautiful wetlands there. I
think that what makes the grassland so beautiful is because of it
has a lots of lakes and zigzag rivers moisten it. When I was a tiny
little girl, the definition of wetland in my mind is simply water andland mixed together. But when I grown up, I found that wetlandis may not just a place, but an important ecosystem. There’s a lotsof different kind of bird inhabited there. Through my observation,
I found that there are thousands of birds inhabit in Inner Mongolia wetlands in Spring and Autumn. So teacher told us that thewetland also called as “The cradle ofbiodiversity.”
I grown up in Inner Mongolia where famous with vast andbeautiful grassland of thousands of wetlands. I’ve seen changesof some of the wetland reduced the size and water level islowered, and some of the beautiful birds reduced the population compared with what I saw in my childhood, thus it really
impressed me greatly. Then I decided to do some observation
under the guidance of my parent and teachers in the school.
Through my field observation, I found that there are less birds
and some of the wetland and riverside covered with garbage
and plastic bags. I feel sad and would like tofind out the threats
to wetlands in my hometown by observing the wetland during
weekend and school vacations with the help of my parent andinterview local people in and around the wetland. I found thatthe main problems that threat the wetlands are as follows:
1. Objectively, the Nino phenomenon leads global warming.
(I have the analysis of the temperature in a wetland nature
reserve, It’s a broken line graph and I can show in my PPT).
2. Artificial factor:
1) Large area of land reclamation (Not just only wetlands, butalso grassland).
2) Over grazing. The amount of livestock in the natural prairie is
32 Session 5: Wetlands and YouthYiqing Hu
Wetlands International-China• Reused water for multiple purposes at home, and passed onsuch knowledge to a larger community for water saving.
• Became very outspoken and advocated about wetland protection.
However, my actions for conservation alone were not sufficient to raise public awareness, but, as in the wetlands, a dropof water can cause a ripple, and that ripple can grow.
At end of my presentation, two suggestions were made forconservation. One is that relate governments should formulate
sound policies and provide sufficient funds to wetlands conservation, while international organizations contribute to technicalassistance. Second, more researches should be conducted forwaterfowl diet.
Therefore, different food should be prepared at various stop
points along the flyways. Finally, I also call for environmental
protection. Mother earth is our host, and we are simply organisms living in or on it. If we begin to destroy our host, much likeviruses in a human body, our host will react accordingly to
expunge us. Either the virus kills the host, or the host kills thevirus. No matter what, in the end, the virus dies. In order for oursurvival, and the survival of our future generations, please—
don’t hurt our earth.

Wenling Kou
Beijing University Affiliated High School
increasing in recent years by local herdsmen;
3) Mining activities;4) The construction of the industrial plant, wastewater is discharged into nearby rivers and wetland without proper treatment;5) Urbanization takes up wetlands6) There may be lack of proper coordination in different government offices involved with the utilization and management of
wetland resources;7) Conservation of wetlands outside the nature reserve aresome what ignored.
(All of the following will be supported by examples and data
and all of the data is my own personal interview of local people).
Every year, when I goes back to my hometown, the first thing
I am going to do is always cleaning the garbage on the wetland,
and talked to local people to explain the importance of protecting wetlands. But I think I should do more, I have some idea
about how to do more to protect wetlands by our teenage:
1) Increase the awareness of the publicby informing them theimportant functions of wetland played for daily life of human
livelihood;2) We will make wetland information connectivity through theInternet.
3) Publicizing the relevant laws and regulations of the protection of the wetlands and strengthening the enforcement.
I believe that when I grow older, I will have more insight ofwetlands and I hope I can do more to protect wetlands to makethe world a Better place to live!

Obligation to the Wetland Conservation of the YouthRuichen Zhang

Beijing No. 14 High School

It is a great honor to be here to talk about the significance ofprotecting the extinct wildlife. My name is Zhang Ruichen. I ama student of Beijing No.14 High School and passionate about
field research, which I regard as lifelong ambition.
I’ve taken part in field researches for 6 times, and have been to
many places with the teenage field research expedition teams.
Monitoring ecosystem of Tonle Sap Lake was my first experience
about such activities. For the first time I felt the difficulties ofdoing fieldwork, and appallingly, the living condition was worse
than I had thought.
One year later, since I accumulate more knowledge and experience, I decided to go to Peruvian Amazon rainforest (flooded
forest) in order to assist local scientists there, as Amazon is my
dream land since I’m a little kid. During the filed research volunteer expedition I spent on Amazon River, I finally learnt how to
co-operate with others as a whole team, and on the other hand I
tried to help the scientists as much as I could, also simultaneously learn the knowledge as much as possible. During thisexpedition, I first seriously consider the field research as myfuture job.
Last summer, I went to Alaska and it’s really a magical place.
The indigenous plants the animals and the environment reallyinfluenced me from inside to the outside. As we travel along the
Dalton high way, we ran into a number of animals and also saw
large oil pipes along the whole state, which worries me since theplace is supposed to be a habitat of these animals. I wonder
what would happen to the place when we don’t need thesepipes any more. It is nearly impossible to remove these pipes.
There is little we can do if the oil leaks out and causes a catastrophic outcome. We also find some proof that our planet isgetting warmer and warmer. It was the first time that I realizedthat how powerful the nature is and how tiny the human are.

If I have to describe the condition of the wildlife protection, I
would say it is pessimistic. Dozen of species are dying out every
day as result of human activities. For example, the Northern
White Rhinoceros is announced to be functional extinction in
May 2016. There are less than 30 individual harbor porpoises
surviving in this planet. All of these is associated with humanillegal capture activities. In another word, monetary motivation.
Some one may disagree with me because you may know that
our ancestors, the homo sapiens, also caused massive wildlife
extinction. Their action is due to their lack of knowledge and thehunting instinct. But in 21 century, we already know the the consequence if we don’t protect those amazing creature which havethe same right to live on the planet like every human beings.
Some of us slaughter them for huge profit and most of us do nothave the consciousness to protect the animals let alone put
efforts to change the situation. To make things worse, as a highschool student, I know that most school do not pay much attention to such subjects which educate young generation the rightconcept and conduct to protect the ecosystem. Nowadays
majority of students can do nothing but shout out slogans. That
is why I believe popularization teenagers’ environmental education is vital.
It is only by doing so that our planet can be a better place forhuman being. It is never too late to save what we still have.
Extinction is not eternal.

The Youth Frontier Transforming Waste to Wealth – A case of novel eſſorts
by young entrepreneurs towards the struggle for depolluting the holy River Ganges


Sreeya Patnaik

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on theplanet, providing an array of ecosystem services that are vital forsurvival and wellbeing, hence forming a web of life. Today, therate of loss and deterioration of wetlands is a matter of concern
for all regions of the world. According to Wetlands International,
wetlands are on the “front- line” as development pressuresincrease everywhere. This is likely to intensify in the coming
decades due to increased global demand for land and water. The
need of the hour is the willingness to make significant contributions to help prevent wetland loss and achieve effective restoration. Inculcating ideas about the importance of wetlands inyoung minds goes a long way in creating huge differences.
Instilling into the students minds, the complexities and consequences of continued unprecedented loss of wetlands shallrender deep understanding and collaborative efforts. This will
not only encourage them to act as ambassadors for wetland
conservation and restoration, but to share their views andknowledge with others in their communities. Today, the motivated youth are becoming responsible environmental stewards
through their participation in wetland restoration. It is heartening to see a surge in startup companies driven by young entrepreneurs coming up with innovative ideas for successful wetland
restoration. The inspiring endeavor of one such budding young
entrepreneur to clean River Ganges is quite commendable. The
Ganges, the third largest river in the world in terms of water
discharge into sea, is India’s holiest river and is deep seated inIndian culture and ethos. It supports the livelihood of more thana massive 500 million and cradles some of the rarest species on
the planet including the critically endangered, Gangetic dolphin.
Unfortunately, this vibrant River is now considered as the fifth
most polluted river in the world, gasping for life. Over the years,

the Government of India has been investing in cleaning andrestoring the river that serves as a labyrinth of life.
However, this is an onerous task that calls for substantial collaborative efforts over time for its success. Recently, two 26-yearold entrepreneurs have emerged with their innovative andcreative solutions to join hands with Government to clean up 80
million tons of floral waste dumped every year in to the river
every year by devotees, which is posing serious eutrophication
problems. Their startup company “Help Us Green”, currently collects about 9.5 tons per month and converts these wastes to
wealth. They not only remove the floral waste from the River but
process them, to produce incense sticks and manures, whileproviding employment opportunities for 1,200 rural families atthe same time. Inspired by the success, they now plan to scale
up the collection and processing of flower waste to 15-20 tons
per month by 2019. They are also working on expanding theirproduct line to more products to make the effort more credible
and replicable. This case demonstrates a sustainable innovative
solution to the restoration of an important wetland ecosystem.
There are many other inspiring stories of thriving endeavors
towards the Ganges restoration, which truly highlight how the
youth are emerging to be the future guardians of our wetlands.
Today the youth have been doing wonders through their contribution to wetland and environmental conservation.
Whether we talk about pollution, waste management or
eco-tourism, they seem to have solutions for all. With the prodigious growth of urbanization and water scarcity in developing
countries like India, these startups can become a much-neededpanacea for successful wetland restoration.

Session 5: Wetlands and Youth 33

Can youth help wetlands?


Fumi Kasahara, Ibuki Kurumatuka

Osaki Ikimono club

We were working in Osaki city, Miyagi prefecture. There are 3
Ramsar Convention wetlands in Miyagi prefecture. 2 of them are
in Osaki city.
Osaki city has many natural environments such as about
20,000 rice field and vast forest.
We belonged Osaki Ikimono Club.
It belonged to about 200 members, and went to the wetlands
and the river and forest ,rice field in the city and was learning
about the creatures once a month.
When we are studying plants, we pick and deep-fry edible
plants. These experiences were very precious.
We presented what we learned to people living in prefecturesother than Miyagi as well as people living abroad and exchange
opinions on the matter. We went to many Japanese regions suchas Tokyo University and Fujimae mudflat in Aichi prefecture.
The places we went abroad include Thailand and South Korea.
We were surprised to learn that some species that are rare in
Japan are sometimes common in other countries. In someplaces abroad, building man-made roads and water channels
are forbidden to protect the ecosystem. I was amazed by theirstrong mindset to protect the ecosystem.
We are doing activities to make biotope near the rice field. We
want to increase the number of creatures living around paddy
fields and want to help. So we started making biotope. The
beginning of that was one of the plans we thought at the workshop held in Toyooka city was the idea of making a biotope.
Before making a biotope, we first discussed what shape abiotope would be. After that, we decided the shape based on our
opinion and started to create it. The place to make first grew
grass, so we started digging after mowing. Digging the rice
paddy under the scorching sun was difficult.
In biotope, we are doing creatures research. It was a glad tosee that the types found each time we surveyed increased.
Through making biotopes, I felt that human power is necessary to protect paddy fields and creatures living there. In orderto protect paddy fields, I think it is important to investigate andunderstand the present condition of the rice paddy now. Actually digging the rice paddies and conducting surveys allowed us
to feel the rice field closer than ever. I began to think with a senseof realization that we should seriously think about the idea about
the environment that was only finished with knowledge. Because
rice field is an important place to connect nature with us.
I live on a remote island called Ama in Shimane prefecture.
The people of Ama do rice field work, but not many people areinterested in learning about animals. Furthermore, there are notmany people who are researching the animals in Ama, so there
are still many things to do. Thus, I want to utilize what I learnedat the damp grounds in Miyagi and present what I learned to the
local people of Ama. I want to be able to inform people of theimportance of the ecosystem.

CEPA activitise of Taishi high school science club

 Takahiro Fukushima, Sakai, Kouki, Ishibashi, Fuuta Takasaki, Towaki Ide, Haruki Kume, Taiyou Kiyota, Yukito Yoshimot

The Kumamoto prefectural Taishi senior high school is close to
the Arao tidal flat which was designated a Ramsar wetland siteon July 3, 2012. We present Taishi senior high school student’s
activities in the Arao tidal flat following four points 1.
Scientific research, 2. Outreach activities. 3. Volunteer activities, and 4. Future prospects.
1. Scientific research
Until last year, we were researching the Arao tideland biodiversity with the goal of understanding its ecosystem. We haveillustrated the ecosystem of the Arao tidal flat as well as the ecological map of the high school biology textbook. This research
won the top award presented by the senior high school scienceand math department for the West Japan, Tyugoku, Shikoku, andKyushu region.
In addition, last year we presented our research on the topic“Growth and burrows of Upogebia major living in the Arao tidal
flat” at the poster session of the Japanese Association of Benthology.
Currently, we have recorded temperatures in the sediment, on
the tidal surface and at 1 m above the floor of the Arao tidal flat.
We have analyzed the relationship between daily tidal cycles
and temperature and the relationship between benthos andtemperature. The results were presented at a Kumamoto prefectural science research exhibitions.
We participated in marine biology workshops in Amakusa at
the mouth of the Ariake Sea and also participated in wild birdobservation on the Arao coast. We participated in a tour of the
Sungcheon Bay on July 29th too.
2. Outreach activities
In the “Water National Senior High School Student Forum”
held in Kumamoto City on October 9, 2016, we provided information about the importance of the ecosystem and the purifica34 Session 5: Wetlands and YouthKumamoto prefectural Taishi high schooltion effects of the Arao tideland. The event was broadcast on
local television.
At “The 7th Ariake Sea Revitalization Symposium”, we asked
participants to eat “Japanese mud shrimp” tempura, and we dida statistical survey about whether there was a delicious yellow
part with developed ovaries.
Even at Taishi High School’s Cultural Festival we conducted PR
on Majak, a Japanese mud shrimp with food and a mascot.
3. Volunteer activities
As for our volunteer activities in the Arao tidal flat, we haveparticipated in the local tideland observation sessions and environmental education events for elementary school students.
Moreover, we have cooperated with “Taishi Juku”, an event at
our high school. At Taishi Juku, we supported the hands onlearning of elementary school students.
4. Future prospects
We are conscious that we are the closest senior high school to
the Arao tideland and we want to transmit the importance of the
Arao tidal flat to elementary and junior high school students inthis area.
Currently, we believe that our research results will be part ofthe exhibition materials of the Waterfowl and Wetland Center,
which is being planned by the Ministry of the Environment andArao City.
Furthermore, in cooperation with the activities of this Waterfowl and Wetland Center, we would like to develop our above
three activities, including promoting our Arao tidal research.

Activities of Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary Jr.Ranger Club to foster mind
for protecting wonderful our local nature to the next generation.


Hiromi Hayashi

Yonagoj waterbird .sanctuary, Ranger Club Yonago city,Tottori prefecture

Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary Jr.Ranger Club(Below JRC)is a
volunteer club composed of junior high and high school students working in Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary in Yonago city,Tottori prefecture with 19 members.
We are active once a month,and the content of the activities
will be decided by ourselves in the discussion done in April.Its
content is various,including water quality survey,habitat surveyof Great Reed Warbler,making islands for waterbirds ,exchange
between wetlands,etc.And all these activiities are based on thedesire to protect the environmental surrounding the Yonago
Waterbird Sanctuary.
The chance for the formation was that the children who graduated from Ramsar club acting as elementary school student’s
club gathered and wanted to continue activities related to environmental activities in the suburbs of Lake Nakaumi since then.
Then we continue the activities,it will be the ninth year in thisyear.Children who were active earlier have already graduatedfrom this club,going to university,becoming a member ofsociety.Some members are married and buid their families too.
And again this year,members with the same thought are participating one after another.
Lake Nakaumi including Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary was therich brackish lake boasting the fifith largest in Japan.However
due to landfill construction that began in earnest in 1970’s,its
environment was greatlly impaired.And the Tundra Swans thatlost their roost one after another got into a form escape to theplace the current Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary with shallow
water which was made during the reclamation work.However
the Yonago citizen who saw situation carried out conservation
activities,and as a result,the paradise of Tundra Swans of Lake
Nakaumi was to be left as Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary.

And finally,this valuable paradise of Tundra Swans was registered in the wetland of the Ramsar Convention in 2005,and theworld recognized the importance as wetland.
Now,Lake Nakaumi where the Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary is
located,it is known by many people as the most southern migratory place in Japan for Tundra Swans and also it is wonderfulenvironmental place where many kinds of ducks representing
Common Pochard will fly more than 20,000 regulary every year.
And many observers come to observe the appearance of wild
birds flying to this wonderful environment every year.More
recently,as a place to learn environment,many schools havecome to visit.
JRC aims to foster a mind to care for local nature by doing
activities related to wonderful natural environmental of Lake
Nakaumi.What experienced when people were children will
never be forgotten even after becoming adults.Because thebody is remembering.
We think that we want to increase such are friends even one
person who will be able to connect this wonderful nature to thenext generation.And what is the necessary activity for that?While
thinking about,we will cooperate with my colleagues and continue to the activities of JRC in the future.
In this session,we will introduce you the activities of JRC likethis.And by thinking wiith our colleagues who have the sameideas spreading all over the world,we hope that we can learn
better environmental preservation ways and tell local colleagues.
I’d like to talk about the wetlands subjects and environmental
with the people of various regions.

An Assessment of Species Diversity and Abundance of Waterbirds
in Gulf of Mottama Wetland, Myanmar


Min Thiha Zaw



Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)

Water birds serve a very important role in ecological systems
and are often used as indicator species of ecosystem vigor.
Water birds often quickly respond to changes in their habitatand can provide valuable insights into habitat health and stability. Wetlands play a crucial role as bird habitats and birds use
them for nesting, breeding, roosting, and rearing young ones
and for feeding, resting, shelter, social interaction and wintering
grounds for both locally and millions of migratory water birds.
Monitoring water bird species density, richness, and associations with habitat and environmental variables can help informmanagement and restoration decisions. Thus, water birds areoften used as a metric for assessing habitat health and restoration success. The Gulf of Mottama or Martaban is one of thecoastal zone and as the newly designated Ramsar Site, the mostextensive intertidal mudflats and is one of the largest of its typein south-east Asia. The objective of this paper is to assessmentof the species diversity of water birds and their number anddistribution. The investigation of water birds at six sites andmid-winter in January and February flyway coordinate countalong the route of Gulf of Mottama estuary wetland from 20152016. Survey was conducted in an effort of observing the overalllandscape to stratify the habitat for line transects segments andsetting point count stations. Direct counting was adopted forareas for large assemblage of water birds and group number
counting a suitable vantage point was selected and all visible
birds were counted. Total bird counts were conducted for water
birds and species richness, evenness and Shannon-Weaver
species diversity indices were calculated. Overall, a total of 66
individual species of water birds belonging to twelve families
and an estimate population 100,000 water birds were recorded
during the study. The waders were most prominent with 31

species being recorded. Scolopacidae was the richest family by
24 species (46%) followed by Charadriidae family 4 species(8%), Pluvialidae family 2 species (4%), Laridae family 3 species(6%), Sternidae 5 species (10%), Ardeidae family 6 species(12%), Threskiornithidae family 1species (2%) and Falconidae
family 4 species (8%) recorded to the sum of Glareolidae 1
species(2%)and Podicipedidae 1species (2%) . This site has beenfound to be the key wintering area for the Critically Endangered
Spoon- billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmeus), hosting an estimated 180-220 , more than 50% of the world population. Also,
the six other globally threatened species Painted Stork, Blackheaded Ibis, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Nordmann’s
Greenshank and Great Knot. Thus, a strong conservation action
with harmonized and alterative promising sites should beneeded to increase bird diversity in such kind of Gulf of Mottama
estuary wetlands areas. Also need continues intentional
improvement and awareness creation to the local community
regarding of intertidal mudflat or adjacent mangroves conservation has any formal protection.

Session 5: Wetlands and Youth 35

Youth-in-Action for Ecosystem for Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR)
and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA)


Darry Shel M. Estorba, Amy M. Lecciones, Aaron Julius M. Lecciones, Zenaida M. Ugat, Jose Carlo H. QuintosSociety for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc

Laguna de Bay is the country’s largest lake and third biggest
inland water body in Southeast Asia where around 100 rivers
and streams drain water into the lake. Conservation of Lagunade Bay and its resources has been a long-standing advocacy of
government and civil society organizations including the Society
for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc. (SCPW). In
2003, the SCPW, in partnership with the Laguna Lake Development Authority and Unilever Philippines embarked on a Youth
Ecological Camp (YEC) to provide an experiential learning venue
for lake conservation for High School students in the Laguna de
Bay lakeshore towns. In 2013, the United Nations World Food
Programme (UN-WFP) as part of its umbrella program on “Disaster Preparedness and Response Programme” (Building Resilience Against Disasters and Climate Change), recognized themerits of YEC as a vehicle for teaching High School students
about disaster risk reduction and preparedness and its link to theintegrity of ecosystems, particularly wetlands.
The YEC is a 3-day live in curriculum that incorporates concepts on environmental protection and wetlands conservation in
relation to disaster risk preparedness and climate change adaptation and mitigation in the local context of a municipality. The
curriculum is designed for High School Students, preferably
those in 8th and 9th Grade. It employs experiential learning
methods and approaches such as knowledge sharing sessions,field exposure visits, role playing, workshops, action planning,games and other activities that make it interactive and full of fun.
Moreover, the Eco Campers get actual training in presentation
and resource mobilization skills.
Learning does not end at the actual camp but is in fact practiced through implementation of municipal or school-based projects and activities that the Eco Campers craft during planningsessions. Among the accomplishments of the Eco Campers
include conduct of municipal and school-based Eco Camp,clean-up of rivers and canals back-to-back with information campaigns, Sachet Recovery Project, solid waste management projects, community lake monitoring, and other Communication,
Education, Participation, and Education (CEPA) activities. The
Eco- Campers also raised funds to support the implementationof their initiatives through various innovative means such as
selling personalized and environmentally-themed water tumblers to reduce the use of PET bottles, selling other recyclable
materials such as used paper, and many more.
This YEC curriculum has been tested as an effective tool forincreasing the awareness of the youth in wetlands conservation
for the past ten years, and lately, on disaster risk reduction andmanagement, ecosystem-based adaptation, and other climatechange-related issues. It has empowered the youth to become
an important community actor in wetland conservation and disaster risk reduction, management, and preparedness. Moreover,prior to the conduct of Eco Camps, the teachers were trained on
how to conduct the YEC to ensure that the youth will continuously have a pool of trainers who can pass the learnings to othersectors of the community. The UN-WFP and SCPW also produced a YEC Training Manual to provide a guide to people andorganizations on doing YEC.
So far, the results of YEC have been outstanding. In more thana decade of conducting YEC, the growing number of the youth
continuously doing actions for wetlands conservation branchedout with more projects and activities that also aided multi- sectoral involvement and partnership in their schools and communities. To date, 20 Eco Camps have been conducted directly
benefitting about 550 students and more than 100 high schools.
The number of students participating in the activities have
expanded to more than a thousand and has been organized into
aYouth Network.Truly, theYEC is an effective instrument towards
engaging youth for the wise of wetlands in the Philippines.

The Study of Grey Water Footprint of Inorganic-Rice Cultivation for The Lower Central Plain
Management in Thailand: Case Study in Nakhonchaisi District, Nakhon pathom Province.


Nichakant kerdnamchai, Werachat Chatpanyacharoen

Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University

The lower central plain of Thailand is one of the plain areasthat suitable for rice cultivation because of the suitability ofgeography and the productivity of water body. The area used forrice cultivation is approximately 381,856.8 hectares. It is thethird or 14.50% of land used in Thailand. (Rice Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand, 2016-2017)
By the rice cultivation, there are many factors that important
for ri growth. One of the essential factors is the plant nutrition
which is from natur or the form of fertilizer. A popular type of
fertilizer in Thailand is chemic fertilizer. The trend of using them isincreasing every year because ri cultivation is required more loadof chemical fertilizers than other plan cultivation. Used chemicalfertilizer and pesticide are estimated around 312. 375 kilograms/
hectare (Department of Agriculture in Thailand). The informatiofrom Rice Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperativesof Thailan has been shown that imported chemical fertilizers
since 2005-2009 added u to 3.3, 3.5, 4.3, 3.7 and 3.8 million tons,
respectively. Rice cultivation is one the most agricultural activities that occurred in the lower central plain. Henc there is much
more load of pollutants contaminated in the water and drain into
the natural water body and widely effect on the area.
This study focuses on the quantity of water, especially thegrey wat footprint of inorganic-rice cultivation. The grey water
footprint is one of wat footprint types. It is defined as the amountof fresh water required to assimila pollutants to meet specificwater quality standard before released to th environment(A.Y.Hoekstra and A.K. Chapagain, 2011). The study area of th
research is located in Nakhonchaisi district, Nakhon pathom
province which the part of the Thailand's lower central plain.
36 Session 5: Wetlands and YouthFirst of all, the water samples in this area were collected 3
times related to land preparation phase, the first vegetative
phase (15-20 days of rice growth), and the second vegetative
phase (50-60 days of rice growth), respectively.
Then, all of the water samples were analyzed the concentration of Nitrate-Nitrogen (NO3 ) at the laboratory. The Nitrate-Nitrogen concentration and some information that asking fromthe farmer about the amount of chemical fertilizer used in thecultivation area are 61.125 ton/hectare have been used for the
calculation of grey water footprint. After the calculation, theresult shows that the calculation of grey water footprint of the
inorganic rice cultivation is 193.08 m3/ton which is rather higher
than the standard of Thailand’s grey water footprint that is 116
m3/ ton (A.Y. Hoekstra and A.K. Chapagain, 2010). It shows thatchemical fertilizers applied have an effect on the grey water
footprint. If the rate of using chemical fertilizer for rice cultivation is rather high, the grey water footprint will increase. Itmeans that the volume of fresh water that used to dilute pollutants is also increasing. By the result, the grey water footprint
can be used as the indicator for managing water resources in
the lower central plain of Thailand to achieve sustainable water
management.

River Continuum Concept and Ecological Health Monitoring of Loei River,North- Eastern ThailandThanayaporn Katesuja1, Panida Rahong1, Chotiwut Techakijvej1, Atinut Joradol2, Rungnapa Tagun2,
Tatporn Kunpradid2 and Chitchol Phalaraksh1,3

Environment Science Program, Faculty of science, Chiang Mai University,2Department of Biology, Faculty of science, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University,
3
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University

1

One most important mission of university student, apart fromformal studying in class, is to learn as practical work in field.
There is one main concept that I have to follow that “any ofscientific research should be transferred back to the local people
as the responsibility”. When the research concept has set, thelocal youths and people should get the benefits from that
research. That is why I become a member of the Loei River
Project.
The Loei River is an important tributary of “Mekong River”, theinternational ASEAN River, which located in Loei Province,
North-Eastern Thailand. The headwater of Loei River is from Phu
Luang National Park, Phu Luang District pass through Wang
Saphung and Muang District before connecting to MakongRiver at Chiang Khan District, Loei Province. The Loei River
Project was the 2 year ecological health monitoring project.
Apart from measurement of physico-chemical parameters, the
key living organisms have been selected as bioindicators for“Loei River Biotic Index”. This index would also be simplified
and published as scientific monitoring method for local schools
and people. Generally, most activities of the local people relate
to the river and living creatures along the river. The entire lengthof the river has been received effects from human activities invarious fields including agricultural, industrial, domestic andmining impacts. Less management, no monitoring programand no community involvement may cause the human healthand environment of surrounding areas.
According to the importance and the situation of Loei River,there should be the environmental project in terms of biodiversity along 231 kilometer length of Loei River, under the rivercontinuum concept and ecological health monitoring concept.
The living aquatic organisms had been seasonally collectedaccording to seasons of Thailand. The statistic correlation was
selected to analyze the land uses, water quality and Biological
data. Then, the key species, including red algae, mayfly (Family:
Prosopistomatidae), a ray-finned fish (Hemimyzon sp.), wererelated to water quality. The final activity of the project was toorganize the workshop for local University staff and students,
staff of local NGOs, government officers, community development officer, staff of the Department of Environmental Quality
Promotion and local people. The changes along Loei River, theimportance of the Loei River and the impact of the Loei River
from human activity were discussed in the workshop. During
the workshop, a lot of questions were raised from participants.
Impact from mining activities and flooding problem were themost interesting topics from participants. Water quality monitoring technique was simply demonstrated. According to theresearch andworkshop, the Loei River environmental awareness would be
encouraged for the young generations and local people andwould be transferred to the next generation.
Not only the Loei River Project, but also other rivers in Northern-Eastern, Northern and other regions of Thailand would betargeted to monitor in the same techniques. Local schools andorganizations would be key organizations to create a “River
Ecological Health Monitoring Network”. According to the youth
activity, we believe that “little things that start by children will
become the bigger power to protected the environment andchange the world in the future”.

Session 5: Wetlands and Youth 37

Session 6 Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism

Entry Fees for Environmental Services in Community Based Ecotourism:
An Experience from Bishazaari Wetland of Nepal Keynote

Maheshwar Dhakal Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation
Chiranjivi Prasad Pokhrel, Satosh Bhattarai National Trusts for Nature Conservation

Wetlands are the most attractive destination to national andinternational visitors to observe natural beauty, photography,
jungle safari and many others. Wetlands productive ecosystems
and produce provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting
services and their importance are wider than other ecosystem.
Ramsar listed wetlands have additional values as these sites are
combination of social, economical, ecological and cultural services of international importance.
The Bis Hazaari Lake is located in the Chitwan district, adjoining with Chitwan National Park, the oldest national park of
Nepal, listed in the Ramsar site in 2003. The local communities
largely for irrigation purposes use the wetland water. Thiswetland provides a habitat to mega fauna like tiger, rhino andelephant, and many national and international tourists visit to
the site to observe these species on annually basis.
This paper aims to explore the community-based ecotourism
initiated by the local communities at Bis Hazaari Lake in Nepal.
Though the Chitwan National Park has a long history of ecotourism, the local communities of Bis Hazaari wetland initiated an
separate entry fee to both national and international tourists.
The entry fee is collected in the community fund first and used
for lake cleaning, security of the tourists, development of observation site, development of foot trail and many others.
As assessment of entry fees, follow of visitors based on theseasons and their main attractions and activities were performed. An interaction with local community members and government officials were made on collection of entry fees as a partof environmental services and its impact on wetland conserva-

tion activities. The biodiversity profile and water quality observations are also performed during the study.
After an initiation of entry fee and its use in ecotourism activities, the income and livelihoods of local communities is gradually improved. The job employment opportunities in terms ofnature guide, driver, and hotel entrepreneurs are constantly
increasing. The National trust for Nature Conservation together
with national park authority is provided training and exposure
visits to local communities as apart of capacity building activities of ecotourism. Bird watching and jungle drive are the major
tourism activities. Similarly, jungle walk along with nature guideis the most attractive activity to the area. The private sector isequally benefited from the wetland conservation activities. In
the meantime, allocation of some government funding together
with buffer zone activities is observed crux to sustain the ecotourism activities. Higher level of government ownership is inspiral to local communities to increase their participation.
However, security of tourists from the wildlife attack is anotherserious concern to promote the ecotourism activities win theareas. Promotion and advertisement of the site could be anotherfactor to increase the visitors number in the following days.
Further study is suggested to understand the satisfaction of thevisitors as their satisfaction is fundamental to increase the park
entry fees. The coordination with local government agencies,
private entrepreneurs, civil society organizations like non-profit
organization are equally important and recommended for a longterm and sustainable community based ecotourism in andaround the wetland area.

To bring awareness of appreciation for the culture & environment by providing low impact
activities that promote conservation & preservation through socially responsible andenvironmentally sensitive interaction with people, landscape and ecosystemsKasimiro T. Taukeinikoro, Kelly Bricker, Nate Bricker

Ramsar Convention on Wetlenads - Ramsar site number 615,Rivers Fiji Ltd

The Upper Navua Conservation Area (UNCA) is the first andonly Ramsar Site in Fiji (Ramsar Site no.615). The Upper NavuaRiver cuts a narrow gorge in the central highlands of Viti Levu,
the main island of Fiji - the gorge itself is some 75 meters deep
and 5 to 25 meters wide. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty and international cooperation it has however,approve to ratify the UNCA as a Ramsar Site despite being
owned privately due to its importance in the conservation of oneof the three largest drainage ecosystems in Fiji.
The UNCA Ramsar Site is 615 hectares and covers 200 meters
on either side of the Navua River. It is the home to local and different endangered and vulnerable species of birds, reptiles,
freshwater fishes and flora which are endemic to the Upper
Navua and Fiji as a whole. A freshwater goby species is altogether new to science and is in the identification and naming
process. Fiji has 17 endemic species of birds and 15 are found in
Viti Levu and also found in the UNCA. Notable are the vulnerable pink-billed parrotfinch (Erythrura kleinschmidti), Kadavu
parrot (Prosopeia splendens) and black- throated shrikebill (Clytorhynchus nigrogularis); near threatened masked shining
parrot (Prosopeia personata); and endemic giant forest honeyeater (Gymnomyza viridis) etc. The endangered Fiji banded
iguana (Brachylophus bulabula) and endangered endemic sago
palm (Metroxylon vitiense) are also found in the UNCA. The
UNCA plays a critical and vital part in the conservation of biodiversity in Fiji and wider Pacific region. It is indeed a fragile ecosystem that must be handled with absolute care and any
unscrupulous management could see the destruction of theenvironment and the extinction of our very own wildlife.
Rivers Fiji is an ecotourism and rafting venture operating inFiji since 1996. It aims at combining the protection of the wetlands and the associated ecosystem with sustainable tourism.
The company provides the local landowning units financial ben38 Session 6: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism

efits with minimal impact to the environment. The essence of thecompany’s operation is based on its vision which is “To enhance
visitors and indigenous peoples awareness of appreciation forthe culture and environment by providing activities that promoteconservation & preservation through socially responsible andenvironmentally sensitive interaction with people, landscapeand ecosystems which makes the Fijian Highlands so distinct
and unique.” Furthermore, the company operates on “leave no
trace policy” which means that the impact is bare minimum that
visitors never leave visible behind.
In its bid to actively advocate, promote conservation and thepreservation of the UNCA Rivers Fiji continues to visit communities and carry out awareness programmes on environment
protection among local communities and in schools. It offers
river trips to local villages and schools, and carry out community
discussions whenever possible.
Every year Rivers Fiji gives cash prizes for drawing competitions, essays and poster making to local schools on topics ofconservation and protection the environment.
Rivers Fiji’s positive contribution to the environment has
impelled the Department of Environment (DOE; Ramsar Administrative Authority) to allow the company to sit in the National
Wetlands Steering Committee and the Protected Area Committee which the DOE is the secretariat of.
Currently the landowning units profits from lease monies, and
10% of Rivers Fiji annual gross revenue as payment of land-use
fees. Furthermore, Rivers Fiji assists the remote villages throughfree transportation, free medical evacuation and coordinating
community medical clinics. Rivers Fiji continues to search forother low impact recreational, socioeconomic activities which
directly and comprehensively contribute to the conservation ofFiji’s natural resources and enhance the livelihood of the landowners.

Promoting the Implementation of Environmental Treaties for Sustainable Tourism:
In the Light of the Ramsar Convention
Shiina Suzuki

Sophia University Graduate School of Global Environment

This presentation focuses on how the Ramsar Convention recognize and organize “tourism”, especially under the “sustainable
tourism” in relation to wetland conservation, from legal aspects.
There are no treaties directly targeting tourism, but someenvironmental treaties have articles related to tourism under
the international environmental law. In order to materialize thearticle, the related guidelines are adopted by using terms suchas “tourism”, “ecotourism”, “recreation” and so on to achieve
compatibility between tourism projects and environmental conservation. When applying the guidelines, it requires the elements such as nature, economy, society, and culture to be in an
appropriate balance.
The Ramsar Convention covers the four elements mention
above, targets for wetlands and plays a role in connecting the local
community and its outsiders. Therefore, it is necessary to consider
the four elements of wetlands integrally rather than grasping eachelement individually. Such recognition can be found in European
regional conventions, but recently not only environmental treaties,
but also national conservation laws in each country are drawing
attention. By combining the elements, unique values of the area
are created. In order to maintain its value, it is necessary to emphasize the role of the local community.
If the wetland is a Ramsar Site, the necessary conservation
management based on the Convention will be carried out under
the domestic laws of each country. Even for unregistered sites,
the State shall implement necessary conservation management
according to the Convention as well. However, if there are tourism
activities that cause wetland ecosystems to be adversely affected
at unregistered sites, conservation management by the country
may not be successful. In such a case, the opinions and experiences of local people who know that the act adversely affects thewetland ecosystem are indispensable not only for wetland conservation but also for sustainable tourism. It will be possible forthe local community to propose that appropriate regulatory
control should be given to the government of that country andthe community will play a role in leading to a more desirable wayof tourism. Regarding the point that participation of the local
community also contributes to the tourism field, the Convention
responded and realized under the mechanism of CEPA.
As described above, for sustainable tourism, it is indispensable to comprehensively grasp aspects of wetlands and participatory management based on local communities.
A geographical indication (GI) that externally shows theunique value to the area is one of effective schemes that boost
sustainable tourism. GI system is trademarked based on traditional agricultural products and manufacturing methods andrelated ecological, environmental and traditional knowledge,
and it is expected to produce added value. Therefore, the system
has the economic expansion effect, strengthening the production base of local producers and expanding profits, contributing
to improving the living environment of the local community.
However, some issues remain about GI. Traditional foodstuffs
including GI sacrifice environmental, cultural and economic
values and become one of the factors to purposes of tourism. In
such a case, it is possible to positively make a GI and to sell atplaces other than the local. On the other hand, there is a way toincrease the number of visitors by allowing GI items can be purchased only in that area. It is a difficult question which position
matches sustainable tourism. However, since the sustainable
tourism what the Ramsar Convention is supposed to include“bringing beneficial experiences to visitors”, the latter which theunique value to the products and tourist areas including GI as
one thing is considered appropriate.
[Acknowledgement]This study was supported by MEXT Sophia Research Branding Project.

Biodiversity value of Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary Ramsar Siteand development of ecotourism for the communities

Zau LunnFauna & Flora International-Myanmar

Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary Ramsar Site, situated in
the Ayeyarwaddy Delta Region at the rivermouth of Ayeyarwaddy River of Myanmar is designated as wetland of international importance on 2nd. February 2017 because of its prominantbiodiversity values of about 190 species of birds including resident and migratory birds, non-avian species including mammals
and mangrove species. The area of Ramsar site is about 50000
hectares including wildlife sanctuary and surrounding water
bodies and islands. Wildlife Sanctuary is covered by mangrove
forest and surrounded by Bogalay River in the east and Kadon
kani River in the west. NgamannThaung and Kadon galay islands
situated in the southern part of the Ramsat Site are important
habitats for turtle nesting and migratory bird wintering grounds.
Because of importance of biodiversity value and habitat, Meinmahla Kyun was announced in 1889 as Reserved Forest anf designated in 1994 as Wildlife Sanctuary anf declared as ASEAN
Heritage Park in 2013. According to IUCN list, 13 bird species are
threatened species including spoonbilled sandpiper. Among 29
species of mangrove, IUCN global critically endangered species,
Sonneratia griffithii and global endangered species, Heritiera
fomes can be found in the Ramsar site. 53 types of medicinal
plants and 7 kinds of orchid species are surviving in the wildlife
sanctuary. Among the mammal species, wild boar, otter, crab
eating macaque, wild dog, wild cat are recorded. Irrawaddy
dolphin can be seen in the surrounding water bodies. About 100
species of fish, 12 prawn and shrimp species and 9 crab species
are recorded around the wildlife sanctuary. The site is only onestrong hold area of estuarine crocodile, crocodylus porosus in

Myanmar.
The important sacred site for the fishers communities, U ShinGyi nat shrine and historic pagoda namely Myauk Tayar is alsosituated on the island. Because of good habitat for spawn andnursery ground for the aquatic organisms, the Ramsar site isalso supporting daily income of local communities for fishingand crab trapping around the Ramsar site. Because of goodfishing ground, many migrant fishers come and settle tempirarily and fish in the surrounding water bodies. The impoverishment of local communities, some impacts are being happened
such as illegal logging in the wildlife sanctuary.To reduce impacts
to the Ramsar site, development of livelihood in collaboration
with local communities and concerned government departments is very important for the sustainability of biodiversity
values, sustainability of livelihood of local communities andmanagement of the Ramsar site. If there is no alternative livelihood develpment option for the local communities, to maintainbiodiversity values will be difficult. The site is good potential forthe development of ecosystem based tourism because of biodiversity value and accessibilty and included in the plan of development of ecotourism sites in the forest department. For theattraction of tourist, not only biodiversity values, but also daily
livelihood of fishers communities is interested product. Kayaking trips can be arranged in the tributaties of wildlife sanctuary.
Therefore, development of ecotourism is very important forthe sustainability of biodiversity values of the site and livelihoodof local communities and that will support to the sustainable
management of Meinmahla Kyun Ramsar Site.
Session 6: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism 39

Initiative by the reformed bird hunters of Mangalajodi Marsh, Chilika Lake,
India for successful conservation of biodiversity and sustainable tourism.


Ajit Kumar Pattnaik

Wetlands International South Asia

Mangalajodi marshes on the Northern fringes of Chilika Lake,a Ramsar site in India, is an excellent habitat for both resident
and migratory birds. It has been designated as an Important
Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA). Mangalajodi marsh supports 97
species of water birds and 33 wetland dependent birds that
includes 30 species which breed here. Black-tailed godwit
Limosa limosa, (near threated as per IUCN Red list) is the flagship species of the marsh. Mangalajodi witnessed a remarkablejourney from the indiscriminate poaching of birds to a responsible ecotourism site, steered by the local reformed bird hunters.
Once known as an infamous poacher’s heaven, Mangalajodi is
now transformed in to an endless source of fascination for
those, with the inclination to enjoy and appreciate the natureand biodiversity. In early 1990s, local communities used toindiscriminately hunt, eat and sell the meat and eggs of birds
and had adopted it as a means of livelihood. 80 defiant professional bird hunters used to rule the area till 1997. With long persuasion of Wild Orissa, a local NGO and Chilika Development
Authority (CDA), these reformed bird hunters abandoned
poaching and adopted eco- tourism as a means of livelihood.
They use non-mechanized small boats with ore, to conduct the
tourist in Mangalajodi marshes. Now their earnings are muchbetter than what they used get from poaching. Most importantly
now they live with dignity and left behind their bad image ofpoachers. At the same time, they have joined hand with theForest Department in protecting the area and in apprehending
the outside poachers. The case demonstrates how the reformed
poachers can play a key role in containing poaching and conservation of biodiversity and create employment opportunity sustainably. The indicator of success has been the increase in bird
population from a meagre, 4277 in 90s to 0.15 million in 2016

due to successful protection by the communities. Amazingly it
has emerged as one of the best site for the wildlife photography. The average annual income of the local communities
increased by 1000 US $ and migration out of the village insearch of employment is also significantly reduced. To take thisinitiative to the next level, Indian Grameen Services(IGS) a NGO
facilitated the constitution of Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust(MET) in 2010. IGS in collaboration with MET developed cottages, dormitories and tented accommodation with dining facility, interpretation centre cum souvenir shop for the eco-tourist
which are run by the local communities. For marketing and dissemination of information a website “mangalajodiecotourism.
com” is developed. A conservation team involving the boatmen& guides is constituted within MET. The marsh is divided into six
zones for regular patrolling and conducting the tourists. During
patrolling and birding tours, they also keep a watch on thenesting sites and ensure that the area remain undisturbed.
Mahavir Pakshi Surakhya Samiti, has been the first community
based initiative, which could achieve major success not only incontaining poaching and conservation of biodiversity but promotion of responsible tourism. The community now clearly
understand the connect between biodiversity & livelihood,which is key for sustainability. It is an excellent example, howcommunity led initiative to conserve biodiversity can create
huge opportunity for sustainable tourism and create livelihood
opportunity for the communities.

Pagatpatan Mangrove Wetland Learning Center:Towards Wetland Conservation,
Climate Change Adaptation and Education for Sustainable DevelopmentRomell A. Seronay, Rowena P. VarelaCenter for Research in Environmental Management and Eco-governance

Mangrove is known as the breeding and nursery site for many
marine species and a shelter for the juveniles. The unique blendof freshwater and salt water in the various microhabitats in the
mangrove ecosystem results to a high biodiversity. Mangroves
serve as a buffer against surging waves and as a windbreakduring typhoons.
Mangroves are regarded among the major carbon sinks due
to its dense canopy which absorbs solar radiation and atmospheric carbon that are converted into biomass.
Mangroves play a very important role in climate change adaptation, not only due to its capacity to absorb atmospheric gases
but due to its life-giving capacity to people. The livelihood
derived from the mangrove ecosystem can build the adaptive
capacity of the people, leading to sustainable development.
However, these characteristics of mangrove are known only to afew. Thus in spite of the many ecosystem services of mangroves
to humanity, the majority of mangrove areas is not protected. In
fact, they are generally badly disturbed due largely to humanactivities.
In Pagatpatan, there are 14 species of mangrove reported.
Sonneratia obovata (Blume), locally known as Pagatpat, is themost dominant species. The dominance of this species gives thename of the place, Pagatpatan. In the area, mangroves provide
habitats to fireflies, which make firefly watching a component inmangrove-based ecotourism. Mangroves are generally converted into fishponds and for housing purposes. Oftentimes,
these are destroyed for fuelwood and for tannin harvesting.
Considering the historical, ecological and economic significance of the mangroves, proper management of the mangrove
wetlands in Pagatpatan should be the first step towards thedevelopment of this ecosystem as sites for scientific and cultural
40 Session 6: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism

studies. Therefore, people of varying ages, social and economic
status need to know and understand these characteristics inasmuch as these are essential in raising people’s awareness for theprotection of the mangrove ecosystem. The local government,
academe, civil society organizations and the tourism office converge to empower various working groups in establishing the
Pagatpatan Mangrove Wetland Center. The initiative includes
building the capacity of various groups in mangrove biodiversity
assessment, zoning for ecotourism purposes and biodiversity
conservation strategies. The local stakeholders in Pagatpatan(LGU, fisherfolk, women and youth) were likewise trained toperform in various roles in mangrove-based sustainable ecotourism, including tour guiding as one of the key activities.
A mini-museum will also be developed where ecological functions of mangrove will be displayed. The exhibits will include
native species of mangroves and other plants and animals foundin the Pagatpatan Mangrove Ecosystem. Storylines for key
plants and animals with significance to the lives of people will be
written and be part of the information for dissemination. A
seminar room will be used for pre-tour orientation about the
Mangrove Wetland Learning Center. The pre-tour lecture will be
conducted to give the tourists an overview of the Mangrove
Wetland Center through a multi-media presentation and also toorient about the house rules of the park. No tourist is allowed toproceed to the Wetland Center without the pre-tour orientation.
The Pagatpatan Mangrove Wetland Center will be designed to
attract tourists and young student- learners. Walkways (paths
and board walk) will be established passing through strategicareas where special features of the center are showcased. Signages (billboards, directions) will be set up to guide tourists andyoung learners along the way.

Integration of Visits to Crab Banks in Sustainable TourismSansanee Choowaew

Wetlands Management Research and Training Center, Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University

This paper introduces crab banks being operated by several
coastal communities in Thailand, presents some good cases of
the integration of visits to crab banks in tourism programs, andhighlights potential contribution of crab bank visits to sustainable tourism.
Along both sides of Thailand’s coastline, the Bay of Bengal and
the Gulf of Thailand, the decline in fertility of aquatic resources isof great concern. The crab bank approach was introduced toPhang Nga Province since the late 1980s. Since 2002, several
crab banks have been established in coastal provinces andbecome widely well-known for blue swimming crab and mud
crab conservation. Crab banks set-up and managed by fishingcommunities with support from public and private sectors aim
at restoring and increasing crab population, ensuring the future
fertile crab stock, improving crab fisheries and increasing
income from crab harvesting. Egg-bearing crabs are collected
and raised in hatcheries. One female crab may lay 200,000 –
500,000 eggs depending on the crab size. After laying eggs,‘mother’ crabs are sold and the income is used for operating
expenses, crab feeds, system maintenance, and common funds
for crab bank members. New crabs hatch and ‘baby’ crabs areraised, fed, and allowed to float back into the sea. Various techniques and tools such as floating nets, baskets, tanks, ponds,
pens and cages of different designs and sizes are developed andapplied for crab raising and fattening to suit different localities.
The juvenile crab population increased after 4 – 8 months of crabbank implementation in Prachuab Khiri Khan Province. Increasein crab catch rates was reported at other sites.
Crab banks has drawn the attention of domestic and foreign
visitors and tourists to come to learn and share experience. Collaboration between relevant sectors, agencies, and communities has started. Study visits and study tours were organized forspecific and various groups of visitors and tourists. For exam-

ples, a trip to visit the crab bank of fishery community at Ko TeabVillage, Pathiu District, Chumphon Province was organized by
Chumphon Provincial Office in collaboration with the Tourism
Authority of Thailand, for 30 journalists in Chumphon and otherprovinces as part of public relation and tourism promotion activities. The East Asia Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs ofThailand brought the officials and staffs to visit Crab Bank Learning Center at Bang Sra Kao Sub-district, Chanthaburi Province,
to learn and to release crabs back to the sea.This Learning Center
offers 2 days technical trainings for those who are interested in
crab bank establishment and livelihoods of fisher folks. At theKung Krabaen Bay Royal Development Study Center, Chanthaburi Province, visitors experience the crab bank using solar
cells to save energy and cost for aerators. Many representativesof local communities inside and outside Thailand pay visits tocrab banks for knowledge transfer and experience sharing.
Crab banks have the potential contribution to sustainable
tourism in various aspects. Crab banks offer attractive ecotourism and educational resources and are included in many coastal
tourism programs. Local communities operating crab banks
offer the Thai ways of hospitality and take part in tourism management. Public awareness of both local communities and visitors on sustainable coastal resource use, responsible fisheries,and strength of community-based management capacity has
been raised. Visitors and tourists benefits from knowledge andlife experience sharing gained from locally developed techniques in crab conservation, raising and fattening. They experience local livelihoods and life style from homestays and enjoy
seafood. Meanwhile, local stakeholders benefits from knowledge sharing with visitors and their livelihoods is enhanced via
the opportunity to improve source of income stemmed fromtheir own biodiversity conservation awareness and efforts.

Session 6: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism 41

Session 7 Wetlands and Culture

Wetland Culture in Conservation: Meaning, Concept & Application  KeynoteBishnu B. BhandariNepal Wetlands Society

The primary objectives of the paper are to make conceptual
clarity on concept and meaning of wetland culture in the wiseuse of wetlands and identify the possibility of its contribution to
the concrete, measurable and replicable conservation of wetlands and associated resources on the ground. In order toaddress these issues, the paper has been structured around thefollowing three questions.
1. After all, what do we understand by the phrase “wetland
culture”? How is it different from the widely used phrase“culture of wise use”? Why we attach so much importance towetland culture?
2. What is the difference between a natural dimension and cultural dimension of the wetland conservation?
3. What are the existing activities that have led to the positive as
well as negative contribution to the conservation of wetlands?
Meaning and concept: Culture means many things to many
people and varies from place to place. It is a composite concept.
Human actions produce culture. So, any human action that
occurs repeatedly over time is called culture. The culture that
occurs in and around a wetland site is called “wetland culture”.
The paper does not take into consideration civilization, refined
culture, abstract art or fossil culture but only the existing knowledge, religious belief, spiritual values, attitude, practice, norms& values, heritage, secular (non-religious) activities and traditional customs. Thus, wetland culture may contribute to both
negative as well as positive conservation of the wetland site
and associated resources.
On the other hand, the “culture of wise use” and “culture ofconservation” give rise to the meaning of only positive contribution to the conservation, management and sustainable development of wetlands and associated resources.
Therefore, the phrase “wetland culture” conceptually differsfrom the phrases “culture of wise use” and “culture of conser-

vation” but intercept with each other as long as the former
makes positive contribution to the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetland resources.
Catalyst of Wetland Conservation: Wetland culture catalyzes
the conservation of wetlands as follows.
1. Creates social and spiritual energy and enthusiasm
2. Attracts visitors, provide local income and contribute to local
economy & conservation
3. Strengthens the identity of the communities living about andaround wetlands. Contrast between a natural dimension andcultural dimension of conservation: In fact, these two perspectives are just like the two sides of the same coin. One can’t
move ahead without the others. The natural dimension of wetlands includes, for example, ecosystem services, functions,species distribution, habitat, ecology & behaviors, reproductive habits, lifecycles & others. On the other hands, culturaldimension includes human activities, management, uses, protection, consumption and others. Example of cultural practices: The existing cultural practices contribute both positively
and negatively to the conservation, management and sustainable development of wetlands and associated resources. A
few of representative examples are mentioned below.
1. Those practices providing negative contribution to conservation include (1) dredging up of river, (2) inappropriate methodsof fishing virtually killing every aquatic species available there
and (3) religious bathing and immersing of flowers and idols
after the festival is over.
2. Those providing positive contribution are (1) sacred pond andpeople’s collective work for protecting water sources at catchment and (2) rice farming as a good example of land use planning like making terraces using stone wall at the steep slope,annually maintaining these terraces and gradient slope, stabilizing soils and producing rice and other side crops.

Bio-cultural diversity and flood control in the Kameoka Basin floodplain Katsue Fukamachi

Kyoto University

Land adjacent to the Hozu River, which flows through theKameoka Basin in Kyoto Prefecture, has traditionally beendeveloped for use related to water transport, farming, and forestry. Traditional villages along the river were built on terraces,
thus making good use of the topography to avoid floods. Villages are surrounded by planted bamboo groves, an additional
protection against floods.
Bamboo is also widely distributed along the river. Madake, abamboo species of superior quality, has traditionally been usedfor various purposes. It can be used for bamboo poles for boats
and for bamboo crafts, or serve as material for flood protection
works. Bamboo was also shipped to Kyoto on rafts made withbamboo. In addition to bamboo, the palm species shuro is also
seen in the area.
Shuro has traditionally been used to make string for boat
paddles, thus linking the natural environment with the uniquecharacteristics of a village with a boat culture.
The Hozu River flows in big meanders, and features rapids,
deep pools, and fluvial lagoons in a wetland that links the riverwith the surrounding rice paddies. The floodplain has become afreshwater fish habitat that is important even on the national
scale. A large number of freshwater fish species have been confirmed, among them endangered species such as ayumodoki,ichimonji-tanago, and medaka.
Under heavy rain, the area is subject to floods. Floods occur
when under heavy rain, the increased flow of the river hits thenarrow bottleneck of the Hozu Gorge, and water flows back andoverflows the upstream river banks. Traditionally, various river-related flood control techniques have been developed. For
example, one of the bridges built over the river is a sunken
bridge that can serve during floods, and there are stonewalls
42 Session 7: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism

that guide the river flow in order to ensure safe transit for boats.
The floods are also a blessing for the surrounding land since
the river sediments make the soil fertile. Both sides of the river
are used as farmland for rice paddies. After the autumn rice
harvest and with the start of the dry season, the well-drained
floodplain becomes ideal for growing wheat. Wheat harvested
in the floodplain came to be called ‘Hozu Wheat.’ Always awareof the risk of floods, villagers own rice paddies on terraces in
addition to those on the low-lying wetland to make sure thatthey can harvest at least some rice in the case of floods.
This unique riverside cultural landscape created by a combination of nature’s blessings and nature’s threats deserves to bepassed down to future generations. Yet today, lifestyles andindustries have significantly changed, new flood control measures have been developed, and large public projects for urbanization are in full swing. This report aims to discuss strategies
that equally value the need for flood control and the importanceof bio-cultural diversity while taking into account the rapidchanges that have been occurring in the wetland environmentof the Kameoka Basin during the last few years.

Wetland and Culture in AfghanistanMohammad S. Sharifi

Water Resource Advisor

Afghanistan is a landlocked country with 650,000 km2 area incentral Asia and is famous for its cultural and natural richness.
The natural and cultural heritages suffered not only fromdecades of war and conflicts but also from the continuous
drought for years.
Three types of wetlands that are reported includes rivers,
lakes, marshes and reservoirs. The wetlands play a significant
role in maintaining human livelihood and in creating pristine
ecosystems in the desert. Unfortunately, due to draught andwar, three rivers, Sistan River, Qul Bagrami and Abchakan wereturned into wastelands. Many of these wetlands are located in
the area rich in natural cultural heritages. The Government of
Afghanistan not only attempts to protect and conserve thesewetlands but also has initiated special efforts to restore themalong with the revival of cultural values, both tangible andintangible. Danbura, a Afghan concert is being planned to beheld in Band Amir in July 2017. The purpose of this concert is to(1) encourage and attract internal and international visitors
there for creating employment (2) support renovation programmes and (3) protect the environment from further damage
and degradation.
With the growing popularity of ecotourism, there are a gooduse of the wealth of wetland and cultural heritage to attract
more tourist as well as to improve the livelihood of the people
living around and about the site with the all-out support of theconcerned parties e.g. government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, conservation bodies and local communities.
Water and wetlands play an important role in Isalm. Water is
indispensable as the Muslim need to perform Wudu (ablution)prior to prayer. Water has been mentioned in the Quran over 60
times. Therefore the Quran outright rejects wasting of water.

People’s Perception towards Wetland Culture

According to the Quran, “God made all the things from water”.
But water needs to be contained in a space that is what is called
wetland. Therefore, both water and wetlands are very importantin the Islam religion and culture. And the conservation activities
are drawn from the principles of Islam. Another point that isquoted in the Quran is that “Mose chose 12 springs andinstructed each tribe to go to one spring”. Likewise, in Lake
Hamun, people make a long reed boat to navigate the shallow
water. The conservation of Lake Hamun depends on the conservation of reeds. In other words boat culture needs to be protected by the conservation of reed, which can be protected only
when wetlands are protected.
The management of resources is one of the humanity’s mostancient activities and has left its traces in cultural settings. From
management point of view, there are three governmental
departments; National Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Irrigation and Agriculture, and Ministry of Culture. Eachagency has its own responsibilities. In addition to the government bodies at the highest level, there are a few non-governmental organizations at the grassroots. To create sustainable
solution for wetlands related problems and better understanding of cultural, emotional, moral, social, and spiritual dimensions, the government is planning to involve both local
communities and authority as well as in the conservation andmanagement of al resources along with a strong focus on traditional culture, customs, values and norms.
In this paper, cultural values, cultural activities and challenges
that directly affect the conservation of wetlands in Afghanistan
are discussed. Additionally, the integration of natural and cultural values and attributes that is indispensable to catalyze theconservation, wise and sustainable development of wetland arealso discussed.



Puspa K. PokhrelDepartment of Geography, Tribhuvan University

Wetland ecosystems are the most distinct, diverse and productive ecosystems on the Earth. They are rich in natural
resources, cultural values, livelihood means and recreational
ways. However, population growth, over exploitation and development activities have contributed to the degradation of wetlands and associated resources as clearly indicated by their
numbers, coverage, ecological health and change in the
resource patterns. Wetlands in Nepal have played a vital role forthe subsistence of the community, especially those living
around and about them. It is in this context this study has been
conceptualized solely to assess the people’s perception about
the change in wetland situation during the past 50 years.
In addition to various techniques, the study employed thesurvey of 350 households asking each 48 questions on culture
and management of wetland resources.
Major findings, among others are that the respondents wereasked to compare the condition of wetlands between 50 years
ago and now. Their memory shows that the responses are full of
surprises and curiosities. For examples, the wetland area wasfull of bogs, fens and grasses. The sinking of the buffalos was acommon case, where people were called upon to rescue them.
The cold springs were common in the area. Fishes and turtles
were very common. The area was dotted by tall and huge silk
cotton trees (Bombax ceiba), that were used by a large numberof Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) for nesting and roosting. The common saying is that “the Dhimal people assemble inthe stream for fishing when rain begins to fall down”. So much
was told about them that they would put their Kasaudi (traditional rice cooker) with rice on the oven and then go to thestream to catch fishes and return back to the kitchen with good
harvest before rice got fully cooked. The respondents said thatstreams for the Dhimals were like the kitchen garden for the

farmers.
But to the contrary now in fifty years later they responded thatthose wetlands are shrinking gradually. They say that 60% of thewetlands have either disappeared, or been converted into rice
fields or others. If this trend continues, the future generation
would not be able to see this beautiful land landscape. Rather,
they would see only in the cadastral map. Fishes and turtles arerare and the Dhimal people eat fish rarely. To have fish in theirmeals, they would have to buy them from local markets. Thus,
the availability of fishes has changed their food habits. The recklessly felling of simal tree also has caused the decline of the
population of the Lesser Adjutants as these three are the roosting and nesting places for these birds. It was further reported
that wetlands around the foothills of the Chure range are highly
vulnerable particularly near the road, settlements, rice fields
and market centers.
The study shows that the local people are aware of both theimportance and deteriorating state of wetlands. Consequently,
they have initiated various activities such as prohibiting the useof pesticides, drying out of the wetlands for fishing and bird
hunting. Annually they also remove water hyacinth and alien
invasive species. Local committees have been formed for their
management but not been effective on the ground. It is in thiscontext that there is a need for institutionalization and immediate intervention for the better management of wetlands.
The papers conclude with some policy suggestions for thesustainable management of wetlands and their associatedresources.

Session 7: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism 43

Inſ luence of Wetland in the Culture of Bangladesh Tapas Ranjan ChakrabortyDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University

Culture is interactive result of ecosystem. Bangladesh is aland of wetlands; here cultural practices have influence of
wetland. Presence of wetland is common in native songs of
Bangladesh. The Bhatiali is the song of wetland. In the proverbsof Bangladesh presence of wetlands is very common andmostly because of the rapid changing character of it. Good
number of names of people, place and institution are also after
the name of rivers and other wetlands. Based on current andwave character of the wetlands the gender of the wetland is
identified and it has reflection on the name of that wetland. The
festivals are very season specific in Bengal culture and aremostly representing of the changing characters of the wetlands.
The Hindu and other aborigine culture have god and goddess
for the wetlands, the carrier of those god and goddess arewetland species. The communities who are living on fishing
believe some traditional norms which have conservation value.
A study on the Medir Haor areas of eastern part of Bangladesh
has identified 11 wetland species who are conserved because of
the cultural believes. Sacred wetlands and land sacred due toadjustment holy wetlands are helping conservation of biodiversity; around 70 species of biodiversity were recorded from thesacred wetlands of the study area. One third of the identified
festivals of the country are related to wetlands; almost all thecultural ritual has use of wetlands. There is cultural acknowledgement and religious worship of wetland biodiversity. In thefolk rhyme, folk song and folk ritual of the study area the presence of the local wetlands and rivers was found moreovercommon. Folk medicine of the wetland areas has the use ofalmost every floating weed and in chant the description of thehazards. The material culture and folk technology of the wetlandbasin is based on the aquatic biodiversity and are source of
livelihood a significant number of inhibitors. The folk festival,

belief and superstation of the fisher and the boatman are distinctly different from others; even in some cases the occupational influence is dominant than religious practice. There are
sports that are for the celebration of livelihoods of wetlands. The
bangle literature is extremely influenced by wetland and livelihoods in this ecosystem; many renowned novels and films are
based on the life and livelihoods of wetland community. The
character of water in wetlands is also a sign of weather and disaster assumption; climate change and environmental degradation are interfering the accuracy of the traditional knowledge.
Some cultural practices also create pollution and over harvesting; also the folk food is a risk to the ecosystem. Wetland influences the folk language. The paper aims to analyze the influenceof wetland on the local culture, norms and practices of the community living in Brahmanbaria district specifically in the villages
in the Medir Haor area. Because to environmental degradationand other challenges wetlands are under threats; it was foundthat as there is change in wetland ecosystem community was
deviated from tradition. Process of the transformation of traditional knowledge is interfered. The paper also attempts to analysis the consequences of wetland degradation to the local
culture.

Traditional conservation strategies in botswana’s wetlands Tidimane Ntsabane

University of Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country with an area of 582 00-sq
kms. It shares borders in the north with Zambia, in the northeast
with Zimbabwe, in the east and south with Republic of South
Africa, and in the northwest with Namibia. Its climate is semiarid to arid sub-tropical with fairly poor soils. It is located in theinterior of the Southern African sub-region.
The country is environmentally a country of two. On the one
hand is the vast tableland, forming about 80% of the country,
covered by Kalahari sand beds, whose uppermost member
consist of Aeolian sands. Much of this tableland has no surface
water, except for very ephemeral small pans. On the other handis the Okavango Delta, situated in the northwest part of thecountry and is one of the world’s largest inland deltas. Its area isestimated at between 10 000 sq kms and 18 000 sq. kms. Likeother wetlands it has over the centuries provided sustenance tofamilies and communities with a wide range of products, suchas drinking water, food, forage for livestock, and fish.
The challenge to communities around the delta has always
been that of how to maintain an intimate organic relationshipwith the delta to ensure a greater sensitivity to its workings as anatural ecosystem. Key in this living with nature attempt has
always been the society’s culture by way of its institutions,norms, values and beliefs or more broadly culture.
Social institutions in this early traditional Tswana society havethrough decades been teaching children and adults the value ofconserving, protecting and sustaining their resources. As mostpeople could not read and write use was made of the traditional
educational system which transmitted its environmental knowledge through the society’s cultural infrastructure.
The ecological system was balanced, as it was not losing
products faster than these could be generated by the system.
This living with nature resulted in a greater sensitivity to the
44 Session 7: Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism

workings of natural ecosystem. There now however is increasing evidence that the global unsustainable consumption patterns and the ever increasing population are putting everincreasing stress on the land, water, air, energy and otherresources (Oakes, 1998). Developments such as industrialisation, urbanisation and rapid population increases have disrupted humanity and nature’s harmony of earlier periods.
Botswana has been no exception to these challenges.
It is now widely accepted that new initiatives in environmental education and awareness are an essential requirement for
the future of humanity that will create new patterns of behaviour of individuals, groups and society towards the environment in general and wetlands in particular. The need is for morethan legislative changes.
This paper, mainly using historical data, aims at looking at
Botswana’s traditional knowledge, cultural practices, values,
norms, and strategies for the conservation of natural resourcesin general and wetlands in particular . We note that the past is
key to the present; studying the past shows what worked andwhat failed and minimises the possibility of repeating similarerrors.

Session 8 Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD

Localizing ESD Best Practice for Wetland ConservationFrom Mai Po Nature Reserve to South China Region Keynote

Lydia Pang, Yamme Leung

WWF-Hong Kong

WWF-Hong Kong has actively developed ESD programmes for Mai
Po Nature Reserve since 1983. Every year, over 10,000 studentsvisit
the reserveand participated in immersiveeducationprogrammes, aim
to enhance their motivations and skills to conserve wetland andnatural resources in theirdaily life. Studentswere equippedsupportthewetland conservation management work, at the same time educators were trained to maximize the efficiency of our efforts on educating
the next generation. Mainstreaming ESD in the education system
serves as a crucial further step to mobilize the community towards amore sustainable lifestyle.
The experience gained from Hong Kongisreplicated in differentimportantwetland sites in China. The conservation management standard in these sites is raised and public awareness increased. From year
2006 to 2017, WWF-Hong Kong hasestablished 5-yearscooperation
projectswith three regionallyimportantprotected wetlandsin South
Chinaregion. This article focuses on the key achievements of the ESD
works of the three projects. Lesson learnt will be discussed during thepresentation.
2005-2010 Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve,
Fujian Province
The Reserve has the largest area of natural mangrove forest in
Fujian Province with a wide variety of wildlife and was designated asa Ramsar site on 2 February 2008.
Achievements on ESD work:
Capacity building of reserve staff and educators: Through training
courses in Hong Kong and on-site training at local reserve, school
teachers and reserve staff were trained on ESD and were aware of theimportance of ESD.
Education programmedevelopment and implementation: Over3,600 students from 11 localpartner schoolsparticipated in the educationactivities; an ESD textbookwasalso publishedaseducationmaterial for secondaryschoolstudents.
Constructionofeducationfacilities: Educationcetnre, birdhideandeducationaltrail wereconstructed to support the deliveryof reservebased education programme.
2006-2012 Haifeng Bird Provincial Nature Reserve, Guangdong
Province

Over 20,000 migratory waterbirds use the Reserve as a winteringsite, including rare birds such as Dalmatian Pelican, Purple Swamphen,
Nordmann’s Greenshank and Black-faced Spoonbill. Haifeng wetlands was designated as a Ramsar site on 2nd February 2008.
Achievements on ESD work:
Masterplanning: Local educator and nature reserve staff developed
an ESD strategy which is incorporated into the five-year management
plan, act as guidance for the reserve on executing ESD work
Capacity building of reserve staff and educators: Through training
courses, school teachers and reserve staff were trained on ESD andwere aware oftheimportanceof ESD.
Educationprogrammedevelopmentand
implementation:Over3,400 students from 6 localpartnerschools participated in the education activities; small fund was distributed to partner schools forschool-based environmental education work enhancement.
Constructionofeducation facilities: Education center and boardwalkwasestablished to support the deliveryofreserve-based education programme.
2012-2017 Minjiang Estuary National Nature Reserve, Fujian Province
The Reserve is home to over 50,000 waterbird individuals and 14
globally threatened bird species, such as critically endangered
Chinese Crested Tern and Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Achievements on ESD work:
Masterplanning: An ESD strategy was developed to act as guidance
for the reserve on ESD work, also to act as the directional document
for the retrofitting work of the wetland museum.
Capacity building of reserve staff and educators: A working group
was established among local educators and reserve staff, a practicaleducational pack was published with the endorsement of local education bureau to aid the delivery of in-school environmental education
in a city-wide level.
Educationprogrammedevelopmentandimplementation:
Particulareducationstaff of the reservewas further equipped to design anddeliver new reserve-based activities with hands on and citizen scienceelements.

Building capacityof the local communities towards conservation
and wise use of wetlands through CEPA approach in Eastern part of IndiaDurga Prasad DashPALLISHREE, Ramsar Center Japan

Bhitarkanika and Chilika lagoon are two important Ramsar sites
along Bay of Bengal having international importance. It has increased
vulnerabilities due to anthropogenic pressures and local issues.
Along with these important wetlands, there are other national
wetlands such as Ansupa, Kanjia, Haripurlake, Bahudaestuary,Devi River mouth, where PALLISHREE has undertaken different conservation and wise use activities as a part of CEPA approach. Rapid
declining of bio-diversity is occurring due to the high scale silting up
of wetlands, detrimental practice of fish catch using different nets,
massive deforestation in the catchments and shifting of sea mouth.
Apart from these, indiscriminate uses of chemical fertilizer and pesticides in the agricultural fields latter drains into the wetlands and thus
polluting the water. Illegal construction of shrimp ponds have been
increased by demolishing the existing mangrove forests and rice
fields by the local community. Dumping garbage, plastics including
industrial waste and urban sewage water into the wetlands are theother causes of increased pollutions.
PALLISHREE has mobilized financial support to undertake activities
through CEPA approach to address the issues, since the last two
decades. Japan based support agencies such as JFGE, KNCF, NALAPO,TOYOTA, AEON and JWF and Ramsar Center Japan has played important role in extending both technical and financial support.
There was a phase when PALLSIHREE has to face financial challenges in continuing its work with the same approach in the same
thrust areas, while the other contemporary NGOs has shifted theirfocus to other issues, which was easy to raise funds for their NGOs
at that point of time. But PALLISHREE continued on CEPA as itscore focus area sofwork. As aresult, PALLISHREE got recognition
as a state level resource NGO in the sphere of CEPA. Later on, it
organized a pioneer network called as NET-COAST involving otherlocal NGOs and Conservationists in the east coast of India.

PALLISHREE has promoted 52 Centers of Environmental Awareness & Education in the local schools. Further it has facilitatedbuilding capacity of its students, teachers and other stakeholders.
These centers have been acting as the focal points. The massages
has been passed by the students to their families and further percolated to the respective communities. The role of women and its
participation in the conservation activities has always been given
paramount importance in the CEPA approach.
The organization used to carry out several field based activities
involving different stakeholders under CEPA approach. Some ofare as follows.
Communication: Publication of Books on birds, fishes, plants andeco-system in general. The other communication materials areposters, booklets, leaflets and news letter. Apart from these the wall
paintings displays the local issues and its solutions in pictorial form.
Capacity building: Organising various training programmes forstudents, women and community leaders. Besides, it also organise workshops and nature camps.
Education: Class room education has been provided to the students regarding conservation and wise use of wetlands. The facilitator used to provide sessions four times in each week. The
curriculum of SUPW (Social Useful Productive Work) periods wasredesigned based on the CEPA programme in these schools.
Participation: Demonstration activities were carried out in theseschools providing ample opportunity for participation of deferent
stakeholders. At the community level local fishermen wereinvolved in a similar process.
Awareness: Organising street play, celebration of World Environment Day and World Wetlands Day, Students Rally, painting andessay writing on wetland conservation and issues in the schools.

Session 8: Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD 45

Penang Seagrass Project – An Environmental Education Projectto Encourage Volunteerism & Field Education 

Ng Hong Jing, Wong Yun YunNature Classroom, Malaysia

Penang Seagrass Project – An Environmental Education Project toEncourage Volunteerism & Field Education
Most Malaysians do not aware of ‘seagrass bed’, which is one of themost important tropical marine ecosystems. This near- shoreecosystemhelpsstabilisingsediment,preventingcoastalerosion, sustaininghigh fisheriesproductivity [1] aswellas to work as biological indicatorof environmental health [2]. The seagrass bed enhances the diversity
and served as feeding and/orbreeding ground for threatened species
such as sea turtles, dugongs and seahorses [3].
The second largest seagrass bed of Penisular Malaysia is unfortunately included in the Penang Structure Plan in year 2007 as reclaimable land [4]. To date, there are scientists, researchers andenvironmentalists spoke out to support the idea of turning the seagrass bed intoaprotected marine park, instead of sacrificing formass
development[5]. However, lack ofpublic awareness and involvement
is always a challenge in handling nature and environmental related
issue. Many locals do not know the existenceof this naturalsystem
nearby their homeland.
Therefore, in order to promote public awareness of the Penang’s
seagrass bed, we initiated Penang Seagrass Project (PSP, www.facebook.com/penangseagrass/), which is an interest group establishedunder the financial support from Eco-Peace Leadership Centre (EPLC,
http://www.eplc.asia/, based at Kangwon National University, South
Korea), an organization which help to setuphumanresourcesnetworkand leadershiptraininginenvironmentalfield.
Since November 2014, we worked with different parties to educate
general public, especially younger generation, through volunteer
training, site survey & documentation and public education. We
conduct 2 field trips to seagrass bed per month and had organised
several successful public events at Penang State of Malaysia. Besides,
using the photos and data provided by volunteers and students, wemanaged to publish a handbook - Biodiversity of Penang’s Seagrass
Bed in July 2015 which served as a guide to organisms that thrive at
Penang’s seagrass bed.
In September 2016, PSP astheonlyrepresentative from Malaysia,

had secured a second phasefundingfrom EPLC dueto our outstanding
performance and achievements. Whilecontinuing our efforts in conducting exhibitions and expeditions, we reached a new milestonewhere we assisted 2 education institutions in Malaysia to form “Seagrass Action Team”. The action team from INTI International College
Penang had carried out a two days seagrass awareness campaign(21st - 22nd February 2017) in theschool and supportthe WWF Earth
Hourofficial event (25th Mar 2017). More events are in thepipelines
byboth action teams, including the Talk and Exhibition of Penang’s
Coastal Ecosystem in Aug 2017 & International Green Carnival in Sept
2017.
In AWS Saga 2017, we hope to share and discuss experience on
1. How to setupanenvironmentaleducationproject for localcommunities
2. How to involveteachersand studentsinvolunteeringwetland education & conservation
3. How to create awareness among general public in a more effectiveway
1. Bell, J. D. & Pollard, D. A. (1989) Ecology Of Fish Assemblages And
Fisheries Associated With Seagrasses. Biology of Seagrasses,
Amsterdam: Elsevier, 565-609.
2.
Dennison,W.C.,Orth, R.J., Moore,K. A.& Stevenson, J.C.(1993)
Assessing WaterQualityWith Submerged Aquatic Vegetation. Bioscience, 43, 86–94
3. Choo, C. K., Sainol, A. S. & Wong, Y. Y. (2006) Seagrass and macrobenthic invertebrates composition at the Merambong Shoal,
Johor. KUSTEM 5th Annual Seminar on Sustainability Science andManagement, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
4. Chiam, C. S. & Tan, Royce (2014) Precious Marine Bounty. The Star.
George Town, March 4. Available: http://www.thestar.com.my/
News/Community/2014/ 03 /04/Precious-marine-bounty/
5. 10. The Star (2014) Protect seagrass bed, urges marine biologist[Online]. Available: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/
2014/03/05/Protect-seagrass-bed-urges-marine-biologist/[Accessed: 5 March 2014].

How to promote Flyway-wide activities and involve key national stakeholders Tomoko Ichikawa, Eugene Cheah, Minjae Baek

East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD, 10 May) is an annual global
campaign to raise awareness on the conservation of migratory waterbirds. The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) has
been one of the main WMBD partners since its launch in 2006, andhas been supporting the implementation of WMBD in the East
Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF).
The EAAF stretches along 22 countries with various social, culturaland economic backgrounds. In this Flyway, habitat loss and degradation are threatening the survival of many migratory waterbird species.
The key to reversing this trend is prompt and cooperative actions toraise awareness and the prioritization of waterbird conservation.
WMBD has been playing an important role for EAAFP’s Partners
and colleagues to join in and disseminate our messages of conservation, engage with stakeholders, and promote the partnership withineach nation. We have gathered details of the events conducted in the
EAAF from the WMBD’s global campaign website, EAAFP’s website,
and from emails that the EAAFP Secretariat has received. There is,however, some data we could not obtain, especially from events heldin the early years, but in general, the number of WMBD events conducted in the EAAF has been increasing along with the numbers of
the countries joining the WMBD. In the past ten years, eighteen countries have organised activities, involving around 26,000 individuals, a
figure that does not include indirect beneficiaries such as consumersof radio/TV programmes, visitors to exhibitions, people passing by
the rallies, etc.
The EAAFP Secretariat has been promoting WMBD by providing andimproving Flyway-wide WMBD support in a number of ways:
1. Developing a special webpage to act as an online platform to share
information across the Flyway;
2. Developing and providing EAAF specialised materials;
3. Providing materials in various languages to help overcome language barriers;
4. Collecting and sharing WMBD event ideas to inspire Partners andrelevant organisations;
5. Developing materials together with National Focal Points to growtheir ownership for WMBD;
6. Communicating with National Focal Point and relevant nationalNGOs to together promote a national partnership;
7. Providing small grants to encourage the planning of annual WMBD
events;
8. Creating Flyway-wide activities that can be applied easily at Flyway
Network Sites and visitor centres;
9. Utilizing the growing readership of EAAFP’s newsletter and Social
Networking Services to disseminate messages.
The events o rganised across the Flyway include lectures, exhibitions, contests, discussions, training workshops, media programmes,and field trips. The target audiences include not only local communities and students, but also government officers and media crews.
Through interviews, it was found that materials in local languages
were especially welcomed by the Focal Points and NGOs. Also, small
grants for funding have been shown to encourage implementers toplan events and actions.
Through such attempts, we have discovered some key factors that
help implementation at the national level.
1. Active participation and willingness of Focal Points;
2. Good national partnership and key national NGOs that can support
the implementation;
3. Suitable methods and timing in each country.
However, there are some issues that make it difficult for somecountries and organisations to either join WMBD or continue activities.
1. No birds are visiting the area in May;
2. Materials are developed a little bit late to plan something on thelocal level in advance.
By introducing our observations, this presentation will share themethods we have developed to engage and mobilise various actors
on a regional scale, list the findings and successful factors, andencourage suggestions to further expand and ensure the continuity of
WMBD in the EAAF.

46 Session 8: Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD

Adventure Time in Shezi Island, Tamsui River: Explore Our Hometown

Szu-Ting Hsu Guandu Nature Park / Iris Hung Bamboo Curtain Studio
Clare Wang, Nelson Chen Guandu Nature ParkIn October 2016, Guandu Nature Park (GD Park) collaborated
with Bamboo Curtain Studio (Bamboo Studio), took the kids
whom living in Shezi Island to discover their homeland withdifferent eyes. This project incorporates environmental education and art education. We lead children use the scientific way to
discover the nature in their homeland, and using the artistic
way to tell a story about their hope.
GD Park, Bamboo Studio, Shezi Island are three beautiful
sites where are located in Tamsui River watershed. But thisbeautiful watershed is face on much pressure on city develop,
and polluted by many factors, like wastewaters from factory or
ordinary household water. Many people living in this watershed, felt they should protect their “nature” environment. But
how to protect? Where needs to protect? Are their homeland isnatural environment? Most people do not know. So, we plane
this project to call for their heart to rediscover their hometown,
and link the beautiful memory between old and young people
to love their hometown again. Find the way to protect.
This project draws on the knowledge fro Project WET education program that Guandu Nature Park has been promoted, andthe art education from Bamboo Curtain Studio. The students will
go on a field trip and learn to observe the environment aroundthe school through this water resources course. Furthermore,they will share what they find in the course of this projectthrough art, and eventually the past and the present of Shezi
will be presented.
We use the environmental education to lead children to dis-cover their home, their school. Hope they can use scientificmethods to observe their hometown. That’s why in the beginning, we guided them to make observations, like, looking at thecolor of the soil in the wetland, or looking for natural objects inthe campus. Every natural observation will be followed by anartistic creation. This is led by artists who are doing

Eſſorts and Challenges for Coastal Stability and Conservation with Proper Natural Resources
Management in Sundarbans Region, Bangladesh

Hideki Sato, Md. Maksudur Rahman

Japan Environmental Education Forum (JEEF), Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS)

The Sundarbans is the single largest mangrove forest in theworld, lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghnarivers on the Bay of Bengal. A total area is 10,000 km2, 60% of
the property lies in Bangladesh and the rest in India. Sundarbans in Bangladesh is the UNESCO declared Natural World Heritage as well as RAMASAR Wetland site.
Sundarbans mangrove flagship ecosystem in Bangladesh is
the natural safeguard for protecting from natural disasters andlivelihood support by providing rich fishing resources for 3.2
million climate vulnerable coastal people. It is the home ofvarious types of species including many rare and endangered
flora and fauna such as the critically endangered Royal Bengal
Tiger, estuarine crocodile, turtle, dolphin, wild birds etc. Most of
the local people living near Sundarbans are obviously dependent on the nature blessings such as fish, shrimp, honey, tree
fruits by producing the rich mangrove forest and wetland on the
SATOUMI. However, it is considered that the mangrove forestsin this region has been reducing year after year because ofhuman interference by over-exploiting mangrove resources.
In these circumstances, we have to consider two main problems of the Sundarbans coastal communities.
(1) Insufficient of biodiversity conservation education for local
people and lack of proper natural resources management
due to the unsustainable and overexploitation of its’
resources by forest dwellers.
(2) Difficulties in making earnings due to the poverty and lack ofalternative livelihood scopes in the limited life environment.
Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS),
and Japan Environmental Education Forum (JEEF) have taken
initiatives to mitigate those problems by living good harmony
with nature, creating community based organization for ensuring local participation in nature conservation and livelihood
improvement, starting from January 2013.
Especially, we have conducted the following main activities
focused on the viewpoints of Education for Sustainable Devel-

opment (ESD);(1) 
Capacity buildings and human resource development on
biodiversity conservation to elementary school students,
parents and teachers through developing educational materials on Sundarbans nature environment, cooperating with
Ministry of Education and Khulna University, etc.
(2) Participatory tree planning like mangrove and Moringa,
drawing contest on the topic of Sundarbans biodiversity, targeting at fishermen, eco-clubs in schools, etc.
(3) Efforts on dolphin and turtle conservation, home garden,
crabfattening targeting at fishermen, cooperating with Ministry of Environment Forest, community leaders, etc.
(4) Challenges on developing and selling Non-Timber Forest
Product (NTFP) of natural honey by honey collectors, mangrove pickle by fishermen, handicraft products made by
Nypa fruticans and mangrove thatch by community people.
(5) Challenges on developing community-based eco-tourism in
Sundarbans through the capacity buildings of the local
people.
(6) Efforts for building the collaborative networks to support
Sundarbans by multi-stakeholders.
The main goal of any activities is to conserve Sundarbans
mangrove biodiversity and to reduce society based poverty
through efforts for harmonizing between nature and humanbeings properly utilizing natural resources in the area, in orderto reduce unsustainable resources harvesting practice and environmental impact on mangrove regeneration process by community people.
In this symposium, we would like to introduce the previous
activities, and to suggest one of the future directions for creating community development with natural symbiosis in Sundarbans, Bangladesh, through the outcomes of efforts andchallenges about for five years having been implemented by
BEDS and JEEF.

Session 8: Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD 47

BioBlitz in Hong Kong: Best practice sharing in wetlands CEPAHo Marris, Jenna; Martin, Shaun; Li, Man Yi (Bel)

Tai Tam Tuk Eco Education Centre

BioBlitz is a collaborative, open source, citizen science surveyof all forms of life in a set area over a set time, popularised in
the U.K. by Bristol Natural History Consortium
as national BioBlitz coordinator. In 2015 the Hong Kong Environment and Conservation Fund, Environmental Education andCommunity Action Projects sponsored Hong Kong’s first large
scale 30 hour BioBlitz at Tai Tam Bay (Inner Harbour) SSSI, site of
the last mangrove forest on Hong Kong island. The authors wish
to share achievements, practices, progress and challenges
towards better understanding of this CEPA tool adapted forHong Kong and wider Asia regional contexts.
The author is a Hong Kong registered charity established in2012 with the aim of educating to inspire action for sustainable
development in Hong Kong young people and a registeredmember of Wetland Link International (WLI)’s network. The
author’s wetland education programmes were initially developed for UNESCO Hong Kong’s Education for Sustainable
Development Learning Programme.
While there was considerable interest from schools andoutdoor education providers, such approach was found unsatisfactory in terms of level and extent of engagement, as well aslack of long term follow up action. The authors were inspired totry a BioBlitz as an exciting citizen science event with many collaborative partners as proven popular in the U. K., U.S. and elsewhere, such event was successfully concluded late October2015.
In 30 continuous hours, approximately 300 participating students, teachers, volunteers, and expert naturalists recorded 680
species including two rare endemic species of moth, first sighting of juvenile mangrove horseshoe crabs on Hong Kong island,
and first sighting of coral off Hong Kong island. The event
brought together 10 environmental NGOs collaborating for the

first time including WWF-Hong Kong, Ocean Park Conservation
Foundation, Conservancy Association, Hong Kong Birdwatching Society and others, with 20 student groups from diverse
schools, for many their first such scientific survey or field training. Surveys included coastal forest, wetland, intertidal, andmarine habitats. Thereafter, two university groups won funding
and organised BioBlitz events, and another NGO was awarded
HK$34.8 million (approximately US$4.5 million) for revitalisinga heritage building into a BioBlitz training centre expected to
attract 16,000 students a year from 2019.
A condition of the funding was to not allow public participation beyond pre-registered student groups and there were fears
expressed during the funding process, that encouraging unsupervised exploration in the survey area would lead to injury anddamage of wildlife and participants, that the large apparent
number of species would confuse, that unscrupulous participants would decimate local wildlife, that many local species are
toxic, poisonous or otherwise hazardous and other concerns.
In 2016 Hong Kong published its first Biodiversity Strategy
and Action Plan (BSAP) 2017-2020 fulfilling its obligations under
the Convention on Biological Diversity with central aims toensure public is aware of biodiversity and its values, and also to
support China’ National BSAP. Towards this aim the Agricultural,
Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong has
approved funding for the author to organise another BioBlitz
which is planned early November 2017.
In this context, the authors wish to explore BioBlitz as a tool
for wider wetland CEPA in Hong Kong and Asian contexts, inparticular their collaborative structure, including learnings fromthe 2017 BioBlitz which it is hoped will be the first coordinatedPearl River Delta BioBlitz.

Development of Wetland School in China


Xiuzhi Yang, Kelin Chen

Wetlands International-China

Although wetlands are irreplaceable asset that provide waterand food for human being, they have often been sacrificed forindustrial development. Low recognition of wetland values ingeneral public is one of the major reasons to this. Nowadays,
rapid development is resulting in significant wetland loss anddegradation in China, which is one of the rising nations. As afundamental solution to this problem, environmental education
is an urgent task there.
Wetlands International-China (WIC) has been practicing“wetland education” through international exchange events
etc. to increase wetland awareness for students and teachers
since 2002. Wetland School originated from “Asian Wetlands
Week - Children and Wetlands”, a regional awareness campaign
especially targeted to children, initiated by Ramsar Center
Japan. In Dec. 2004, the 3rd Asian Wetland Week (AWW) Celebration Event was held in Dafeng, Jiangsu Province, China.
During this event, the Dafeng No. 4 Middle School was designated as “Wetland Experimental School” by WI- China. The first
Wetland School established in China.
From 2005 to 2015, supported by the Japan Fund for Global
Environment (JFGE), 3 three-year projects were organized by
RCJ, Wetlands Korea, WI-China and WI-Japan, named “China,
Japan, Korea Wetland School Programme: Wetland AwarenessCampaign for Children and Teachers in Three Nations” (20052007), “Wetland School Network Programme Popularized in
Asian Countries along the East Asian-Australasian Waterbird
Flyway” (2008-2010), and “Promotion of Wetland ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) in China” (2012-2014).
Through more than 10-year’s development, 19 schools havebeen named as Wetland School in China. These wetland schools
spreading over 10 provinces formed a Wetland School Networkand growing stronger. Depending on local wetland nature

reserves, they guide children and teachers step into and enjoy
hands-on experience at wetlands, and take an active part inwetland exchange with wetland schools in East Asia and Southeast Asia. A new wetland environmental education modal with
Chinese characteristic has been initially formed.
The implementation of these projects effectively enlarged theinfluence and demonstration effect of Wetland School in China.
We can see that we are making changes on wetland conservation. More and more students and teachers know wetland andthey influenced the people around them. The number of Wetland
School and member of Wetland School Network steadyincreased. Teacher’s capacity on wetland education enhanced
through teacher’s training course and national and international
education experiences exchange. More and more teachingmaterials developed and series of wetland conservation andawareness activities conducted by Wetland Schools. Government of different levels, education sectors and schools pay
more attention on wetland environmental education. The
concept of Wetland ESD is accepted and popular in China.
Wetland School has become a famous brand in China and plays
a significant role to increase awareness on wetland conservation and wise use among teachers and children even the wholesociety in China.
From 2016 to 2017, in order to strengthen Wetland School
Network development, supported by Shenzhen OCT Hua Club
Ecological Environment Protection Foundation, WIC developed
Wetland School Construction Guidebook and Wetland School
Management Measures. We hope 100 schools join Wetland
School Network and each province at least has 1 wetland school.

48 Session 8: Wetlands and CEPA (Communication, Capacity building, Education, Participation and Awareness) / ESD

Session 9 Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction

Present status and future prospects of the nature restorationin coastal lagoon Lake Nakaumi, Japan Keynote

Hidenobu Kunii

The Nature Restoration Committee of Lake Nakaumi

It may be a fate of estuarine and coastal lakes to suffer numerous local and global environmental problems such as eutrophication, landfill, land-reclamation, or the sea- level rise. Coastallagoon Lake Nakaumi, a fifth largest lake in Japan (85.7km2),
was once a fertile lake with prosperous fishery products andextensive seagrass beds.
However, this lagoon lake had been suffered many detrimental effects by human activities, such as sewage effluent, runoffof chemical fertilizers and herbicides, land reclamation, dredging, construction of lock gate and dykes and so on, for morethan 40 years since early 1960’s. As a result, lake ecosystem had
been deteriorated severely and no significant catch had beenreported. The rich coastal lagoon lakes are the most vulnerable
habitats and ecosystems in the world. Due to public opinion,
controversial national public works subject to land reclamationand desalination of the lake terminated in 2002, and the president of Shimane Prefectural Government expressed to designate the lake for inclusion in the list of wetlands of international
importance in July 2003, and Lake Nakaumi was soon after thenregistered as a 26th Ramsar site in Japan together with its
neighboring Lake Shinji in 2005.
The new national biodiversity strategy of Japan, which wasapproved on March 2002, proposed the promotion of nature
restoration projects in order to actively rehabilitate degradedenvironments. Nature restoration projects do not simply mean
to recreate the natural environment that has been impaired bydevelopment, but rather are intended to recover the resilienceof local ecosystems, through the careful removal of human
influences and the rehabilitation of nature. This long-term
project, incorporating good management planning practices,such as adaptive management, fits well with the restoration ofHaor of Bangladesh and Present Scenario Lake Nakaumi in which severe alteration occurred in the past.
To achieve the restoration of Lake Nakaumi, local non-profit
organization established the Nature Restoration Committee of
Lake Nakaumi in 2007 to act upon the law for the promotion ofnature restoration, and the Nature Restoration Committee of
Lake Nakaumi drew up the implementation plan for the nature
restoration projects in Lake Nakaumi in 2012. Since then, theNature Restoration Committee of Lake Nakaumi has beenaddressing the following four main projects such as 1) conservation and restoration of seagrass beds, 2) conservation andrestoration of lakeshores, 3) rehabilitation of depressed lakebottom resulted from dredging, and 4) removal and utilizationof overgrown sea weeds, under the slogan ‘revive richer friendly
clean Lake Nakaumi’, a general statement about desired project
outcome.
Five years have passed since the launching of the nature restoration projects in Lake Nakaumi, and of these third and fourth
projects were progressed satisfactory while first and second
projects were not. Based on these results, the Nature Restoration Committee of Lake Nakaumi is now drawing up the succeeding implementation plan which encourages not only theconservation of biodiversity but the utilization of ecosystemservices of Lake Nakaumi. For its conservation and sustainable
development, every person living around the should do
extremely careful investigation and step-by-step decisions or
adaptive management.



Md Golam Rabbi



Nature Conservation Society

Bangladesh is located in the transitional zone between theSouth and Southeast Asian flora and fauna biomes, which contributed to its historically rich biological diversity. Bangladesh
possess about 7-8 million hectares of wetlands in different
forms for instance, rivers and streams (480,000ha.), estuarine
and mangrove swamps (610,000ha.), shallow lakes and marshes(120000-290000ha), large reservoirs (90,000ha), small ponds
and tanks (150000-180000ha.), shrimp ponds (90000-115000ha)and seasonally submerged ﬂood plains (5,770,000ha.). Haors
are bowl-shaped depressions between the natural levees of ariver subject to monsoon ﬂood every year, are mostly found in
the eastern region of the country. There are about 373 haors
comprising an area of about 858460ha. dispersed of Sunamgonj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Hobigonj, Netrokona andKishoreganj district. Beels are comparatively large surface
water bodies which accumulate surface runoff water throughinternal drainage channels; these depressions are mostly topographic lows produces by erosions and are seen all over Bangladesh. There are thousands of beels of different size are present
in Bangladesh for instance, Chalan beel, Chanda beel, Arialbeel, Baikka beel etc.
Wetlands always support maximum number of life including
District

Shunamgong
SylhetHobigong
Moulovibazar
Kishoregong
Netrokona
Bramanbaria
Total/Average

No of
Haor

95
105
14
03
97
52
07
373

Area ofDistrict (ha.)

367,000
349,000
263,700
279,900
273,100
274,400
192,000
1999,800

Area of
Haor (ha.)

268,531
189,909109,51447,602
133,943
79,34529,616
858,460% of Haor area
per District

73.17
54.42
41.53
17.01
49.05
28.92
15.37
42.93

% of
Stakeholder
Dependency

95
23
28
37
62
41
43
47

wildlife, fisheries, aquatic plants and invertebrates. Most of thewetland in Bangladesh possesses resources for migratory birds
especially in the winter season. Around 400 species of migratory birds visited Bangladesh. Huge numbers of migratory birds
visit Hakaluki Haor, Hail Haor, Ramsagar and Tangur Haor which
is an important Ramsar site. Tanguar Haor has outstanding conservation value, being a natural freshwater wetland in the
country, seasonally harbouring up to 60,000 migratory waterfowl along with many resident birds. Tanguar Haor resources
especially reeds and swamps support wildlife and fish for
instance, 141 fish species, 11 amphibians, 34 reptiles (6turtles, 7 lizards and 21 snakes), 206 birds, 31 mammals and 12
butterfly species. Recent survey has recorded 104 plant species
under 88 genera and 51 families in this wetland. Local communities are solely depended on wetlands for its resources specially fish but they also used to cultivate paddy in the dry
season. The ﬂooded fields in the monsoon became rich withminerals and are very fertile. Wetlands habitat of Bangladesh isunder constant threat due to increase of population, flash flood,intensive agriculture, overfishing, siltation, pollution, ill-planned
infrastructures, lack of institutional coordination, lack of awareness, etc which play tremendous impacts on both biotic andabiotic components of wetlands. Additionally, industrialization
as well as agriculture has resulted in serious levels of pollution
due to ineffective environmental policy and policy implementation. In order to balance human needs and wetlands conservation, a mainly community-based wetlands management
approach has been taken in Bangladesh, but this is not enoughto prevent the degradation of wetlands.
Therefore, Bangladesh now needs a comprehensive strategy
combining political, economic, social, and technologicalapproaches to stop further degradation of wetlands.
Session 9: Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction 49

Threats to the biodiversity rich Henoko/Oura bay – Ramsar candidate site Mariko Abe, Chihiro Tsujimura, Tomoko ShimuraThe Nature Conservation Society of JapanThe Ryukyu Islands of Japan are located on the northern limitof the coral reefs. Many places were lost by coastal development however healthy coral reef ecosystem remains around
Henoko and Oura Bay, located in the northern part of the east
coast of Okinawa Island. At this biodiversity rich place however,currently a plan to landfill the area to build an US military airfield base (Futenma Replacement Facility) is under way..
The whole area of Henoko and Oura Bay are the regions withhigh biodiversity which has been recognized as one of the hot
spots of biodiversity in the world. According to the environmental impact assessment report of the Ministry of Defense, 5,334
species have been recorded from the coastal waters, including
262 endangered species. In addition, through subsequent
surveys, a undescribed species of a huge sea cucumber andmany undescribed or unrecorded species of sponges, ctenophores, gorgonians, sea slugs, crabs and so on have beenreported one after another. Many undescribed species havebeen recently reported.
Henoko and Oura Bay has the largest area of seagrass beds
around Okinawa Island.
These are used by the dugong (Dugong dugon), Japan’s
Natural Monument (Kasuya& Abe 2014). The dugong is listed as“Critically Endangered” on the Red List of the Ministry of theEnvironment and as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. The
number of the dugong in Okinawa has been declining to a critical point.
A massive stand of the blue coral (Heliopora coerulea) (50mlong, 30m wide and 14m high) was discovered in 2007 which islisted as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List.
The value of the biodiversity of Henoko and Oura Bay has
been recognized widely. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment listed the AREA in its “Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Areas identified by Japan” . It has also listed OuraRiver and its estuary in the “Ecologically or Biologically Significant wetland Areas identified by Japan.” The Okinawa prefectural government designates the coastal area of Henoko andOura Bay as “Assessment Rank I” (the highest) in its Guidelines
on the Conservation of the Natural Environment. The Japanese
Ministry of the Environment also listed the area in its list of
potential Ramsar Sites in 2010 as it recognized that the wetlandsin the area meet the Convention criteria for wetlands of international importance,
In 2014, 19 Japanese scientific and academic associations
including the Ecological Society of Japan submitted the “Joint
Petition by the 19 Society Groups calling for Environmental
Conservation of the Highly Remarkable Biodiversity in Oura
Bay, Okinawa” to the government of Japan.
The project to build an US military airfield base is proceeding.
The project for 160ha reclamation requires 21 million cubic
meters of soils and rocks, of which 17 million cubic meters
would be exported from outside of Okinawa island which could
be a trigger to alien species problems; IUCN had given a recommendation to the government of Japan last year to strengthen
pathway management of alien species for the protection ofisland ecosystems. The process of the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) was mired with many issues and problems.
The previous governor of Okinawa prefecture had given thelandfill permit to the business operator (Ministry of Defense,
Japan) in December 2013. The present governor has been tried
to stop however the reclamation project has officially started
since April this year.
Therefore urgent measures are needed to be taken before welose the richness of the irreplaceable coral reef ecosystemforever without many people being aware of its value.

Introduction to conſiguration concept of aquatic acrophytes in lake ecological restoration—An example of ecological restoration in Gonghu BayLiyan Qi, Zhongren Xiong, Hongxing Zhang



Research Association of Wuxi Wetland Protection and Construction

Eutrophication is a serious problem in the ecological environment of shallow lakes currently.Ecological restoration by using
aquatic macrophytes becomes a good method to solve thisproblem.This research takes Gonghu Bay in Wuxi as an example,
mainly discusses the process of aquatic plant allocation in theprocess of ecological restoration of shallow lake.We elucidate
four stages of aquatic plant restoration including basic ecological restoration-vegetation succession-system improvement andits operation and maintenance and their logical relationships.
Meanwhile we emphasize the advantages of functional plants
at different times.In order to provide some theoretical basis andpractical guidance for the of aquatic plants in the ecological restoration of shallow lake.
In recent decades, due to human disturbance of the eutrophication of sewage, Strength increase of fishery and water division, many aquatic vegetation degradation, lakes change
gradually from the grass type lakes to Algae type lake, aquaticplant is an important part of aquatic ecosystem community, andplays an important role in the aspects of water pollution control,
water conservation, water conservation, climate regulation andenvironment and so on.
The analysis of community configuration process of lake ecological restoration of aquatic plants Indicate that: when using
aquatic plants to regulate the water ecological system structure,
restore the structure and function of the lake ecosystem, enhance
the buffering capacity of anti external interference, it demands
full knowledge of aquatic plant performance, life habits andnatural environment of lakes, and according to these conditions
to formulate the corresponding configuration method of aquaticplant communities; in the configuration process, it demands
comprehensive consideration of aquatic plants in ecological andeconomic benefits, so that the aquatic plants ecological restoration project can play a role in long-term.
Eutrophication is a serious problem in the ecological environ50 Session 9: Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction

ment of shallow lakes currently.Ecological restoration by using
aquatic macrophytes becomes a good method to solve thisproblem.This research takes Gonghu Bay in Wuxi as an example,
mainly discusses the process of aquatic plant allocation in theprocess of ecological restoration of shallow lake.We elucidate
four stages of aquatic plant restoration including basic ecological restoration-vegetation succession-system improvement andits operation and maintenance and their logical relationships.
Meanwhile we emphasize the advantages of functional plants
at different times.In order to provide some theoretical basis andpractical guidance for the of aquatic plants in the ecological restoration of shallow lake.
In recent decades, due to human disturbance of the eutrophication of sewage, Strength increase of fishery and water division, many aquatic vegetation degradation, lakes change
gradually from the grass type lakes to Algae type lake, aquaticplant is an important part of aquatic ecosystem community, andplays an important role in the aspects of water pollution control,
water conservation, water conservation, climate regulation andenvironment and so on.
The analysis of community configuration process of lake ecological restoration of aquatic plants Indicate that: when using
aquatic plants to regulate the water ecological system structure,
restore the structure and function of the lake ecosystem, enhance
the buffering capacity of anti external interference, it demands
full knowledge of aquatic plant performance, life habits andnatural environment of lakes, and according to these conditions
to formulate the corresponding configuration method of aquaticplant communities; in the configuration process, it demands
comprehensive consideration of aquatic plants in ecological andeconomic benefits, so that the aquatic plants ecological restoration project can play a role in long-term.

Anthropogenic decline of the mudſlat-specific fauna and flora in Japan:
significance of the restoration of the estuary in Isahaya Bay in the Ariake Sea


Masanori Sato

Kagoshima University

Mudflats are mainly formed in the upper littoral zones in estuaries, especially in the innermost part of macro-tidal embayments (upper reaches of estuaries), providing a habitat forpeculiar fauna and flora. The peculiar fauna and flora of estuarine mudflats appear to have been extirpated in many estuaries
in Japan, along with the mudflats that have been damaged or
destroyed by thoughtless and drastic coastal reclamation (Sato,2010). At present, the Ariake Sea, which constitutes the largest
area of mudflats remaining in Japan, also has the greatest
variety of the mudflat-specific species. Lots of the mudflat-specific species are almost or completely restricted to Ariake Sea,e.g., the brachiopod, Lingula adamsi (Japanese name: Ooshamisen-gai, designated as a critically endangered species (CR) in
the Japanese Red List of the Ministry of the Environment 2017),
the nereidid polychaetes, Hediste japonica (Ariake-kawa-gokai,
endangered species (EN)) and Nectoneanthes uchiwa (Uchiwa-gokai, near threatened species (NT)), the bivalve, Tegillarca
granosa (Haigai, vulnerable species (VU)), and the salt marsh
plant, Suaeda japonica (Shichimen-so, VU), while their populations of the same (or closely related) species are distributed
along Asian continental coasts, which suggests they are continental relicts.
Some of the mudflat-specific species now restricted to Ariake
Sea previously enjoyed a wide distribution in Japan. For
example, our recent examinations of old polychaete specimens
deposited in Japanese and European museums revealed thatthe distribution of H. japonica formerly extended to central
Japan, including the Seto Inland Sea, Ise Bay, and Mikawa Bay
at least until 1969 (Sato & Sattmann, 2009; Sato, unpublisheddata). However, all populations of H. japonica seem to havebeen extirpated throughout Japan, except for in the inner partof the Ariake Sea, which is the last habitat of this species remaining in Japan. Even worse, a recent reclamation project inIsahaya Bay in the inner part of the Ariake Sea (enclosure of theinner Isahaya Bay by the construction of a 7-km dike in 1997)
caused the loss of an estuarine muddy shallow area of 36km2,
including mudflats (29km2) of the most important habitat for H.
japonica and the other endangered mudflats-specific species(Sato, 2010). Reduction of the original wide distribution of estuarine mudflat fauna in Japan into the present narrow one in the
inner part of the Ariake Sea has been documented also for somebivalves and a salt marsh plant (Sato, 2010).
The high productivity of macrobenthic organisms in Japanese mudflats seems to greatly benefit carnivores such as
migratory shorebirds and bottom-dwelling fishes. The highest
number of migratory shorebirds (13,500 individuals) wasrecorded in the former mudflats in the Isahaya Bay in spring in
1988, before the enclosure of the mudflats (Hanawa and Takeishi, 2000).
Our recent study demonstrated that estuarine mudflats
supply important foraging places for the natural populations of
the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica (Nihon-unagi, EN, one of
the most important fishery resources in Japan), which fed on
various macrobenthic invertebrates inhabiting estuarine mudflats (Kan et al., 2016).
Traditional fishing for eel in mudflats with a Japanese eel fork
“Unagi- kaki” has been maintained by the local people in the
inner part of Ariake Sea.
Conservation and restoration of Japanese mudflats areneeded to conserve many endangered species and to maintaintraditional human fisheries and culture. From this aspect, restoration of the estuarine mudflats in Isahaya Bay in the Ariake Sea
is highly desirable. If the tidal currents are recovered within theregulating reservoir, which was changed from the original estuarine mudflats to a freshwater pond by the enclosure of the
mudflats, the estuarine habitats for many endangered species
seem to be restored rapidly in the regulating reservoir.

Re-establishment of the Eurasian otter in South Korea


Sungwon Hong, Young Min Kim, Jieun Choi, Eun Song Jeong, Yuno Do, Gea-Jae JooPusan National University

Urbanisation and associated anthropogenic impacts have
reduced the distribution of many native mammals globally. In
South Korea, where urbanisation and industrial development
have been exceptionally rapid, the distribution of native Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) was severely reduced between the 1950s
and the early 1980s. However, we focused on the otter re-establishment based on improved environment and public awareness. The government implemented a policy in the 1980s to
promote the coexistence of nature conservation and development. To mitigate the effects of river and stream pollution, thegovernment has invested $1.5 billion (U.S.) to date, and sincethe 1960s, forest density has increased dramatically from 27.5 to125.6 trees/ha. Firstly, we hypothesised that these two distinct
improvements in the environment could enable the distributionof otters to increase. Secondly, scientific research and publicawareness have both facilitated conservation efforts to restore
otter populations in South Korea, but how changing public attitudes to conservation have contributed to otter recovery is
unknown. Finally, we applied both diffusion kernel method andself-organizing map to analyse the otter diffusion way between
2014 and 2017, more precisely. We collated data from five otter
distribution studies from 1987 to 2010 and examined the relationship between changes in otter distribution and environmental variables (biological oxygen demand, forested area anddensity, and percentile of national park area) across 111 river
basins. The otter distribution has increased from 29.7% to 87.4%
of river basins. In the early 1980s, otters occurred only on
islands, in remote farmlands, and mountainous areas, in addition to a remnant population near the capital city. After the
average biological oxygen demand remarkably improved in the
1990s and establishing strict law, water quality was an important factor affecting the otter population. Later, afforestation
became a more important factor influencing the otter population. However, the most important reasons for the otter recov-

ery were the implementation of effective conservation laws andtheir enforcement in the late 1990s. Because historic newspaper
articles can reveal such changes, we categorized the 5168 newspaper articles about otters from 1962 to 2010 into five topics(occurrence, ecotourism, conflict, research, and restoration) andgeo-tagged any otter locations mentioned to a 15 x 15 km gridto compare with the otter distribution established by five scientific surveys. Since 2000, the number of newspaper articles
about conflicts between otters and urban development, and theroles of otters in encouraging eco-tourism have increased significantly. Using the diffusion kernel estimation, population dispersals were separately identified according to geographic
conditions in northern and southern areas. Both populations
were observed to disperse eastward although the survey period
was relatively short. Whereas the northern population in theupper basin of the Nakdong river decreased in densities anddispersal area during the survey period, the southern population in the downstream area dispersed widely as the time progressed. The Geo-SOM was applied to reveal associations
between spraint densities and environmental factors. The northern populations were negatively associated with anthropogenic
factors (e.g., distance to residence area) initially in 2014, but
associations changed later to show high relations to biotic
factors (FAI, BMI, and canopy development) in 2016. The results
indicated a possibility of transition in niche preference, reflecting human intervention in the early period during the course ofotter population dispersal. In the southern populations,however, spraints were consistently associated with favourable
landscape conditions and biotic factors through the survey
period. The study suggested that niche preference could bediversely addressed depending upon biological and environmental factors constrained by geographic conditions where thepopulations reside for dispersal.
Session 9: Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction 51

Securing management measures of wild deer in Kushiro Marsh, the first Ramsar Site in Japan

Satoshi Kobayashi Kushiro Public University / T. Yoshida, H. Uehara, H. Takafumi, M. Sarashina Rakuno Gakuen University
H. Uno, Y. Inatomi, T. Shimamura, Y. Osa, M. Ueno Hokkaido Research Organization

	

Kushiro Marsh was designated as the first Ramsar Site (7,863
ha today) in Japan in 1980 when Japan became a signatory to
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It is located in the easternpart of Hokkaido, the northernmost major island in Japan. Thenthe Kushiro Marsh National Park was designated in 1987, including the Ramsar Site area as a core and covering 28,788 ha today.
The Wetland Restoration Projecthas been, however, carried out
in some areas within Kushiro Marsh since 2005. In addition,
wild sika/deer (Hokkaido subspecies Cervus Nippon yesoensis),whose population was thought to have been increasing inKushiro Marsh, has caused yet a new problem for the conservation of its rich biodiversity.
Researchers from Rakuno Gakuen University and the Hokkaido Research Organization, both have experiences in dealing
with deer issues in several parts of Hokkaido, in collaboration
with Kushiro Public University, located just adjacent to Kushiro
Marsh, have carried out a research project from 2014 to 2016 tounderstand and analyze the situation. Main objectives are toestimate the number of wintering deer population within
Kushiro Marsh; to capture some deer for satellite-tracking tounderstand their daily and seasonal movements; and to collectopinions over wild deer management from various local stakeholders in order to help future management planning.
Our findings are as follows:
1) Some wild deer use the central area of Kushiro Marsh and its
surroundings thus considered to be residential, but others
move onto rather far away areas - migratory;2) The unprecedented concentration of wintering deer has beenrecognized in some parts of Kushiro Marsh; and3) Introducing management measures of wild deer within the

National Park area is expected to contribute to controlling crop
damages caused by wild deer in surrounding farmlands.
Possible target areas for deer management have been identified, but it requires further examination to recognize when andhow management measures are to be carried out. On the other
hand, consideration for some endangered species such as redcrowned cranes Grus japonensis is necessary in the nationalpark area. Dialogues and exchanging information with local
conservation NGOs with special focus on cranes and otherendangered bird species have been therefore initiated.
A representative from the Royal Society for the Protection ofBirds (RSPB), U.K., was invited to Hokkaido in 2015 to share his
experiences in Ramsar Sites in U.K. From the viewpoint of conserving wetland-dependent bird species, the management of
red deer (Cervus elephus) has been initiated by the Society in
two Ramsar Sites sucessfully.
The fact that a bird conservation organization has been
engaged in culling programmes of wild deer so as to protect
bird habitats is an eye-opener for many conservatioinsts in Hokkaido.
More intensified management measures of deer populationin Kushiro Marsh will be introduced in due course based upon
the results of the research project, and such measures will becertainly useful and provide further informaiton for similar
problems in other Ramsar Sites and wetland protected areas.
With grant fund made available for the research from 2014 to2016 by the Japanese Ministry of the Environmnet: Project
number 4-1405.

Linking wetland bird ecology with human activities in multiple-use wetlands in India

Shivona Bhojwani National Centre for Biological Sciences,Wildlife Conservation Society-India, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment
K.S Gopi Sundar International Crane Foundation, Nature Conservation Foundation
Jagdish Krishnaswamy Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment

A one-third decline in the coverage of natural wetlands inSouth Asia has led to the loss of habitat for many wetland bird
species. As natural wetlands declines, the potential use ofhuman made or modified wetlands by wetland birds, needs
assessment. A number of such wetlands in India are irrigation
tanks embedded within agricultural landscapes, being primarily
built for irrigation. They are also used heavily for domestic uses,
freshwater aquaculture, and recreational purposes. In spite ofthis, many wetland bird species, especially waterfowl use thesewetlands, especially in the wintering season. A few studies inSouth Asia have investigated responses of wetland birds tomanagement regimes in coastal wetlands or agricultural landscapes. However, the conditions under which these “multiple-use” wetlands support water bird populations is not wellstudied. For this purpose, we used aquatic vegetation as a predictor of bird abundances at wetlands as it performs a dual role:a) plant communities are good indicators of eco-hydrologicalconditions at wetlands b) birds associate closely with vegetation for foraging, roosting or nesting purposes. We also chose tofocus on the influence of aquaculture practices on birds as there
could be different mechanisms by which they influence bird
communities. First, a direct one, where we expected negative
influences of human activities on bird abundance. Second, an
indirect one, by which we expected management for exotic carp
production to influence negatively aquatic vegetation thereby
influencing bird abundances. Conversely, we also gained
insights on mechanisms by which the ecology of the wetland
influences carp production. The study was carried out in 19 agricultural wetlands of Gondia district, Maharashtra, India. Using
GIS software and field surveys, we selected wetlands of similar
sizes (7 to 12 ha) located in paddy fields, on a gradient of overall
wetland vegetation, estimated coarsely before sampling. Birds
52 Session 9: Wetlands and Biodiversity / Restoration / Reintroduction

were counted in each wetland through the wintering season by
two observers. We quantified submerged, surface and shore
vegetation separately, using a combination of methods. To
understand the influence of fishing practices, key informant
interviews, group discussions and frequent visits to the sites
were made. Bird species were parsed into a few guilds based on
their foraging habitat, feeding strategies, diet and size. These
guild abundances were used as responses in N-mixture models
with fishing and vegetation variables as predictors. We foundthat the herbivorous guild comprising dabbling and diving
ducks, Eurasian Coots, and carnivorous bird guilds that included
Egrets, Herons and Little Cormorants, were positively associated with the biomass of submerged vegetation, percent coverof sedges and Nymphaea sp. at these sites. Importantly, thesevegetation types were negatively influenced by occurrence
desilting in the past ten years, a tank management practice, seasonality and prevalence of exotic carp culture. Vegetation that
positively influenced skulking birds like rallids, negatively influenced small shoreline waders like sandpipers and stints. The
data collected from interviews did not support the hypothesisthat disturbance negatively influences bird guild abundance.
We also found that aquaculture production was higher in sitesthat had greater values for submerged vegetation and bird guild
abundance, as compared to the other sites. Insights gained
through perceptions of fishermen, based on interview surveys,
corroborated with the overall findings of the study. This study
not only explores links between agricultural wetlands and birdconservation, but also the link between their ecology and potential to provide ecosystem services. Thus, this study has thepotential to provide insights for future bird-friendly management of agricultural wetlands.

Poster Session I

Adaptive Actions by the community to resolve various issues of Climate Change
in the Wetlands along the coast of Bay of Bengal, Odisha, India
Jitendriya Naik

NET-COAST
It was for the last 20 years, PALLISHREE has been performing
the role of an implementing NGO in thefield ofenvironmentthrougheducation and awareness building spheres. The local
problems due to Climate Change issues have been addressedby PALLISHREE. It has mobilized financial support to undertake
activities fromthe Japan based support agencies such as JFGE,
KNCF, NALAPO, TOYOTA, AEON and JWF in which Ramsar
Center Japan has played important role in extending technicalsupport in conceptualization as well as implementation of programmes. The programmes were implemented in more than180 coastal villages along Bay of Bengal in Odisha. The core
principle of the intervention was to build critical awareness ofthe community and also mobilization ofparticipation in theintervention. Thevillageswere facing Climate Change issues like
Sea Erosion, increased salinity over land and water, repeatedoccurrenceofnaturaldisasters and erratic rainfall. As aresult, thelocal communities were facing sever impacts in terms ofincreased risk over life and livelihood. This hasbeenfurtherresultedin the migrationof poor families.
PALLISHREE has been facilitating community adaptation to
the issue of climate change and its impact.
a) Land degradation: Construction of Cross and Counterbond,Gulleyplugging, check dams, grass planting and Mangrove
Plantation. Plantation in School, temple and community land.
b) Indiscriminateuseofchemicalsinagriculture:
Preparationofvermin-compost,useof cow dung, biological interventions,changing pattern in crop diversity and other serial cultivation
to increase nitrogen in the soil.
c) Adaptation to hazard by stress tolerant seed varieties: Conservation and use of indigenousseedsand otherflood,
droughtandsalinetolerantvarieties.
d) Erosion and accretion: Grass and Mangrove Plantation andpalli-shed have been initiated.
e) Flash flood/water logging: Awarenessbuilding to createes-

capes to allow flood water into the low land. Clearing ofoutlets and inlets ofdrainage system.
f) Hazards like:• Flood: Individualsurvivabilityandcommunity readiness, adaptationof flood resilient rice verity, pond renovation & rejuvenation
preparation of high raised platform, tube well, toilet & house.
• Cyclone: Mangrove plantation, reopening of sea mouth blockage, adaptation of saline resilient crop, facilitating the hydrological connectivity, sand dune vegetation.
•Drought: Rain water harvesting and Adaptation of drought
stress tolerant rice variety.
• As a result the organization strive to check the increasing trendof migration. For this the organizationpromotesmeasures suchasalternativelivelihood like Agriculture, Fishery, Eco-Tourism,
Fruit Plantation, Rice-fish culture,Silvo-culture, Poultry farming& Mushroom Cultivation, Sustainable life forest, sand dune
vegetation.
• Besides the organization also work in the following spheres so
as to make the adaptation process sustainable.
• Reducing the anthropogenic pressures over the wetland bydemolishing all detrimental practices.
• Awareness building to create ecosystem restoration by local
community.
• rohibition to use small mess size net and poaching of fish juvenile.
• Adoption of responsible fishery practices.
• Useofalternativesourceofgreen energysuch as useof solardevices and promotion.
•Training on energy saving lifestyle to the community andmanage solid wastes. For this PALLISHREE used to organize
awareness building activities through street play,wallpainting,poster, newsletter,booklet &leaflet.It also promotessimilarawareness generation activities in the schools targeting thestudents and teachers including local youth group and women.

Numerical Simulation on Algae Bloom in Chaohu Lake,

China Xin Qian, Mei Li, Huiming LiSchool of the Environment, Nanjing University, China

The Chaohu Lake Basin is located in the middle of the Anhui
Province between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River. It isamong the five well-known freshwater lakes in China and with 78
km long from east to west and 44 km wide from south to north.
The lakeshore is 188 km long and the average depth is 2.5m. The
water area is approximately 760km2, whereas the basin area isroughly 13,350 km2. The Chaohu Lake is the main water source of
local industrial, agricultural, and living activities. It is also themain water body that integrates industrial and agricultural drainage with the domestic wastewater along Chaohu Lake.
The water quality of several of the main inflowing rivers deteriorates continuously as a result of the excessive economic andpopulation growth in the Chaohu Lake Basin, which in turn deteriorates the water quality of Chaohu Lake. The water environment in the Chaohu Lake Basin has undergone significant
ecological stress in the past three decades. Since the 1970s, frequent “algal blooms” have been detected in Chaohu Lake, andthis phenomenon is accompanied by water deterioration. As aresult, the water quality is poorer than the national Class V standards and significantly affects drinking-water safety, fishery, andtourism. Moreover, this water pollution hinders local economic
development and affects the health of residents considerably.
The water quality has not improved despite recent efforts inpollution control and lake management. The high levels of nonpoint source pollution in the basin are difficult to control in thelong term although the loads of main point-source pollution incities and towns are managed effectively in recent years. The
water quality is difficult to improve because of the insufficient ofknowledge regarding the formation, transfer, accumulation,and outbreak of the algae bloom in Chaohu Lake.
This research aims to forecast and provide early warning
against algae bloom in Chaohu Lake and try to identify thehydrodynamics factors that influence the migration of nutrientsand algae bloom in Chaohu Lake.In order to study the processof the algae bloom in the lake, a three dimensional numericalmodel was introduced to simulate the distribution of the water
quality parameters and the area of algae bloom.
The field works were carried out to gather the sufficient datafor calibration the coefficients and verification for the simulation results. The initial nutrients distribution data were collectedfrom field data and distribution of algae were from MODIS data,
the wind data are form the weather forecasting in the next days
from the web page. In order to make reasonable early warningof distribution of algae bloom, the simulation scenarios arefocus on mainly the weather conditions in the summer. The
results show that the wind speed and the direction are the key
factors for the algae bloom. The detailed wind forecasting is themost important factors for the early warning of the concentrations and areas of the algae bloom in the lake. The process forthe early warning against algae bloom in Chaohu Lake has been
recommended to the management bureau.

Poster Session I

53Impact of Changes in Environment and Climate on the Ecology
of a Tropical Coastal Wetland of India
Shadananan Nair

Nansen Environmental Research Centre, India

Coastal wetlands, providers of many valuable ecosystem services face challenges associated with anthropogenic impact
and global environmental changes. Impact of the changing
climate exacerbates the impacts of human interference on theecology of the Vembanad-Kol coastal wetland (declared as
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the Foodand Agriculture Organization for the below sea level farming
system) in the south-western part of India, making the region
inhospitable to living organisms and affecting the livelihood of
thousands of wetland dependent communities. This largest designated Ramsar site in India, once an excellent natural water
purifier and life-supporting system, preferred nesting ground formany migratory birds, rich in many fish species and otheraquatic organisms is now under increased stress from theimpact of expanding population, globalisation and industrial
growth, agricultural development and rapid urbanization andafter all the changing climate. The ponds, wells and canals on
which majority of the population depended for all domestic purposes are now highly contaminated. It is a unique wetland richin rice cultivation, with most of the area lying nearly one metre
below sea level. Cultivation was made possible by constructing
dikes and pumping out water. The project to multiply rice production by controlling salinity intrusion and evacuating floodwater in the area became a total failure because of the drawbacks indesign and method of operation.
Obstruction to natural flushing deteriorated the water quality
and the rice production became half. Water-borne deceases
spread, vectors multiplied fast and many species fish and birds
disappeared. Diseases like Chikungunya, Japan Encephalitis,
Dengue Fever, Diarrhea and Jaundice became common. People
still abstract the same water for non-cooking purpose, as there

are no other alternatives. Skin diseases affect those who directly
use the water for bathing. Illegal sand mining, water diversion
and river linking, new roads for flourishing real estate business,tourism development and the new scheme for inland navigation
worsen the environmental conditions. Changing climate now
adds to this. Increasing seasonality and intensity of rainfall leadto fall in groundwater level and large-scale sedimentation in thewetland. Encroachment and sedimentation has already reduced
the area of this wetland by 30% in the last century. Increasing
frequency of floods spoils rice farming in large area. Fall insummer runoff permits salinity intrusion far inside. Change in
sea level poses a serious threat to the wetlands environment, as
the height of land separating the wetland and the sea is lessthan one metre. Sustainable management of the wetland andstrategies for adaptation under a changing climate and rising
sea level is essential to meet such challenges.
Implementation of policies, rules and regulations often failbecause of poor and corrupt administration and vested politicalinterference. Research project on water quality and water availability in the inland canals connected to the wetland shows thatconditions can be improved by implementing inexpensive local
technologies. Present study is an assessment of the impact ofchanges in environment and climate on the ecology of thewetland. Current policies and strategies have been criticallyreviewed. Suggestions for an appropriate and comprehensive
policy for the wetland and a strategy for climate change adaptation have been provided.

Eſſect of policy change and human activity on vegetation pattern and biodiversity conservationin coastal wetlands: A case study in Yancheng, China


Zheng Zang, Xinqing Zo
 School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development, Ministry of Education, Nanjing
Qiaochu Song, Yulong Yao, Dongju Zhang


School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing

Using the Yancheng National Nature Reserve of China as an
example, this study investigated the influence of vegetation
pattern in coastal wetlands vegetation responses to land-oceaninteractions. Remote sensing images were used to reproduce
the changes in wetland vegetation cover over the relevant years
since 1987. We explored the potential impact of policy changes
and human activities on vegetation restoration and biodiversity
conservation in coastal wetland. The results showed that during
the study period, the vegetation displayed a zonal distribution
pattern in parallel with the line of latitude, whereas the wetland
type changed from sea to land as bare mud flat, hosting Spartina alterniflora, Suaeda glauca, Phragmites australis, and constructed wetlands dominated by rice. At the landscape level, thenumber of patches, patch density, and mean nearest-neighbordistance gradually increased during the investigation period,
while the mean patch size gradually decreased in the
study
area. Human activity such as changes in land use patterns
resulted in the progressive development of vegetation patterns
toward fragmentation, and the non- zonality (intrazonality) distribution of vegetation became more obvious in coastal wetlands. To mitigate interference from human activity on coastal
wetlands, an adequate buffer zone should be reserved in coastal
wetlands on the basis of the zonal distribution of the vegetation.
This buffer zone will guarantee the connectivity of the landscape and the sustainability of policy, further allowing coastal

wetlands to play a positive role in global biodiversity conservation work.

54 Poster Session I

The Seabirds of Tubbataha Amidst ChangeMaria Retchie Pagliawan*, Angelique Songco*, Arne Jensen**, Segundo Conales Jr*, Noel Bundal*,Rowell Alarcon* and Cresencio Caranay Jr.*The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), located in the
middle of Sulu Sea in the Philippines, is the last intact seabird
habitat in the country. Over a hundred species of birds havebeen recorded, of which six are regular breeders. These are theRed-footed booby Sula sula, Brown booby Sula leucogaster,
Sooty tern Onychoprion fuscatus, Great crested tern Thalasseus
bergii, Brown noddy Anous stolidus and the Philippine endemic
subspecies of Black noddy Anous minutus worcesteri. Since
2004, the population of these species was monitored on aregular basis. This paper presents the results of the 2017 seabird
census, the changes in their population in the last 13 years, andthe management interventions planned in order to conserve
their population.
A total of 33,650 breeding seabirds were recorded in the park
during the census in May 2017. Bird Islet hosted the majority ofthe population (28,280 adults), while South islet had to 5,370
adults. T. bergii constituted more than half of the total count(17,126 adults), the highest record for this species in the Park.
The population of A. stolidus reached 2,670 adults, the highest
record for this species since the baseline counts in 1981. S. leucogaster colony continued to occupy the middle of the Bird
Islet, with 2,917 adults this year. The population of O. fuscatus
decreased to 5,098 adults from 8,555 last year. One interesting
occurrence this year was the early onset of egg-laying for the
O. fuscatus, which may have started in February, two months
earlier compared to previous years. These four species are
ground-breeders, constituting 82% of the population. This huge
percentage of ground-breeders compared to the tree-nesters
was likely influenced by the continuous decline in the vegetation in the two islets. The combined count for this year's
tree-nesters (S. sula and A. minutus worcesteri) dropped to*

Tubbataha Management Office, **Wild Bird Club of the Philippines

5,797 adults compared to the 10,857 last year. This number is
50% less than the 5-year average count of 11,500 individuals oftree-nesters in the Park. This decline may be attributed mainly tothe huge drop in the population of the Philippine endemic A.
minutus worcesteri, which reached its lowest count (3,710
adults) since 2005 and is 54% less than its 10-year average of
8,000 adults. S. sula population is roughly 2,000 individuals,
almost the same as last year's. Another highlight was the resighting of one Masked booby Sula dactylatra, which was firstobserved last year after a 21-year absence from the Park.
TRNP is being managed under a no-take policy. Despite management efforts to protect the Park and conserve its resources,
the effects of both anthropogenic and natural impacts seem
inevitable. Bird mortality due to entanglement in fishing lines
were frequently observed. Changes in climate and local weather
patterns also seem to affect the seabirds and their breedingphenology. In years when extreme El Niño occurred, T. bergii, O.
fuscatus and A. stolidus did not return to Tubbataha to breed.
The loss of vegetation and the conflict in habitat use between
the S. Sula and A. minutus worcesteri may have led to thedecrease in the population of the latter. All these, coupled withthe decrease in land area of both islets due to erosion, may
have significantly influenced the seabird population in the Park.
Management interventions to minimize the effects of thesethreats include regular clean-up and propagation of native plant
species. Soft-engineering techniques are currently being
explored to minimize erosion in the islets.

JICA Technical Cooperation Project for Biodiversity Conservation through Implementationof the Papua New Guinea Policy on Protected Area
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is currently
implementing in partnership a biodiversity project with Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), Papua New
Guinea (PNG) to build institutional capacity for protected area
management in PNG. CEPA-JICA Project duration is from June
2016 to June 2020. One of the outcomes of this project is todevelop a model for establishing a new Marine Protected Area
(MPA). Bootless Bay has been selected as the site for establishinga new MPA because of its rich biodiversity, cultural significancefor the local communities and its importance for the generalpublic.
CEPA-JICA Project is focusing on protecting the major marine
habitats, including mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral
reefs, because these habitats support the rich biodiversity in
Bootless Bay. Detailed GIS maps of the mangroves including theother critical habitats in Bootless Bay were developed by CEPAJICA Project. Rapid Marine Biodiversity Survey in Bootless Bay
was done in late October to November of 2016 to determine
habitat distribution in Bootless Bay. Three key threats were identified from this survey; 1.) decline of fish resources, 2.) mangrove
degradation, and 3.) marine debris. The results were shared withstakeholders of Bootless Bay. A roadmap to establish MPA in
PNG was elaborated in December 2016, and shared with stakeholders of Bootless Bay. In the roadmap, CEPA-JICA Project did
situation analysis, stakeholder analysis, problem and objective
analysis. The roadmap concluded four targeted MPAs include thefollowing: 1.) Central Papua Conference Bautama Tahira Mangrove Conservation MPA. This MPA allows for zonation include
bird watching, boardwalks, mangrove conservation areas andeducation and research mangrove areas, 2.) University of PNG(UPNG) Tahira Mangrove Conservation MPA. This project allows

Yukio Nagahama INTEM Consulting, Inc.,
Koji Asano NIPPON KOEI Co., Ltd.

for joint collaboration with UPNG for mangrove conservation,
education and research, 3.) Motupore Island MPA. This MPA
allows for coral reef, sea grass and mangrove conservation forresearch and education purposes, and 4.) Aioro (Horse Shoe)
Reef MPA. This project allows for coral reef conservation and sustainable management to allow for reef fish species sustainability
and coral reef conservation.
Bootless Bay Marine Conservation Initiative (BBMCI) was formulated to establish MPA and to share information regarding
activities within Bootless Bay. National government, local government, NGO, local communities and private sectors have participated to BBMCI. By-law of BBMCI was approved by themembers and chairperson and vice chairperson were selected in
April 2017.
From field observation and from reports by local NGO, marine
debris in Bootless Bay are increasing. Marine debris can cause
problems to marine habitats and animals, discourage tourists,
and also hazardous to hygienic safety of local communities.
Coastal clean-up event under BBMCI was carried out at Tubuseria Village water front in April 2017. More than one hundred
peoples participated to the event and collected 200 plastic bags
(50L) of debris in over an hour. Tubuseria community is moreaware of solid waste and take up responsibilities to manage
waste.
From here on, CEPA-JICA Project will prepare MPA application
form based on PNG PPA, consult with stakeholders, draft MPA
proposals, submit the proposal and prepare management plan of
MPAs.

Poster Session I 55

Recent environmental changes and benthic community response in Lake Nakaumi
and the Honjo area, Japane






Kengo Kurata, Koji Seto, Estuary Research Center, Shimane University
Keiko Yamaguchi Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University
Ryusuke Shinohara Graduate School of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University
Takeshi Sonoda Faculty of Bioindustry, Tokyo University of Agriculture

Recent environmental changes in Lake Nakaumi and the
Honjo area have been studied after the cancellation of a land
reclamation and freshening project. Although there is a longterm monitoring project ongoing to study the environmental
changes occurring in Lake Nakaumi and the Honjo area, thispaper presents its current status and summarizes the results
obtained so far.
Lake Nakaumi, which flows out to the Japan Sea through the
Sakai Strait, is the fifth largest coastal brackish lake in Japan,
with an area of 86 km2. The halocline in the lake causes thelower layer to be hypoxic during warmer months, restricting the
distribution of benthic invertebrates. The reclamation design for
the Honjo area used surrounding dikes to separate the watercolumn from Lake Nakaumi since 1981. In 2002, the local government decided that Lake Nakaumi, including the Honjo area,
should remain a brackish water area; several nature restoration
projects were started. In 2006, researchers started long-termmonitoring projects to study the environmental changes andthe benthic community response in order to examine how thenature restoration projects proceeded.
Periodic monthly samplings revealed that the biomass ofseveral bivalve species in the Honjo area increased after theremoval of the western dike, whereas those in Lake Nakaumi
remained at similar levels during the same periods. Data analysis performed from May 2006 to October 2010 indicated thatsome of the restoration projects had indeed affected water circulation between the Honjo area and Lake Nakaumi, and thatthe benthic community responded to these environmental
changes. The abundance of the polychaete Pectinaria okudaiincreased after the partial removal of the eastern dike, indicat-

ing that the other restoration measure had influenced therecruitment of benthic species at the stations near the dike
opening. Monthly samples taken in the field from November
2010 to December 2011 should be included in further discussions. Another surveys conducted in the predetermined years(2006, 2010, 2014, 2016) investigated the spatial distribution ofenvironmental parameters and benthic invertebrates. Several
studies had suggested that the Honjo area with surrounding
dikes showed weak or no halocline and provided suitable habitats for bivalves such as Arcuatula senhousia. However, the distribution of this species in the Honjo area was restricted to theshallower zones in the summer 2006 samples.
After the partial removal of the eastern dike, surveys conducted in 2010 and 2014 indicated either that relatively higher
concentrations of dissolved oxygen could be detected in the oflower layer water samples, or that several bivalve species could
be found in stations near the dike opening. Seawater flowing
into the Honjo area through the opening improved the bottom
sediment habitats, but the range of this effect was apparently
limited to adjacent areas. The results of the 2016 survey indicated that the spatial distribution of benthic invertebrates in thesummer showed restricted habitats both in Lake Nakaumi andthe Honjo area. Most of the habitats in Lake Nakaumi and the
Honjo area were below the halocline, resulting in severe hypoxic
conditions as evidenced by the dissolved oxygen concentrations. These summer conditions had also been reported in thelower layer in Lake Nakaumi before the reclamation project, as
well as in periods before the nature restoration projects.

Our approaches on the monitoring of wetlands' biodiversity for environmental conservationMisuzu Aoki, Syou Kato, Taiki Ito, Tomomi Yamashita and Kenich Yokoi



Wetlands International JapanThe rapid environmental deterioration of wetlands such as
lakes, mires, marshes, and tidal flats is a critical threat to theplants and animals that inhabit them. This problem is also affecting our lives because the activities of plants and animals in wetlands bring us various benefits: for example ecosystem services.
Therefore, it is very important to conserve the environments ofwetlands and to use them in a sustainable way (“wise use”). In
order to receive the wetlands’ benefits continuously in the future,gathering and accumulation of data on their biodiversity is astrong pre-requisite. Understanding the current condition of thewetlands is important for us, but it is difficult to say if we have thenecessary amount of relevant information.
Wetlands International Japan (WIJ) is conducting a wide rangeof activities and projects aimed at promoting the conservation of
wetlands and wise use of them. In particular, we are working togather and organize basic information on the biodiversity of wetlands and objectively comprehend the current state of wetlands.
In this presentation, we will introduce an in-progress monitoring
project that is aimed at obtaining basic information on the biodiversity of wetlands.
In 2003, The Ministry of the Environment of Japan launched along-term ecosystem monitoring project called “Monitoring
Sites 1000 Project,” based on the Second National Biodiversity
Strategy of Japan. This ongoing project aims to detect qualitativeor quantitative changes in various ecosystems, such as alpine
zones, forests, “satoyama,” inland waters, and coastal regions, in
the Japanese archipelago. This project is established at over 1000
investigation sites, and we will continue to conduct the survey fora period of 100 years.
As a part of this project, we are involved in ecosystem surveys
that cover the coastal regions (rocky shores, tidal flats, seagrass
56 Poster Session I

beds, and algal beds) and the inland waters (lakes, mires, andmarshes), with the objective of biodiversity monitoring in thesewetlands. The surveys in coastal regions and inland waters havebeen conducted for about 10 years, using both qualitative andquantitative methods for assessing biodiversity. The dataobtained in the project are published on the webpage of the Ministry of the Environment Japan. It is expected to be used for analyzing long-term fluctuations of biota or flora in each of thestudied regions, and the elucidation of the factors behind such
fluctuations, as data accumulate in the future. In addition, novel
information on the invasion of alien species and on the occurrence of endangered species can be obtained. It is expected that
this data will be utilized for planning the conservation measures
undertaken by administrative organizations, such as preventive
measures for alien species, the protection of endangered species,
and assignment of red-list species. Furthermore, the part of dataobtained from the surveys in the coastal regions will be sharedthrough two global-scale database systems, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and the Global Biodiversity
Information Facility (GBIF), to help elucidate the long-term fluctuations of biota and flora on a global scale. On the regional scale,the data on biota and flora are also used to meet the criteria forregistration with the Ramsar Convention, thus directly contributing to the conservation of wetlands.

Recent environmental changes and benthic community response in Lake Nakaumi
and the Honjo area, Japane






Kengo Kurata, Koji Seto, Estuary Research Center, Shimane University
Keiko Yamaguchi Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University
Ryusuke Shinohara Graduate School of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University
Takeshi Sonoda Faculty of Bioindustry, Tokyo University of Agriculture

Recent environmental changes in Lake Nakaumi and the
Honjo area have been studied after the cancellation of a land
reclamation and freshening project. Although there is a longterm monitoring project ongoing to study the environmental
changes occurring in Lake Nakaumi and the Honjo area, thispaper presents its current status and summarizes the results
obtained so far.
Lake Nakaumi, which flows out to the Japan Sea through the
Sakai Strait, is the fifth largest coastal brackish lake in Japan,
with an area of 86 km2. The halocline in the lake causes thelower layer to be hypoxic during warmer months, restricting the
distribution of benthic invertebrates. The reclamation design for
the Honjo area used surrounding dikes to separate the watercolumn from Lake Nakaumi since 1981. In 2002, the local government decided that Lake Nakaumi, including the Honjo area,
should remain a brackish water area; several nature restoration
projects were started. In 2006, researchers started long-termmonitoring projects to study the environmental changes andthe benthic community response in order to examine how thenature restoration projects proceeded.
Periodic monthly samplings revealed that the biomass ofseveral bivalve species in the Honjo area increased after theremoval of the western dike, whereas those in Lake Nakaumi
remained at similar levels during the same periods. Data analysis performed from May 2006 to October 2010 indicated thatsome of the restoration projects had indeed affected water circulation between the Honjo area and Lake Nakaumi, and thatthe benthic community responded to these environmental
changes. The abundance of the polychaete Pectinaria okudaiincreased after the partial removal of the eastern dike, indicat-

ing that the other restoration measure had influenced therecruitment of benthic species at the stations near the dike
opening. Monthly samples taken in the field from November
2010 to December 2011 should be included in further discussions. Another surveys conducted in the predetermined years(2006, 2010, 2014, 2016) investigated the spatial distribution ofenvironmental parameters and benthic invertebrates. Several
studies had suggested that the Honjo area with surrounding
dikes showed weak or no halocline and provided suitable habitats for bivalves such as Arcuatula senhousia. However, the distribution of this species in the Honjo area was restricted to theshallower zones in the summer 2006 samples.
After the partial removal of the eastern dike, surveys conducted in 2010 and 2014 indicated either that relatively higher
concentrations of dissolved oxygen could be detected in the oflower layer water samples, or that several bivalve species could
be found in stations near the dike opening. Seawater flowing
into the Honjo area through the opening improved the bottom
sediment habitats, but the range of this effect was apparently
limited to adjacent areas. The results of the 2016 survey indicated that the spatial distribution of benthic invertebrates in thesummer showed restricted habitats both in Lake Nakaumi andthe Honjo area. Most of the habitats in Lake Nakaumi and the
Honjo area were below the halocline, resulting in severe hypoxic
conditions as evidenced by the dissolved oxygen concentrations. These summer conditions had also been reported in thelower layer in Lake Nakaumi before the reclamation project, as
well as in periods before the nature restoration projects.

Envisaging the Wetlands Degradation due to poor management practices
in Bentota Area Sri Lanka

Ranjana UK Piyadasa Department of Geography, University of Colombo
Gayani Ranasinghe Department of Town and Country Planning, University of Moratuwa

This study was conducted to identify paddy lands convert into
saline wetlands in Bentota, Sri Lanka considering climate change
impacts and salt water intrusion scenarios. This area involved avery high risk for paddy cultivation due to saline water intrusion
during dry periods and heavy floods occurred. Therefore, theland use patterns in coastal areas cannot be continued for a longtime due to the fluctuation of salinity levels and environmental
changes. Land degradation due to salinization refers to reductionin the ability of the soil to perform a range of productive, environmental and habitat functions. Paddy lands are severely vulnerable to saline deposition and fail of paddy production which willlead to land degradation at the end. This study was conducted toenvisage the amount of paddy land degradation in Bentota Divisional Secretariat Division considering climate change impacts
and salt water intrusion scenarios. This area involved a very highrisk for paddy cultivation due to saline water intrusion during dry
periods and heavy floods occurred. Land use and land coverchange of this area during the period from year 1983 to 2013 was
explored considering the available land use data. Time series
analyses on temperature and rainfall data were performed to
identify climate change trends in the area. Temporal and Spatial
variation of six physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity EC, total dissolve solids TDS, Cl-, SO42- andNO32- of selected dug wells, all surface water bodies and soil
parameters such as EC, pH, moisture content and color were
measured to detect the magnitude of the salinity due to seawater
intrusion during July to December 2016. Systematic sampling
method was used to select the ground water and soil sampling
locations following the 23 midpoints of 2x2km grids. Arc GIS tool
was applied to show the spatial distribution of parameters. The

study revealed that 245 hectares of paddy lands out of the 2524
hectares of cultivated paddy lands were in 1983 has been cultivated in year 2013 while 1385 hectares of paddy lands currently
degraded.Tea and Cinnamon lands have been emerged while
reducing Rubber and Coconut lands in the area. Extents ofMarshes, Scrubs and Grass lands have been gradually increased
during last 30 years. Time series analyses indicate that monthly
mean temperature and maximum daily rainfall had a generalincreasing trend whereas, total monthly rainfall and total annual
rainfall showed a general decreasing trend in Bentota area. It was
indicated relatively high rainfall situations during May andOctober while low rainfall situations during January, February
and July, August. Highest value range of all parameters that indicates high salinity level in ground water, surface water and soil
were found near to the estuary of Bentota River, Dedduwa Lake
and Coastal belt while the wells located in inland part of theregion, 4-5km from coastal belt and River indicating lowest value
range in all parameters that indicates no salinity conditions.
This situation was severe during July and August and will be
more severe during January and February in every year sincearea is having lowest or no rainfall during that period. Decreasing
trend of total monthly rainfall and total annual rainfall and sea
level rise effects will be further upraised this issue even in future
too. Decision makers and agriculture industry should find ways
for enhancing land productivity of those abundant paddy lands
to uplift the livelihood of the community and farmers who live inthis area and upgrade the contribution for the National economyof Sri Lanka.

Poster Session I 57

Wetland Conservation Action by Government and NGOs in Bangladesh
and Future Course of Action

Tapas Ranjan Chakraborty Department of Environmental Sciences-Jahangirnagar University
Sanowar Hossain Bangladesh POUSH

Around 50% of the area of Bangladesh is wetlands; 13 types ofnatural wetlands are found in the country. The socio-economic
and cultural state of the country are wetland based, it is believedthat all most all traditional livelihoods of the country is wetland
dependent. Natural resources of the wetlands were harvested by
the community as common property resources. As there wasover harvesting and rapid degradation of the wetland and its
natural resources from 80s government and development actors
started initiating the resource management intervention. For different wetlands some attempts were taken, which can be classified in to two major types, (1) Disaster management action and(2) Biodiversity conservation action. In most cases the planning
process was participatory and the implementation was done asproject intervention. Stakeholder diversity, local power structureand geo-limitations were the main challenges of participatory
resource management of the wetland. The conservation interventions by government and development organizations havecreated model of community based management. In some projects the population growth of species was around double. The
tools of Participatory Action Plan Development, Participatory
Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment and Community Risk
Assessment were participatory process of conversation planningand action. Beside the national Laws, the country is signatory of
CBD, Ramsar, CITES, CMS, etc.Tanguar haor is one of two Ramsar
sites in Bangladesh. Every winter about 60 species of migratory
birds visite Tanguar Haor. Climate change is a threat to wetland
and its natural resources, climate change vulnerabilities are contributing to additional challenges of natural resource management of the wetlands. Action to cope with climate change wasmostly on livelihood adaptation; for wetlands Ecosystem based
Adaptation was recommended. Rapid urbanization and habitat

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Sungei Buloh was first opened as a Nature Park in 1993 and by
2002, 130 hectares were officially gazetted as a Nature Reserveand renamed Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. In the same year, it
was recognised as a site of international importance for migratory birds and awarded a certificate by Wetlands International,
marking the reserve's formal entry into the East Asian Australasian Shorebird Site Network. In 2003, Sungei Buloh Wetland
Reserve became Singapore's first ASEAN Heritage Park.
Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks) manages SBWR
with a multi-pronged approach - conservation, education,
research and nature-based recreation. While wetlands provide aplethora of ecosystem services, it is increasingly critical to focus
on socio-ecological aspect, with developmental pressures andthe rise of the green sustainability movement. People, remains
the foci of conservation success. NParks recognises the importance of effectively engaging different stakeholders which are key
to the long term conservation of the wetland reserve. It does sothrough a variety of programmes tailored specifically to eachgroup, including schools, non-governmental organisations andcorporate organisations.
Tucked away in the northwest corner of a highly-urbanised
island, SBWR has been fitted sensitively with boardwalks, trails
and bird-watching hides to bring city-dwellers closer to naturesensitively without disturbing wildlife. Information boards withspecies identification guides and explanatory diagrams complement trails for self-guided walks. Visitors may also choose to participate in guided walks by volunteers, prawn harvesting
demonstrations, photography and birdwatching workshops andnature camps for children.The activities organised for the generalpublic are designed to be highly interactive, and are aimed atfurther increasing awareness of the wetlands, the ecosystems
within and how the community can do their part to conserve
58 Poster Session I

fragmentation are being causing risk to resource management.
In Bangladesh many wetlands are subject to trans-boundary
management. Fifty four rivers of the country are trans-boundary.
Fish migration path is intercepted by embankment and other barriers in catchment and in up-stream.There are a few interventions
for the trans-boundary wetlands but major challenge is politicalcommitment. In order to address the human needs in the changing climate and rapid urbanization community-based adaptationand climate smart development are essential for every wetland.
Therefore, Bangladesh now needs a comprehensive strategy
combining political, economic, social, and technologicalapproaches considering environmental and climate change
adaptation challenges to manage the natural resources in thewetlands. Climate change adaptation in wetland ecosystemshould be incorporated into a system of integrated land andwater use and, indeed, into the socioeconomic system of thecountry. Policies, strategies, and management plans for sustainable use and conservation of wetlands of Bangladesh must be
based on solid knowledge and understanding of their ecologicaland socioeconomic functions and processes and the newly
added crisis. The outcome of the conservation actions by Government and NGOs on wetland and resource management has beenstudied in Medir Haor, Hakaluki Haor and Tanguar Haor from July
2014 to June 2016. The present paper aims to identify the management challenges of conservation action and the sustainability
requirements in the wetlands and also try to draw a comparative
analysis if legislative status of a wetland helps in community
based participatory management.

Choon Beng How
National Parks Board
them. Those who prefer to have to have a first-hand encounter
with the wetlands and do not mind getting their hands and feetdirty can volunteer in mangrove salvaging, habitat restoration,
coastal clean-ups and biodiversity surveys. Through engaging
activities like these, participants feel closer to nature and better
appreciate, thus grows a need to protect it. The team at SBWR is
supported strongly by a network of committed volunteers. somefo the volunteer actvities include leading guided walks, conducting workshops and contributing to wildlife surveys. The NParks
website and mailing list updates act as our portal for communicating and publicizing outreach activities and events to public
and volunteers.
In 2008 the draft Sungei Buloh Master Plan was unveiled,demarcating fringe areas around the Reserve that would help toreduce the pressure on it due to increased visitorship. This is inalignment with the Master Plan’s three strategic thrusts of ensuring a living wetland, encouraging bio-learning and enhancing thereserve as a destination with a difference. This new Sungei Buloh
extension with its nature trails and visitor centre is the result ofphase 2 of the Master Plan, and will allow visitors to continue
enjoying the wetlands while also allowing the existing parts ofSungei Buloh to be a more tranquil sanctuary for wildlife. The
new 31-hectare extension opened in 2015, harbouring rich mangrove and coastal forests, which are home to diverse species offauna such as crabs and mudskippers and complements the habitats in the wetland reserve. With the opening of the new visitor
centre, new programmes and guided walks are offered, increasing the suite of new outdoor recreational and educational options
to our visitors. It also hosts a new gallery, classrooms and laboratories, augmenting the programmes and interpretives throughout the reserve.

Codes for urban wetland management in a developing country: the case of CameroonJoseph Yves ZOA ZOANational Centre for Education

The observations of the landscape of Yaoundé political capitalof Cameroon, highlight the presence of numerous wetlands ofvariable surfaces that concentrate a rich and unique diversity but
also fragile and play multiple roles for the daily life of the populations including the contribution to the maintenance of the local
equilibrium Climate control, urban water regulation, wastewater
treatment, and flood reduction regularly caused by abrupt rains
associated with the current climate change. They also serve as
garbage dumps for households located in the vicinity and weaned
from the collection of refuse by the public services. It is still thedormitory of the children of the street and the space of withdrawal of the gangsters after any package.
Only today, through the opposing codes, these circles aremodeled by two groups of actors in particular the poor households and the public authorities represented by the urban community or the boroughs of the boroughs The first actors who
have occasionally come from the countryside do not have permanent employment, regular remuneration or work in the informal sector, which includes auctioning, driving "taxi motorcycles",holding call boxes defined as The sale on the pavement of retail
telephone credits on behalf of mobile phone companies, themanufacture of cinder blocks, the holding of makeshift restaurants etc. The practice of these low-level activities exposes themto complex precariousness. Thus, they show a large deficit ofaccess to food resources. They struggle to get drinking water.
They have a limited capacity to acquire viable, reliable and secureland for the construction of decent housing among others. Theirquality of life can only be improved by exploiting the useless wet
spaces. They build housing in unstable and unsustainable materials and carry out activities such as agriculture, pig, poultry andruminant farming, the products of which are often consumed andsold to wealthy households. The money collected is reinvested in

the acquisition of goods and services and to deal with other economic and social consequences.
The second actors, in particular the administrative departments, whose urban communities, borough councils and theMinistry of Urban Development and Habitat are investing wetlands through other codes. Thus, their interest in wetlands is torehabilitate them. At the end of this period, these places
become viable, secured and constituted in ecotourism area which
welcomes the national and foreign tourists passing through thepolitical city of Cameroon.
The introduction of eco-tourism areas has considerable advantages, such as those resulting from the agropastoral practices ofthe poor. One can at the end obtain a new landscape of wet
spaces materialized by uniform types of crops, the eucalyptus
plants that create a pleasant micro-climate for the stroll of the citydwellers especially during heatwaves. Artificial water jets wherechildren and the elderly cool off or play games. They also become
places where friends and intimate friends meet to celebrate birthdays, picnic, take photo shoots.

Study on flood control effect of rainwater tank with small hole and creationof wetland habitat in urban area

Teruki Hamada, Yukihiro Shimatani, Ryoichi Watanabe, Jun Teramura, Tomoki Takebayashi, Fumiko Taura

Generally in Japan, the traditional management of stormwater
quickly into the sewer and discharging it to the river is done, but
in this urbanized area where the sewer has developed, the peakflow rate of the river is increased and urban flood damage
causing. The method we propose temporarily shuts off from thesewer network and expects that peak flow of river and sewage
will decrease by shifting the time to release. Also, the water discharged from the rain water tank will be caught and held in therain garden and stormwater wetland located downstream. Theseare expected to suppress the heat island phenomenon, improve
the landscape, create a wetland habitats. The experimental facilities consists of rainwater tank, rain garden, stormwater wetland.
Installation of the rainwater tank completed in November of
2016, water level in the tank and rainfall are observed. Raingarden, stormwater wetland are under construction at present. 1)
rainwater tank with small hole The noteworthy point of the rainwater tank with a hole is that it can automatically separate theflood control capacity and water use capacity by making a hole inthe side wall of the tank. The hole in the side wall is located 24 cm
from the bottom of the tank and the valve is attached.The opening
degree is adjusted so that the outflow amount becomes a
maximum of 59mm/h according to the water level. 59mm/h is thecapacity of the existing public sewer system, which means theallowable discharge amount.The size of the tank is 11.1 m2 in area
and the height of the tank is 60cm. The flood capacity is 3.8m3.
The inflowing roof area is 41.2m2. 2) rain garden The area of therain garden is 20m2 and the condition before construction is apond covered with concrete. Also, because the soil conditions are
extremely low in infiltration rate, concrete is not removed androofgarden is assumed. Similarly to the rainwater tank, it was
assumed that the outflow of 59mm/h was permitted, the inflow

Japan society of civil engineers
and the rain falling on the spot were temporarily stored as anarea of 20m2 and a artificial soil thickness of 40cm (assuming aeffective porosity value of 40%). 3) stormwater wetland The
bottom of the stormwater wetland is the lowest, so the groundwater level is higher than the bottom of the pond. In this pond, inorder to maintain the condition that the rainwater is flooded all
the time, consider the drying cycle of the soil, the frequency ofrain, etc, and have a structure that can adjust the height of thehole. Since the rainwater tank has been installed and has notexperienced a full rainy season and there is not yet rain enoughto cause flooding, the effect will be verified in the future. In thecase of small rain, the water level in the tank rose with 5.8mm
rain in 10 minutes, and a storage effect such as gentle drop wasobserved. Creating a habitat is expected by catching rain temporarily in the garden of the house without sending rain directly tothe sewer. Both the rain garden and stormwater wetland are currently in the design stage, but we plan to carry out construction
and conduct hydrological investigation such as flood period andfrequency. At the same time, we will select vegetation and accumulate knowledge on the creation and maintenance of urban
wetland habitat.

Poster Session I 59

A Case Study of Rainwater Society Initiative Projects that Promotes
De-Centralized Water Management Systems







Fumiko Taura, Yukihiro Shimatani, Sampei Yamashita, Ryoichi Watanabe, Mayumi Fukunaga,
Toshiyuki Moriyama, Tomoko Minagawa, Tomoyasu Yoshitomi

Kyushu University Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu Sangyo University Faculty of Engineering,
Fukuoka University Faculty of Engineering, The Universityof Tokyograduateschoolof Frontier Sciences,
Fukuoka Institute of Technology Faculty of Social and Environmental Studies, Kumamoto University Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology,
Tokyo Gakugei University Field Studies Institute for Environmental Education

Introduction:
Changes of land uses by rapid urbanization also change the way ofrainwater discharge management system and cause an urban stormwater disaster. Meanwhile, a situation of water shortage by a natural
disaster such as the drought climate and the earthquake frequently
occurs. Itisalsosocialproblems that for dealingwith urban stormwater
disaster, one solution is to construct huge-size water management
infrastructure, however its operation and maintenance cost is significant and municipal financialresourceisgoing to beshrink due to population decrease.
Due to feature of the current rainwater management system thatbury rainwater pipes into the ground, people cannot recognize how
rainwater discharge through their living environment, therefore it
makes difficult to evoke people’s interest and understanding about thebetter rainwater management system. In the meantime, de-centralized,
self- sustained,and resilientwatermanagement sub-systemthat focuses
on rainwater harvesting, storage and infiltration, is visible and possible
to be maintained by various community members.
Thechallengehere is how to promote this sub-system by reliableelementtechnologies of stormwater management and by involving
various stakeholders including local municipals, active community
groups as well as other citizens.
Research objectives and processes:
Theobjectiveof this researchis to reportmulti-faceted andmulti-layeredprojects that promotesde-centralizedwater managementsystemdone byauthor’s group in Hiikawa watershed region. Not only for Hiikawawatershed, butother regionsshould face the challenge of establishing sustainable water management system.
The authors group established a research group named “LRwS Labs for Rainwater Society” in 2015 and focused on Hiikawa watershedregion as a research field. LRwS defines“Rainwater Society” asasociety that under the de-centralizedwater management system, multi-gen-erational people cooperate to store, infiltrate, and harvest rainwaterand increase green spaces at everywhere in a watershed region.
Focusing on water which feature ismulti-faceted, LRwSenvisions
Rainwater Society asamodelofmodernsocialproblem-solutionmethod.
Rainwater Societyshould be continually transformed and improved bymulti-generational co-creation. For promoting Rainwater Society,
LRwS conducts multi-faceted and multi-layered projects based on
three goals; (1) to practicemulti-generational co-creation, (2) to design
sustainable region with the developmentofelementtechnologyofstormwatermanagement, (3) to establish a community network that connects
various stakeholders relate to Rainwater Society.
(1) To practice multi-generational co-creation includes to find region’ssocial problems, to work on problems, and to educate and spreadthe concept of Rainwater Society among people.
(2) The development of element technology of stormwater managementincludes to inventarainwater tank that combines flood
control function, and to inventahandytool to measure soil infiltration capability. Case studies of implementing technology of rainwater runoff reduction and harvesting based on building-types.
(3) To establish acommunity network includesan eventnamed“Kampaibyariver” and rainwater design workshops.
Conclusions:
The author concluded that multi-faceted and multi-layered projects
triggered that affectedpeopleinotherwatershedregion started theirown activitiesofstormwater management as well as a foundation of
new citizen group in Hiikawa region. These outcomeswereunexpectedimportantresults. Following subjectsareneeds to be continued; (1)develops of element technologies of stormwater management withadditional facility installment by try-and-error method, (2) establishes acommunity network that cover Hiikawa watershed region, (3) organizes
a core member’s group to promote more projects towards establishingrainwater society.

Preparation of Lake Conservation Management Plan for Sustainable Tourism
in Gaidahawa Lake, Lowland Nepal

Lanka Bahadur Shahi, Prava Pandey

National Lake Conservation Development Committee, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal

Gaidahawa Lake (GL) is a freshwater perennial water body of 28.5
ha with greater than 34560 ha basin area in Bishnupura, Rudrapur andSuryapura VDCs of Rupandehi district, Nepal which is very close to
the Lumbini World Heritage Site, the birth place of the Lord Buddha.
The land inhabits a human population of 20,951 populations in
3,120 households. Yet, lake area has been subjected to the natural
succession and encroachment by hill migrants of 80 households
within 100 m perimeter of lake with 4.7 as an average household'ssize. Senior citizens claim that water body of GL used to be greaterthan 80 ha in the past.
Lake Basin represents subtropical climate with 3 distinct noticeableseasons such as hot/dry, monsoon and cool/dry. Lake water is non-arsenic, slightly alkaline and coliform contaminated. All physical &chemical parameters are within reference of the National Drinking
Water Quality Standard and comply with prevailing national guidelines for irrigation, aquaculture, livestock watering and recreation.
The lake is rich in biodiversity with 134 species of plant including 6
species of plants and endemic Indian-eyed Turtle Morenia petersi, vulnerable in IUCN Red List, more than 26 species of herpetofauna, 17
sps of mammals,95 sps of birds and 7 species of exotic fishes.
Since many years political leaders and communities preferred for ahuge potential of GL area for tourism as well as contribute to the biophysical surrounding of the Lumbini. The area deserves as next
immediate destination choice for those visiting to the Lumbini.
However, assessment study indicates that Lake Basin environment isunder tremendous human pressure that results to narrow lake area,
degraded water quality and high uncertainty of Lake Environment.
Therefore, National Lake Conservation Development Committee
endeavored to assess and prepare a broader intervention plan of
Gaidahawa Lake in the framework of International Lake Basin Man-

60 Poster Session I

agement (ILBM) approach with keen interest of communities thatindeed boost up to tourism, biodiversity and livelihoods.
This plan has explored activities in 4 components such as 1) Lake
Basin Governance, 2) Lake Basin Environment, 3) Lake Tourism &Livelihoods, and 4) Lake Basin Management Capacity. 1st component
delivers semi- governmental institution to execute plan to restore 2ndcomponent ‘Lake Basin Environment’ and 3rd component ‘Lake
Tourism & Livelihoods’. For all these, 4th component ‘Lake BasinManagement Capacity’ builds technical, managerial and financial
strength of institution and communities to integrate basin environment to tourism, biodiversity and livelihoods.
The plan consists of 71 major activities and sub-activities mostly
within 5 years, and delivers 5 outcomes. 1st outcome keeps Lake
Basin governance in place. 2nd outcome delivers appropriates basin
environment for biodiversity, tourism and livelihoods. 3rd outcomedelivers for tourism infrastructure facilities. 4th outcome provides NR
based climate resilient income opportunities to disadvantages groups
and other households, and places 4 micro enterprises all following
conservation codes including benefit sharing mechanism. 5th
outcome brings different stakeholders for lake conservation and participatory performance monitoring including 1 model school evolved
in demonstrating lake awareness.
A total of NRs. 659, 129 thousands is required to implement theplan in which about 1.4% for lake basin governance, about 50% forrestoring basin environment, about 4% is used for administrative costand about 43% for creating tourism infrastructure which mutuallyenhances climate resilient livelihoods and contribute to employment
opportunity that ultimately meet the poverty reduction strategy ofGovernment of Nepal.

Lake Danao of San Francisco, Cebu, Philippines as titlist of clean and green lake:its development, problems and prospectsSerapion N. Tanduyan, Berenice T. Andriano and Ricardo B. Gonzaga

Lake Danao is a 649 ha lake located at the municipality San
Francisco, Cebu.Lake Danao of San Francisco, Cebu was judged
as one of the cleanest and greenest lakes of the Philippines
under the Gawad ng Pangulo sa Kapaligiran Lake Category
because Lake Danao as nature’s gifts to the inhabitants of San
Francisco was cared by the people as a sign of people’s love of
nature. That is why its development, problems encountered andthe plans of the Local Government were considered.
Interview guide and actual field visit of the lake were used togather data from the different agencies of the government in
Pacijan Island, LGU officials and the fisher folks.
Results show that the Lake Danao really meets the criteria of
the national lake contest for its clean water and its environment
has luxurious growth of plants around it. It is free from garbage
waste and pollutants. Its award include Plaque of Distinction Cleanest lake (Cebu Province) ;Award of Recognition- Cleanest
Lake of Region VII; Presidential Award of Excellence as National
Finalist- Search for the Cleanest Inland Bodies of Water Provincial Winner; Cleanest Inland Bodies of Water Presidential Awardof Excellence; 1st runner up Search for the Cleanest Inland
Bodies of Water throughout the Philippines and Presidential
Award of Excellence- 2nd runner up Search for the Cleanest
Inland Bodies of Water still on the entire country level.
The lake supplies water to the rice fields in Sitio Danao andPatabog. Its shoreline ranges from rocky to soft mud. The typeof soil is coarse, silty and sandy. The depth of the water ranges
from 27-290C. Water has a pH of 8.5-9.0. Salinity ranges from
0-0.5 ppt. The lake water is free from pollutants, except for someallochthonous materials (Station Profile of Carmen Lake Danao

Cebu Technological University, San Francisco, Cebu Campus
Fishery Complex/Research Station for Freshwater Fisheries
Development Zone, Union, San Francisco, Cebu. 1995). It has no
definite inlet and outlet, but it is presumed that a subterranean
spring supplies water to the lake. Assorted vegetation such as
hydrilla, water lily, water hyacinth, and kangkong “Ipomaea
aquatica are found in the lake. “Suli-suli”, palawan nipa andcoconuts grow along the periphery of the lake
Washing and bathing are now prohibited in the lake and no
motorboats allowed but only the paddle boats. Two parks are
established in the lake namely: the Green Lake Park and theLake Danao Park and an eco trail was constructed around thelake for additional attraction.
Results further shows that aside from the local tourists visiting Lake Danao foreigners from Canada, Germany West, Hongkong, Indonesia, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia,
Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA and balikbayan also
visited the lake.
Problems encountered were lack of personnel’s training tomanage the lake, people’s negative reactions to the different
lake regulations and ordinances and lack of funds. The LGU, the
BFAR, DA and DENR and the Cebu Technological University andother agencies collaborated to make and implement plans forthe preservation of the Lake Danao.

The impact of wetland conservation around tourism protected areas.
A case of kashaasha wetland around bwindi impenetrable national park in south western UgandaKashaasha wetland is located in the southern sector of Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park (BINP). The wetland is located in thesouthern Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Rubuguri Parish, Kirundo Sub County, Bufumbira North County,
Kisoro district. The wetland which is approximately 12 Km longand 1 Km width.it is adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park (BINP), has got high conservation values. Bwindi Impenetrable National park is number one tourism foreign exchange
earner for Uganda as result of Gorilla Tourism. BINP is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its ecological importance.
Unlike other parts of BINP, where adjacent communities areallowed resource access, communities in the southern sector of
BINP have been denied access due to the presence of seven
Gorilla groups that has made this area a high tourism area.
Degrading and encroachment on Kashaasha wetland increases
the risk of encroachment and poaching of BINP. The wetland
supports 2,700 Batwa indigenous people with raw materials forcrafts making .Batwa were evicted from BINP and the Mgahinga
Gorilla National Park in 1991, with the main aim of protecting
mountain Gorillas. Cutting this forest will further impoverish the
Batwa and other communities hence exacerbating Human Wildlife conflict
Conservation of 12 Kilometer long Kashaasha wetland by thecommunity was identified as one of the main key contributions
to collaborative management of BINP and addressing humanwildlife conflict. Kashaasha is a great water catchment area providing the local communities, Batwa indigenous peoples,
tourism lodges and Rubuguri town council with clean water.
Kashaasha acts is water shed to water streams that provide
water to community members .These streams also drain intolake Mutanda which provides water and fish to the district

Nathan Justice Gahungu Makuregye
Wetlands international

The wetland further inevitably influences ecosystem services
and livelihoods for local communities and Batwa indigenous
peoples that were previously dependent on BINP before it wasgazette in 1991. The studies aimed at finding out the impact
Kashaasha Wetland conservation on the conservation of Bwindi
national park and ascertain the wetland conservation mechanisms being put in place by communities as a means of promoting sustainable tourism.
The findings indicated that due to climate change and anthropogenic activities the swamp had started experiencing degradation leading to further encroachment on BINP. The study notedthat in 1990, the swamp hand reduced in size by 30% due toclimate change and agriculture. This threatened the wellbeing ofpeople who originally depended on it for ecological governancepurposes and as well as threatening its role as an alternative
livelihood source of products to Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park.
Communities have since conserved the wetland. The agriculture in the wetland has been abandoned in favour of using thewetland as per the Uganda’s National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wetland Resources that seeks topromote the protection of Uganda’s wetlands in order to sustain
their ecological and socioeconomic functions. The study
however noted that the wetland size continues to reduce due toclimate change. Although people’s livelihood on swamp has
been affected, there is still good will for people to support conservation of Kashaasha wetland by enhancing formulation ofbi-laws in conservation of wetlands hence promoting sustainable tourism around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in
Uganda.
Poster Session I 61

Registration of Higashiyoka Higata as a Ramsar Site and Change in Regional Culture

Kashaasha wetland is located in the southern sector of Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park (BINP). The wetland is located in thesouthern Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Rubuguri Parish, Kirundo Sub County, Bufumbira North County,
Kisoro district. The wetland which is approximately 12Km longand 1Km width.it is adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park (BINP), has got high conservation values. Bwindi Impenetrable National park is number one tourism foreign exchange
earner for Uganda as result of Gorilla Tourism. BINP is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its ecological importance.
Unlike other parts of BINP, where adjacent communities areallowed resource access, communities in the southern sector of
BINP have been denied access due to the presence of seven
Gorilla groups that has made this area a high tourism area.
Degrading and encroachment on Kashaasha wetland increases
the risk of encroachment and poaching of BINP. The wetland
supports 2,700 Batwa indigenous people with raw materials forcrafts making .Batwa were evicted from BINP and the Mgahinga
Gorilla National Park in 1991, with the main aim of protecting
mountain Gorillas. Cutting this forest will further impoverish the
Batwa and other communities hence exacerbating Human Wildlife conflict
Conservation of 12 Kilometer long Kashaasha wetland by thecommunity was identified as one of the main key contributions
to collaborative management of BINP and addressing humanwildlife conflict. Kashaasha is a great water catchment area providing the local communities, Batwa indigenous peoples,
tourism lodges and Rubuguri town council with clean water.
Kashaasha acts is water shed to water streams that provide
water to community members .These streams also drain intolake Mutanda which provides water and fish to the district
The wetland further inevitably influences ecosystem services

Yasuhiko Takeshita

Regional Network of Resident in Ariake-Sea coastand livelihoods for local communities and Batwa indigenous
peoples that were previously dependent on BINP before it wasgazette in 1991. The studies aimed at finding out the impact
Kashaasha Wetland conservation on the conservation of Bwindi
national park and ascertain the wetland conservation mechanisms being put in place by communities as a means of promoting sustainable tourism.
The findings indicated that due to climate change and anthropogenic activities the swamp had started experiencing degradation leading to further encroachment on BINP. The study notedthat in 1990, the swamp hand reduced in size by 30% due toclimate change and agriculture. This threatened the wellbeing ofpeople who originally depended on it for ecological governancepurposes and as well as threatening its role as an alternative
livelihood source of products to Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park.
Communities have since conserved the wetland. The agriculture in the wetland has been abandoned in favour of using thewetland as per the Uganda’s National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wetland Resources that seeks topromote the protection of Uganda’s wetlands in order to sustain
their ecological and socioeconomic functions. The study
however noted that the wetland size continues to reduce due toclimate change. Although people’s livelihood on swamp has
been affected, there is still good will for people to support conservation of Kashaasha wetland by enhancing formulation ofbi-laws in conservation of wetlands hence promoting sustainable tourism around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in
Uganda.

Study of evaluation of traditional dry-stone revetment
This study aims to investigate the strength of the traditionalstone masonry revetment without concrete in river.
The dry-stone revetment, which is a traditional works’ method
without using concrete, had been used for a long time as a riverbank protection in Japan until the concrete river bank protection method and the mortal stone masonry revetment havebeen popularized. The dry-stone revetment is a combined structure of complex materials filled with small stones behind largestones on the surface. Therefore, it does not block the groundwater from the ground behind the river bank protection, so it is
known that plants grow abundantly between stones and functions as a landscape or as a habitat for living things.
However, it is not used as a river bank protection in recent
years, or it cannot use even if we want to use it, because skill isnecessary and there is no knowledge on strength, although the
dry-stone revetment has considerable strength. And furthermore, in recent years, examples of restoration of rivers consolidated by concrete and examples of river improvement
considering the environment are increasing, so it is a problem
to clarify the strength of the traditional dry-stone revetment.
Therefore, in order to investigate the strength of the dry-stone
revetment in the river, this study conducted the following
research.
We reviewed the design guidelines and studies of stability ofrevetment in road and river field. There are no detailed design
standards for dry-stone revetment of rivers.
Understanding the structure of the traditional dry-stone revetment in the river, the field surveys are conducted. In the fieldsurvey, we grasp some important elements of dry- stone revetment, slope gradient, height, size of stones and ways of stacking
stones. Based on the results of the field survey, we set up thehydraulic model experiment.
62 Poster Session I

Eriko Takeuchi, Hironori Hayashi, Yukihiro Shimatani
Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University

It is important for the structure of the dry-stone revetment toengage the built stones each other.
The hydraulic model tests are conducted to clarify dry-stone
revetment strength against the flow. Variables of these experiments were flow rate, size of the stone, method of stacking
stones and thickness of the backfill. The method of stacking
stones, which is one of the variables, was used three types.
Three types of them, the stacking-flat, the form of a valley, thesimilar way of Ano Zumi. The flow rate is incremented until the
dry-stone revetment was destroyed. The result of the hydraulicmodel experiment is to obtain the strength of the dry-stone
revetment against the flow due to the difference in the methodof stacking stones, the optimum size of the stone against for theexternal force, and the optimum thickness of the backfill material. In this presentation, we will present two variables of thestrength of the flow and the method of stacking.
It is thought that these results are considered to be the basic
data for design guidelines for dry-stone revetment. We would
like to continue our research to clarify the function of the traditional dry-stone revetment and aim to disseminate the drystone revetment as modern technology of river revetment.

Always on the Way to Wetland and Environmental Protection Education


Xinglongtai No.1 Primary School of Liaohe Oilfield is locatedin Panjin, Liaoning Province where the Liaohe Estuary National
Nature Reserve of China is seated. From the beginning of the
1980s, we have always been focusing on green or environmental protection education. Within the span of over three decades,
the concept of environmental and wetland protection education
has constantly shaped our education philosophy. Making fulluse of the valuable wetland resources, we have been actively
involved in wetland education and environmental protection
activities with a focus on the annually held “Protect MotherRiver”, “Understand Wetland Birds” and “Protect Wetland Birds”.
Our school was named as “Wetland Experimental School” in2011 by Wetlands International-China and updated to “Wetland
School” in 2016. Untiring efforts have been spared to popularize
wetland knowledge and education, such as the research anddevelopment of wetland school-based teaching material, launchof wetland education courses and establishment of wetland
museum. Moreover, we’ve carried out environmental protection
education and wetland practice and experience in collaboration
with international and domestic related units and groups.
We also held such theme paintings, photography and essay
contests class meetings and forums as “Protect Wetland Birds
and Build a Harmonious Homeland”, “Harmonious Coexistenceof Man and Nature”, “Wetland Birds in My Eyes”, “Happy Old
Times”, “Beautiful China: Artist Garden”, “Environmentally
Friendly Liao River”, “Panjin: Give the World Big Surprise”, “TheDays Without Water”, “Water of Life” and“Love Wild Birds and Share a Common Bluesky” to impartstudents with the knowledge of wetland and environment,
forming the atmosphere of wetland protection.
There are the most beautiful and internationally renowned
wetlands in Panjin where environmental protection experts,

scholars and volunteers are solicited to conduct exploration andinvestigation. Xinglongtai No.1 Primary School of Liaohe Oilfield is among the frequently-visited place to share the experience and vision in environmental and wetland protection
education. We have seized these great opportunities to invite
these experts to impart the knowledge on environment, ecology
and wetlands.
A list of representative exchange and communication activities is listed as follows: Ms. Liying Su, Director General of International Crane Foundation convened to launch the migratory
birds habitat protection activity titled “Spring: Migration with
Migratory Birds”; Dr.Da, Australian Bird Expert, was invited tocarry out the science activity under the theme of “One Blue sky,
One Home”; Volunteers from All-China Environment Federation
were mobilized to participate in the “Return to Habitat”; Environmental protection experts and volunteers from Korea, U.S.A.
and Japan were called upon to hold the “International Nature
Classroom Activity on the Migration Path of Cranes”; Teenagers
from China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Russia jointly organized “Northeast Asian Teenagers Hand-in-hand Activities”andso on.
The successful implementation of these environmental protection activities has not only allowed the students to learn
more about natural ecology and environmental protection
skills, but enabled them to experience, appreciate and enjoy thebeauty and harmony of nature. As such, they have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in showing gratitude, awe andrespect; maintaining intimate relationship with nature; treasuring and protecting the environment and wetlands. We arealways on the way to wetland and environmental protection
education.

Management Effectiveness Assessment of Jagadishpur Reservoir Ramsar Site

Jie Fei, Qiu Xia

Liaohe Oilfield Xinglongtai No. 1 Primary School

Nepal Kamal Thapa

Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Adaptation of Smallholders in Hilly Areas (ASHA) Project, Jagadishpur Ramsar Site Conservation Project

Nepal has the protected area network of national parks, wildlife reserve, hunting reserve, conservation area, buffer zone andRamsar Site covering 23.39% of country's total area. However,Ramsar Site is not legally considered as protected area (unless
it is situated within the legally established protected area) thus
threatening its existence and limiting to paper parks. Nepal has
ten Ramsar sites and 4 Ramsar sites lies out of the protectedarea systems. Jagadishpur reservoir Ramsar site, designated in
2003, is only the Ramsar site in Nepal which is human madereservoir and purposely built for irrigation purpose. The sitecovers an area of 225 hectares with its inner water surface areaof 157 hectares. Earthen dike surrounds the reservoir with 20
KM long main canal with subsidiary branch canal and sub canalfor irrigation supply.
Protected areas legally established under National Park andWildlife Conservation Act (1973) has been assessed in 2003 and2004 however protected areas under international category
such as Ramsar Sites are ignored in Nepal. Management effectiveness assessment was carried out in Jagadishpur Reservoir
Ramsar Site using Ramsar Site Management EffectivenessTracking Tool (R-METT) methodology. Assessment was carriedout in the workshop setting and facilitated by the author. Participants belonged to district forest office, Jagadishpur Reservoir
Management Multi-stakeholder Forum, local community, local
government representatives and related stakeholders of theRamsar site.
High threats to the site were identified as spread of invasive
species, isolation from natural habitats and siltation/sedimentation. Livestock grazing, illegal hunting and poaching of aquatic
life and birds, vandalism, water management issue (use for irrigation), loss of species, drought conditions are observed to beof medium threats. Jurisdiction overlap between District Forest

Office (conservation priority) and Division Irrigation office (usepriority) has further aggravated the management challenges.
Although the district forest office sometimes makes random
visit/patrol to the site, there is no dedicated team/department tolook after. Irrigation office's priority comes only to enhance theirrigation system of the reservoir. Management effectivenessscore of 32.43 percent (36 score out of 111 possible score) was
achieved for the site. Score for the indicator is very poor andnone of the indicator achieved 3 (highest score). Eight indicators scored 0, fifteen indicator scored 1 and six indicator scored
2 for the assessment questions. The highest score was inProcess element (15 score) and the lowest was that of Context(legal background of the site) which resembles score of (0) zero.
The strength of the current management of the Site includes
positive impact on local communities, resource inventory andeducational awareness. Major constraints to effectively manage
the Site include lack of management plan, budget deficit, nolegal status, and weak enforcement of law.
It is recommended that the site has to be legally recognized
and adequate financial resources have to be allocated for thesustainable management. Special focus need to be given for
the Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness(CEPA) along with deriving economic benefits from the Ramsar
Site to increase the welfare of people living in the vicinity of thesite which encourages ownership feeling among locals. Management effectiveness of Jagadishpur Reservoir Ramsar Site isin fair condition, applying the rating criteria of management
effectiveness of other protected areas in the Himalayas (Oli, et.
al., 2013).

Poster Session I 63

Wetlands in Central Asia: raising awareness about their values in local communities
in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and TurkmenistanZhanel Karina, Eldar Rustamov

Ramsar Regional Initiative for Central Asia, Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia

Central Asia is a vast region with a diversity of wetland types
such as lakes, rivers, reservoirs and marshes that are unique intheir nature and provide important ecosystem services for bothhumans and the environment, in particular, in the arid zones.
Many of these ecosystems are under increasing pressure due tothe anthropogenic impacts, poor nature management andclimate change. As there is no comprehensive research on thecurrent status of the wetlands in Central Asia, application of themonitoring mechanisms is not always ensured and the countries lack effective management system for wetlands conservation and wise use, it is crucial to raise awareness about wetlandsin the region.
Enhancing awareness about wetland values at all levels aswell as conducting a regional inventory of wetlands and improving the management effectiveness are among priority activity
areas of the Ramsar Regional Initiative for Central Asia (RRICA). The new Ramsar regional initiative started its activity in2016 and currently has Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan as members. The Initiative aims to promote stronger cooperation and synergies within the Central Asian region toeffectively implement the Ramsar Convention and its Strategic
Plan at the national and regional levels.
Currently the project on the update on the status of wetlands
in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan by collection anddissemination of good practices for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands by local communities is under realization within the RRI-CA activities. The specific objectives of the
project include a) raising awareness about the importance of

wetlands, and vital ecosystem services and other benefits they
provide; b) update of the information on the current status of
the selected wetlands in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and, Turkmenistan; c) collection of the examples of good practices by local
communities for the conservation and sustainable use of theirwetlands; d) organization of the site based World Wetlands Day
celebrations with the involvement of local communities. The
main output of the project will be a manual in local languages,
containing the updated information on the status of the selected
wetlands in each of the three target countries and the goodpractices for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands
conducted by local communities. We believe that the implementation of this project will contribute to the realization of theRamsar plan on communication, capacity building, education,
participation and awareness on the regional level.
Since the representatives of the local communities play a keyrole in the management of local resources, they have direct
impact on wetland conservation and use. The work with local
communities is important in order to understand the benefits
that the local communities receive from the wetlands. Using
this bottom-up approach by working with local communities
who utilize wetlands services, is crucial for raising awarenessabout the value of wetlands and for ensuring involvement oflocal communities into the decision-making process and dissemination of knowledge.
The Ramsar Regional Initiative for Central Asia would like toexpress its gratitude to the Government of Japan for their financial support of the project.

Roles of Resident Researchers to Promote Adaptive Fisheries:
Lessons Learned from Lake Saroma, JapanKimihiko Maekawa INTEM Consulting,Inc.,
Shimpei Iwasaki Department of Environmental Science, International College of Arts and Sciences, Fukuoka Women’s University

Many scholars increasingly put high emphasis on a significance of adaptive management. Adaptive management as an
approach takes uncertainty into account and assumes that management knowledge is inadequate, thus requiring experimentation and learning in an iterative process. Many traditional
fishery systems faced with difficulties in adapting to changes inthe environment. The emerging challenges require not only agiven form of social control among resource users but also promoting adaption of scientific technology
In general, academic researchers, who usually come fromuniversities or research institutes, mainly aim to report theirfindings in scholarly journals, rather to directly find workable
solutions to problems of interest to fishers in a local context. On
the other hands, this presentation aims to shed light on “resident researchers ”as the key actor to catalyze adaptive fisheries.
The term resident researchers refer to persons the trans- disciplinary solution-oriented research by committing themselves as
stakeholder in the local community (ILEK 2013).
In the case of Lake Saroma, the fishers have started to
employed full-time researchers since 1987. In those days, thefishers got anxious about uncertainties of changing lake ecosystem and regional variability inherent in climate change, though
they made great efforts on fishing regulations such as setting
allowance limit for scallops in 1970’s. To promote stable fisheryproduction, they sought to find workable solutions with active
use of scientific expertise by employing resident researchers as
their own staffs. Accordingly, the resident researchers living withthe fishers have been committed to implement two activities.
First is research and development related to conditions offishery resources and the lake water ecosystem. The former
includes measurements of growth of scallops or such a living
things. The latter includes water monitoring such as temperature, salinity, and so on. Compared to academic researchers, it
is important to note that resident researchers are not only
64 Poster Session I

engaged in the research activities but also sharing the timely
knowledge with the fishers by meetings, or face to face communication. In an urgent case that the fishers experienced difficulties in tackling with various environmental challenges, they givethe reports to the researchers immediately so that the uniquesystem makes it easier to respond to the issues by taking fulladvantage of scientific technology and knowledge.
Second is to create a platform for boosting collaborative partnerships among the stakeholders especially outside researchers. Scallop culture, which is one of the most important fisheryproduction in Lake Saroma, imposes heavy burdens on the lake
environment. To evaluate the conditions of environment, theresident researchers organized the Environment Monitoring
Commission composed from several institutes and executed aholistic approach for the fishery management. Each researcher
investigated their own fields, and sharing/discussing the results/
knowledge once a year, in order to provide scientific information for decision making in the lake management. The resident
researchers can lead to better collaboration between fishers
and outside researchers as a catalyst by working for the interestof fishers. The information gathered by resident researchers
could be used for fishers and academic researchers. The presence of resident researchers is expected to develop a win-win
situation for both of them.
Long-term commitments with the fishers can lead resident
researchers to choose samples, methods, questions, observations, and research designs that are required in resource management, enabling to respond to changes in the lake
environment with a process of trial and error. Long-term residency can allow the resident researchers to interpret concernsof the fishers and act in a leading role in the coordination ofadaptive fisheries development in strong collaboration withoutside stakeholders. Their roles will be more appreciate in the
resource management debate toward wise use of wetlands.

KODOMO Ramsar in Tsurui Villege

Kunihito Otonari, Nobumichi Kurosawa, Yuko Kurosawa
KODOMO Ramsar in Tsurui Villege Executive Committee

Tsurui is a village with a population of approximately 2,600,
located in the northwest of Kushiro Wetland National Park ineastern Hokkaido, Japan. The name “Tsurui” means “cranes(Red-crowned Crane) are there” and as its name suggests, Redcrowned Cranes live in the village all the year round. Tsurui
occupies a large part and core area of Kushiro Wetland National
Park, as well as a part of the Ramsar site in it. Numbers ofspecies live in Tsurui’s diverse environments including wetlands, hilly area that forms the catchment area of the wetland,and pastures for dairy farming, the main industry of this village.
2017 is a year of milestone for this village because it is the80th anniversary of the establishment of the village and the30th anniversary of the designation of Kushiro Wetland as a
National Park. Celebrating these anniversaries, an event named“KODOMO Ramsar in Tsurui Village” was held from 4 to 6
August 2017.
KODOMO Ramsar is a series of programs for environmental
education and exchange between children, organized since2006, targeting the children engaged in activities in Ramsar
sites mainly in Japan. It has been held in and around Ramsar
sites and organized by the Ramsar Center Japan (in Tokyo) in
partnership with other bodies such as Wetlands International
Japan and the municipalities and organizations at the venue.
For the KODOMO Ramsar in Tsurui Village, an executive committee was established to prepare and operate it, consisting
mainly of local volunteers as well as Ramsar Center Japan, Wetlands International Japan and Mr. Daisuke Nakamura who
would facilitate the children’s meeting.
The program was participated by 36 children from 13 sites inJapan, ranging from 4 to 6 grade of primary school. They took
part in nature experience activities including walking in Kushiro
wetland and fishing Cherry Trout. They also observed a water

source for central Tsurui, forestry work, dairy farming andcheese making. The participants were encouraged to find attractive profiles of Tsurui Village through those experiences and,based on their findings, they nominate “treasures” they wish topreserve for the future. After deliberate discussions, they chose
6 treasures ; “a will to live together with plants and animals” “asource of life, spring water” “Red-crowned Cranes saved by thevillagers” “Kushiro wetland” “balanced relationship between
people and nature” “people protecting the nature and environment”. They also composed a message that expresses thebeauty ofTsurui village ; “Tsurui Village living with Red-crowned
Cranes — the tradition of Tsurui protected by all of us, the futureof Tsurui created by all of us —”. They integrated the message
and the treasures into a poster, which was presented to themayor of the Village.
It could be said that this program contributed to enhance thechild participants’ curiosity and interest in nature throughvarious experiences as well as to promote their willingness
toward their engagements in each site. On the other hand, local
people were inspired by the perspectives of the children. They
started to see the advantages of the village in a new light andobtained some hints for community vitalization. It is considered
to be a task for local people to think about the wise use of local
nature with Kushiro wetland in the center, and establish a community in harmony with local characteristics of Tsurui village.

Science communication about the Hizen-Kashima Coast

Naoki Fujii Institute of Lowland and Marine Research, Saga University
Yasuhiro Nakamura Hizen-Kashima Tideland Observatory
Mamoru Nagaike Kashima Lifelong Learning and Cultural Promoting Foundation /Kenji Yoshino, Yuichi Hayami Institute of Lowland and Marine Research, Saga University

The Ariake Sea is a typical shallow water area with the largest
tidal area in Japan. In the past, it was a bountiful sea with manyshellfish and creatures such as mudskippers, the Green eel
goby, and the Grenadier anchovy. Recently, however, problems
such as dysoxic waters and red tide have occurred, reducing thecatch significantly. Therefore, other than the nori-seaweedindustry, the fishing industry has been stagnating in the Ariake
Sea area. According to a report from The Commission for theAssessment of Comprehensive Research on the Ariake Sea andthe Yatsushiro Sea, the environmental degradation in the Ariake
Sea has been caused by several complicated factors such as the
Isahaya Bay reclamation project and laver acid treatment. As aresult, conflicts have arisen around the coastal areas of the
Ariake Sea. To overcome these conflicts, it is important to focus
on ways to revitalize the Ariake Sea and its surrounding areas.
Therefore, marine scientific research is needed to provide theinformation needed to form consensus on the Ariake Sea regeneration. However, as the scientific explanations may be toocomplex for the local citizens, it is necessary to develop ascience based platform whereby these scientific results could
be explained to the local Ariake Sea public in simple terms
In 2012, a citizen’s science lecture course, held five to seventimes a year, was opened to train interpreters and increase thenumber of people (for example, eco tour coordinators) involved
in imparting scientific findings to the general public. The course
content covers Ariake Sea regional culture, tideland creatures, afishery tour, and food culture.
Originally, the course was organized by Saga University
alone; however, as cooperation in the region has deepened, thecourse is now being held in collaboration with local organiza-

tions. Because the course was aimed at training scientific interpreters, in 2011 and 2012, the lectures were similar to university
lessons, with the main content being ocean investigation
methods and tideland biological collection and identification.
However, as this content was academic and difficult to understand, there were few participants, with many courses having
less than 10 people. Therefore, the lifelong learning concept was
adopted and the content changed to focus on areas that weremore familiar to local citizens, such as the fishing industry andthe observation of coastal organisms. Further, rather than only
having classroom based lecture, experiential learning was also
included which included excursions and coastal explorations.
Even though this course has been conducted for five years
from 2011 (it was canceled in 2014), there has been little growthin the number of scientific interpreters. It is necessary, therefore, to organize an open science lecture to discuss the problems.
Nonetheless, the interest of citizens has expanded due to theregistration of the east Yakata Flats and Hizen Kajima Tideland
as a Ramsar wetland site. In addition, Kashima City Hall has
started to set up a course to train tour guides for the HizenKashima tidal flat. As expectations for scientific interpreters inthis area are expected to increase, we would like to continue thescience course.

Poster Session I 65

Development of an environmental education program on tidal flat

Tidal flats have many functions. These include water purification, helping the spawning and growth of fish, and supplying uswith food. In addition, we use tidal flats as a place for activities
such as fishing, nature observation and education. In otherwords, we gain various benefits from tidal flats.
However, many people cannot sufficiently recognize the benefits as being those obtained from tidal flats. One of reason thatcannot recognize of the benefits from tidal flats may be thatthey are becoming places that are mentally remote in our daily
lives. In other words, the ties between tidal flats and people are
weakening in modern times. In such circumstances, in order tohave people gain a greater recognition of the value of tidal flats,
the most important them is for there go to the tidal flats andexperiencing them using the five senses.
Wetlands International Japan works to educate the generalpublic concerning the value of tidal flats. As a first step, we thinkthat it is important for people living near tidal flats to learn
about them by enjoying and discovering there charm and value.
Especially, In order to ensure that tidal flats are conserved forthe future, we think that it is important to have the children who
are responsible for the next generation recognize the benefits
received from tidal flats. Thus, we started a project to create anenvironmental education program that utilizes tidal flats in 2016.
We chose Arao-higata located in the eastern side of the central
part of the Ariake Sea as the place of our activity. This project isbeing conducted with the cooperation of people in various positions such as staff of the local municipality (Arao City), fishermen, elementary school staff, NGOs and researchers.
In this project, we provide opportunities for children living
near the Arao-higata to go to the tidal flat, and also we offer
experiences of touching living things inhabiting tidal flats. Our
aim is to make an education program so that children will gain

Wetlands International Japanan interest in tidal flats and recognize the importance of conservation of tidal flats through these experiences. In 2016, in orderto accurately grasp the biota in the Arao-higata, we conducted asurvey of biota in the tidal flat with researchers. We were able torecord 141 species of benthic animals. Based on the result of
this survey, we made the survey list named "List of Benthic
Animals of Arao-higata" which selected 50 major species ofbenthic animals. Additionally we attempted an education
program “Treasure hunt game of the benthic animals” using
the survey list. This program involved three steps. At first, thechildren spent time learning about tidal flats and the benthic
animals living there.
Second, in the field, we had the children search for the benthic
animals and capture them. Finally, we instructed the children to
check the names of the captured benthic animals by themselves.
Specifically, to make it possible for children to search for thebenthic animals by themselves, we taught the following threetechniques.
1. Take a lower visual line than normal
2. Search for them under stones and seaweed
3. Dig some holes
By searching for benthic animals using these three techniques, we attempted to provide some successful experiences
for children. Also, in order to maintain children's interest in
searching for benthic animals, we attached scores to benthic
animals and created a sense of it being a game competing forpoints.
In the future, in order to continue the program, we plan todevelop teaching materials and to grow leaders who can explain
the differences and features of benthic animals.

The Progress of Environmental Education in Kashima city

Ariake Sea has a vast mudflat that accounts for about 40% of
the total tidal flat area in Japan. The bounties from the mudflats
has sustained the life of local people for a long time. In the mid
1950s, children went out on the mudflat during low tide andcaught many Chinese razor calms. As Ariake Sea is so familiar
to the local people, it is called the “Maeumi” that means the sea
in front of the local community. However, the people gradually
lost interacts to Ariake Sea due to the changes in the foodculture and the degradation of marine environment. Now, mostof the citizens have almost no opportunity to find the importance of the life in the mudflats and no children play there.
In Kashima City, In order to make the children aware of theimportance of the conservation of the mudflat, we are developing educational programs such as hands- on activities thatbased on the ESD environmental education program created by
the Ministry of the Environment Japan. This program is madefor the study in the elementary school class. In the “Roadside
Station Kashima”, the “Kashima Gatarinpic” event which hadinternational interests has been hold every year. Everybody canalso enjoy the “Mudflat experiences” program here beside thetime of that event. In this program, children enter the mudflat
and aware the bounties from the mudflat during playing. In
addition, we can learn about the role of mudflat and the efforts
to protect wetlands globally from the observation of migratory
birds visiting at the Ramsar site “Hizen Kashima-higata” mainly
in winter. Kashima is rich in natural environment including
mountains, rivers, and ocean in one city. Therefore, the aim of
our Environmental Education Program is to understand theimportance of nature and inform it by themselves through theexperience learning in the connection of water flow from themountain to the sea
In order to continue the environmental education program,
66 Poster Session I

Miho Hiruma, Misuzu Aoki

Yuji Morimoto, Sayaka Nakamura
Ramsar Convention Promotion Office, Kashima City

the cooperation of elementary school teachers is essential. As todeepen the teachers’ understanding of Ariake Sea would lead tochildren's learning, we thought that it would also be necessary
to create a system to make it easier for teachers to prepare theclasses.
Therefore, we made a prototype workbook for the environmental education program which is helpful for teaching in theclasses. We started a trial of an environmental education
program based on the cooperation of all the elementary schools
in the city using this workbook in this year. We will continue thisactivity tentatively for two years. We will collect the comments
and opinions from the teachers during it, then we will complete
the workbook. Finally, we hope that the elementary schools will
become able to implement programs by themselves. Moreover,
we hope that the children will share the knowledge and theexperience with their parents and the parents will also be awareof the importance of the mudflat and attend the activity to conserve it.

Physico-chemical parameters of water and its impact on biodiversityof hakaluki haor at sylhet, BangladeshBangladesh is unique in the nature of relationship between its
people and wetlands. Majority of the population directly
depends on wetlands on products and services for livelihoods
with many communities densely settled in and around the wetlands. Unfortunately, wetlands in Bangladesh have been
degraded because of population pressure and natural calamities like flash flood, demand for wetland products and non-judicious infrastructure and obstructs or prevents wetlands frommaintaining their ecological functions. A haor is a wetland ecosystem in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh which physicallyis a bowl or saucer shaped shallow depression. The haor basin
is a remote and difficult area that is flooded every year during
monsoon. Some of the most extensive seasonally flooded areas
in South Asia are situated in bowl-shaped depressions known
as haors located between the natural levees of rivers subject tooverflow during the monsoon. Due to continuous submergence,
wetland habitat is characterized by anaerobic conditions which
inhibits normal plant growth apart from a group of plants known
as hydrophytes are adapted to withstand these conditions. The
Haor Basin is the only region in Bangladesh where remnant
patches of freshwater swamps and reed lands still exists.
Hakaluki Haor is located in the North-East of Bangladesh it
belongs to two districts Moulvibazar and Sylhet under Sylhet
division. Hakaluki Haor is one of the Ecologically Critical Area
(ECA), which was once with plenty of aquatic resources including swamp forest. Macrophyte is the integral components ofwetlands which are amongst the most productive ecosystems.
Physico-chemical water parameters are among the factors,
which determine the status of wetland ecosystem. It is important to gather baseline data of water quality, which will allow

understanding the seasonal variations. Study on physical andchemical water parameters which focuses on to assess thewater quality in Hakaluki Haor and impacts on for a and fauna,to assess and compare to the physico- chemical attributes ofwater of study area, to assess the level of pollution of the habitats and impacts of water quality study on biodiversity. For
water quality study research carried out during the period from
May, 2013 to February, 2014 in 5 spots (Lamba beel spot-1,
Haorkhal beel spot-2, Nadanjuri beel spot-3, Chatla beel spot 4
and Chokia beel spot-5) under 5 administrative upazilas ofHakaluki Haor at seasonal intervals. Water samples were collected from 5 spots as during 4 seasons and a total 15 physico-chemical parameters were studied.
Significant seasonal variation was observed in all seasons
among physico-chemical parameters. Physical parameters were
measured at field condition and chemical parameters were analyzed in the Lab of the Department of Environment, GoB, Sylhet.
pH values varied from 5.9 - 7.1, water temperature varied from
23.7 – 26.7 OC, transference varied from 23-53 cm, TSS varied
from 18.1-192 mg/l, TDS varied 25-193.5 mg/l, EC varied from30-680 µs/cm , DO content of water varied from 4.6- 5.6mg/l,
BOD varied from 0.2-2.614 mg/l, COD varied from 38-312 mg/l,
NO3-N varied from 0.1-30.4 mg/l, NH3 varied from 0.9-2.18 mg/l,
Alkalinity varied from 12-42 mg/l and PO4 varied from 0.9 -13.4(mg/l). Agricultural and organic pollutants have been observed
as the main source for the Haor water quality, Agrochemical
used in the paddy field, poisons used for fishing after dewatering the beel and chemical used surrounding tea garden of
Hakaluki Haor which have been continuously polluting the waterof Hakaluki Haor.

Where is the future of our wetland? It lies in the hand of our youthAs the future of wetland worldwide is filled with uncertainties
due to excessivewater extraction, land conversion to agriculture andurbandevelopment, shoreline and waterfront development for industrialand othereconomic activities resulted by
growing pressure of human population.
One of the reasons of such situation, is our decision makers
for economic development may not fully aware the critical ecological functions and roles to our future life and destiny of wildlife played by wetland. Thus to increase the awareness of
wetland conservation among generalpublic, especially among
our teenage, is of great importance.
The best way to publicize and educate general public and our
young generation is to organize them to join the monitoring andfield research activities of conservation of wetland ecosystem.
On the otherhands, to sustain currentfield research and monitoring activities for wetland conservation, need humanresources and additional funding.
Operation Earth in past few years, mobilized teenage fieldresearch volunteer expedition teams, to support monitoring
and conservation of wetland ecosystem program by direct participation in following research programs:
1. Amazon flooded rainforest in Peru;
2. Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia;
3. Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province, China,
4. Waterbirds Monitoring in the Yellow River Delta Area, Shandong, China; and5. Ertix River Headwater area of Altay Mt., Xinjiang, China, etc.,
Thefieldresearchactivities for volunteers, must be inconjunction with local field researchers of various wetland conservation research project site, so as to really help the research
program be sustained.
The methods of field research volunteers are not experts, they
have to be trained before participate in monitoring activities,
thus the classroom training is provided at the first day of the

M. Tajul Islam
Design Development Consultants Lts.(DDC),Dhaka

Liangzhong Chen
Operation Earthz

survey to grain knowledge of the participants on waterbird
identification and counting techniques.
Survey team of field research volunteers aredivided into
smallgroups to count individualwaterbird, nests and chicks at
breeding colonies and feeding sites.
Our field research monitoring activities are include:
Waterbirds monitoring, to increase knowledge on waterbird
identification and counting techniques, to understand population trend of the key species of large waterbirds;
Fishsurvey, to assess the conservationprojectandparticipationof the fisheries, Ecotourism and relevantauthorities. Fisherymonitoring has been conducted to define fish population anddensity in the core area, to determine threats to fish by illegal
fishing and records location of illegal fishing, number of fishers,
gears and seasonal camping and boats.
Caiman Survey, to understand population, behavior andthreat of caiman; Macaw survey;
Amazon Pink Dolphin Survey; Terrestrial transect survey ofwildlife;
Surveyonlocalcommunityparticipatorymonitoring and conservation, to inform local community members that fishing in
the core area is prohibited. Interview with localresidentsand
localauthority to definepotential threats, problemsand suggestion to solve the problems.
These field research monitoring program supported by Operation Earth field research volunteers, have achieved excellent
result: fieldresearch and monitoring program of wetland is sustained, awareness of wetland conservation scientifically among
general public, especially among the young people, isgreatly
increased and environmental stewardship is fostered among
the teenage field research volunteers and their parent, which
will certainly help the restoration and conserve ecologicalhealth of wetland in the future once these teenage field research
volunteers grown up and become decision makers.
Poster Session I 67

Status and Habitat Preference of Three Threatened Waders with Regeneration and Floristic
Composition of Inter-tidal Mudflat Vegetation in Sonadia Island, BangladeshSonadia Island in southeast coast of Bangladesh is wellknown for harboring diverse species of despite its small size.
The important habitats and communities at the site include
mangrove, mudflats, beaches and sand dunes, canals andlagoons and marine habitat. The site lies on the East Asian Australasian and Central Asian Flyways and the mangrove andshallow shoals surrounding the island provide an excellent wintering area for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, including
three globally threatened species; Critically Endangered Spoonbilled Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea),
Endangered Nordmann’s Greenshank (Tringa guttifer) and
Vulnerable Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris). Other important
species include marine turtles, Irrawaddy dolphin and crustacean species, a wild grass relative of rice, fishes and mollusks.
The research was carried out in this site from October 2014 toMarch 2017 to gather information about migratory birds, habitat
preference and for the very first time, aiming to document baseline information about floristic composition and the status of
natural regeneration essential for the sustainable biodiversity
management planning. Boat-based surveys were carried out infour segregated islands, namely, Taziakata (21029’44.5” N,
91055’41.9”E), Moghchar (21029’18.2” N, 91055’41.9”E), Balakerdia (21032’39.4” N, 91050’32.2”E) and Kaladia (21033’55.0” N,
91051’03.5”E). Surveys were conducted during high tides in two
roosting grounds and during low tides in two feeding grounds.
In 2014-2015 presence of Spoon-billed Sandpiper was 19, Nordmann’s Greenshank was 31 and Great Knot was 27. In 2015-2016
the number was 21, 29, and 36 and for 2016-2017 it was 17, 35,
and 31 respectively. A total of 24 samples of sediments wereanalyzed in field and the lab from all four different sites. The first
dominant phylum is Mollusca with 390 individuals at Taziakata-2
where total weight was 60.72 gm compare to 16.75 gm living
and 43.97 gm non-living organism. The second dominantphylum is Echinodermata, 226 individuals at Taziakata-2 where

Md Golam Rabbi

Nature Conservation Society
total weight was 60.72 gm compare to 16.75 gm living and 43.97
gm non-living organism. The third dominant phylum is Annelida, 216 individuals at Kaladia-1 where total weight was 17.5gm
compare to 3.19gm living and 14.31gm non-living organism.
Habitat analysis data and the presence of migratory bird species
at Taziakata and Kaladia demonstrated as the prime feeding
grounds, while the nearby Moghchar and Balakerdia are theroosting grounds respectively. Random sampling quadrate
method was used to conduct the vegetation survey in the allsites. All the sites are mainly monoculture mangrove plantationsites, except Tajiakata. 09 vegetation species belonging to mangroves, herbs and grass species were recorded. All the sites,
except Tajiakata, contained a combination of tree stands of Avicennia marina, Avicennia alba, and Aegialitis rotundifolia. The
high Importance Value Index (IVI) recorded for A. marina in
Kaladia (157) indicates that this species dominates over A. alba
and Aegialitis rotundifolia. While Magchar and Belekerdia were
dominated by A. alba with the highest IVI value of 202 and 192
respectively. Aegialitis rotundifolia had the least stands density
among all the species. Almost similar compositional patternand species dominance like tree stands for mangrove saplings
were observed in all sites. Notably, saplings of Avicennia officinalis were found, although this species had no tree stands inthe studied sites. Tajiakata contained no tree stands; however,the saplings of mangrove species were recorded. According toanalysis of variance (ANOVA), no significant differences in
species composition were observed in all sites suggestinghomogeneity of species composition. Finally, research findings
suggest that presence of non-planted tree stands and saplingsof mangrove species into plantation sites indicates their dispersal ability across local environment and thereby, might able tooccupy non-vegetated mudflat areas.

Community based Management of Marine Biodiversity in Bay of Bengal


The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world and a northern extension of the Indian Ocean, positioned between India
and Sri Lanka in the west, Teknaf Peninsula of Bangladesh to thenorth, and Myanmar (Burma) and the northern part of the Malay
Peninsula to the east.Numerous large rive systems including
the Ganges and Irrawaddy drain into it.Teknaf Peninsula is oneof the longest sandy beach ecosystems (80 km) in the world. It
represents a transitional ground for the fauna of the Indo- Himalayan and Indo-Malayan ecological sub-regions. Important
habitats at the site include mangrove, mudflats, beaches andsand dunes, canals and lagoons and marine habitat. Mangrove
forest occurs in Teknaf peninsula both as natural forest withplanted stands and mostly distributed in the inter tidal zones.
The Teknaf peninsula mangroves supports the habitat of 161 different fisheries species. The beach of Shahporir Dwip in Teknaf
peninsula is a suitable breeding ground for marine turtles.Globally threatened Olive ridley and green sea turtles (Cheloniamydas) are dominant in mangrove vegetated areas of
Shahporir Dwip, Hawksbill and Leather back turtle nests are
rarely found.
Main threats to biodiversity at the site include the degradation of sand dunes due to grazing, cutting of sand dune vegetation for fuel-wood and industry; the conversion of dune, beachand mangrove habitat to agriculture, aquaculture, tourism andsmall scale industry; the harvesting of turtles and turtle eggs;
post larvae collection of shrimp and colossal loss of biodiversity, destructive fishing methods; hunting of shorebirds; large
scale shell collection; coastal erosion due to shell removal;
beach compaction by vehicles; pollution and land degradationfrom boat discharges and ship breaking, agro-chemicals, impact
68 Poster Session I

Asaduzzaman Miah
Bangladesh POUSH

of coastal aquaculture on environment, natural disasters, sealevel rise, tourism and small industry etc.
Bangladesh POUSH has been implementing a project withthe financial support of JFGE in association Ramsar Center
Japan (RCJ) to reduce the loss of juvenile and non-commercial
species from the sea to ensure the ecosystem well being for thesustainability of the Bay of Bengal resources. The project has
been implementing in the shore and the sea of the Teknaf peninsula. The fishers, fishing in the sea, is the main stakeholder ofthe project along with the administrative authority, local community, and tourist. The participatory protection of the juvenileof the commercially important species and non-commercial by
the fisher in marine fishing resulting ecological balance of thesea ecosystem and the sea resource sustainability.
The project has been conserving the biodiversity of the marine
ecosystem by reducing the volume of harvesting, minimizing
the accidental harvest, and releasing the juveniles back in the
habitat. The local community specifically the fisher who harvest
aquatic resources and the farmer along with tourist who collectterrestrial resources of marine ecosystem have been making
aware about the value of the biodiversity and the practices ofsustainable harvesting and conservation.The project has also
been sensitizing, motivating and building up knowledge andcapacity of different stakeholders and community on practicing
biodiversity conservation in harvesting and diversification of thelivelihood option.Along with other conservation activities
marine turtle hatchery development, protection of different habitats and introduction of safe fishing nets are initiated and theactivities have been creating an encouraging impact.

Community led bio diversity conservation in Rushikulya estuary, India

Wardi Kasinath
NET-COAST

Bio-diversity conservation has got essential for maintaining asecured and safe life and livelihood of the community in a given
geographical area. The Govt. agencies have clear cut mandates
towards these spheres. None of the developmental measures/
polices could be passed, if it has any contradiction towards thesurvival of the natural capital like wetlands or mangrove forestsof the area. The joint initiatives taken by the NGO namely PALLISHREE and CBO namely KISSAN could able to make such
mobilisation in 12 villages of Ganjam district of Odisha in conserving biodiversity.
Rushikulya River meets Bay of Bengal at Ganja in Ganjam District of Odisha. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle are arriving in millions
every year. Previously, there were no conservation activities
taken although this is the second largest mass nesting beach in
World. The eggs were destroyed by predators. Although theForest department has taken initiation now a days, but PALLISHREE, formed a CBO namely KISSAN “Kruma Iswaram
Sangham” (Turtle-God Association) during 2006. There are
mythological stories in Hindu that once God became a Turtle
and saved the Earth. So in order to bring emotion among thestakeholders, the local community had kept the name of the
CBO as “KISSAN”. It was a part of the project supported by KNCF,
Japan and technical support of RCJ, Japan. PALLISHREE
enhanced the capacity of the local community in Sea Turtle conservation and build partnership with Forest Department. The
local community is now taking all the responsibility till frommeting of the turtle to release of hatchlings to Bay of Bengal. So
they have been engaged from November to the next year June,almost 8 months in a year. Generally, they used to stop fishingin the sea from November to the next year April (6 months), tosafe guard the turtles from casualty. The catch of the fisherman
is very high during the rest of the 4 months.

Because the jelly fish in the coastal sea is eaten by the turtle
and make the netting favourable in fishing. Jellyfish always
create problem in fishing for the fishermen. Thus, the turtles are
the friend of the local fishermen.
Secondly, KISSAN has taken care of the mangroves plants
which have been planted by PALLISHREE. After the completionof project in the year 2008-09, the community as such KISSAN
has taken all responsibility of the mangroves forest. The management has got on an average of 60,000 INR by selling themangrove seeds annually. KISSAN is also raised mangroves
nursery and provided plants to others. This mangrove forest
played important role during the last cyclones “Phailin & HudHud” broke 2013 & 2014. The fish resources have been increasedin this area. So the community has shown interest to conserveand replicate it in other places.
KISSAN has promoted women SHG in different hamlets of 12
coastal villages. The members of the SHG are organised to takelead roles in conservation of mangrove plants and turtles eggs.
They could understand the importance of bio-diversity conservation in reduction of risk on their lives and livelihoods. Besides,
the participation effort has resulted in the promotion of special
youth Task Force in the area. KISSAN in support of PALLISHREE
to build the capacity of these youth volunteers in the ‘watch andmonitoring’ spheres. The process has attained sustainability
since it is now led and managed by the community. The NGO is
supporting these community groups in the spheres of coordination with other stakeholders like the Forest Department, Fisherydepartment and other private associations.

Species and functional diversities of zooplankton in shallow water bodies
and its application as ecological indicatorHye-Ji Oh Kyung Hee University / Geung-Hwan La, Eun-Jin Han Sunchon National University,Korea
Kwang-Hyeon Chang Kyung Hee University / Hyun-Woo Kim Sunchon National University,Korea

Bio-diversity conservation has got essential for maintaining asecured and safe life and livelihood of the community in a given
geographical area. The Govt. agencies have clear cut mandates
towards these spheres. None of the developmental measures/
polices could be passed, if it has any contradiction towards thesurvival of the natural capital like wetlands or mangrove forestsof the area. The joint initiatives taken by the NGO namely PALLISHREE and CBO namely KISSAN could able to make such
mobilisation in 12 villages of Ganjam district of Odisha in conserving biodiversity.
Rushikulya River meets Bay of Bengal at Ganja in Ganjam District of Odisha. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle are arriving in millions
every year. Previously, there were no conservation activities
taken although this is the second largest mass nesting beach in
World. The eggs were destroyed by predators. Although theForest department has taken initiation now a days, but PALLISHREE, formed a CBO namely KISSAN “Kruma Iswaram
Sangham” (Turtle-God Association) during 2006. There are
mythological stories in Hindu that once God became a Turtle
and saved the Earth. So in order to bring emotion among thestakeholders, the local community had kept the name of the
CBO as “KISSAN”. It was a part of the project supported by KNCF,
Japan and technical support of RCJ, Japan. PALLISHREE
enhanced the capacity of the local community in Sea Turtle conservation and build partnership with Forest Department. The
local community is now taking all the responsibility till frommeting of the turtle to release of hatchlings to Bay of Bengal. So
they have been engaged from November to the next year June,almost 8 months in a year. Generally, they used to stop fishingin the sea from November to the next year April (6 months), tosafe guard the turtles from casualty. The catch of the fisherman

is very high during the rest of the 4 months.
Because the jelly fish in the coastal sea is eaten by the turtle
and make the netting favourable in fishing. Jellyfish always
create problem in fishing for the fishermen. Thus, the turtles are
the friend of the local fishermen.
Secondly, KISSAN has taken care of the mangroves plants
which have been planted by PALLISHREE. After the completionof project in the year 2008-09, the community as such KISSAN
has taken all responsibility of the mangroves forest. The management has got on an average of 60,000 INR by selling themangrove seeds annually. KISSAN is also raised mangroves
nursery and provided plants to others. This mangrove forest
played important role during the last cyclones “Phailin & HudHud” broke 2013 & 2014. The fish resources have been increasedin this area. So the community has shown interest to conserveand replicate it in other places.
KISSAN has promoted women SHG in different hamlets of 12
coastal villages. The members of the SHG are organised to takelead roles in conservation of mangrove plants and turtles eggs.
They could understand the importance of bio-diversity conservation in reduction of risk on their lives and livelihoods. Besides,
the participation effort has resulted in the promotion of special
youth Task Force in the area. KISSAN in support of PALLISHREE
to build the capacity of these youth volunteers in the ‘watch andmonitoring’ spheres. The process has attained sustainability
since it is now led and managed by the community. The NGO is
supporting these community groups in the spheres of coordination with other stakeholders like the Forest Department, Fisherydepartment and other private associations.

Poster Session I 69

Large-scale private-public peatswamp forest restoration in Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia
Almost all the peatswamp forest in eastern Sumatra has been
drained, cleared, logged or burned, and without a well-managed, community-sensitive initiative backed by sound science and considerable resources - the future for the forests on the
Kampar Peninsula and Padang Island would be bleak. These
logged-over and cleared forests need to be protected andactively restored in the long-term with the understanding andsupport of the surrounding communities. This talk will describe
the landscape, social setting and civil society dynamic within
which the restoring forests lie, and describe the steps being
taken to ensure sustained management together with a description of the major monitoring programme.
Indonesia has designated 1.7 million hectares for ‘ecosystem
restoration concession’ (ERC) licenses to restore and protect thecountry’s forests. Since these licenses can only be held by business entities, the private sector can play a key role in forest restoration. An ERC aims to promote restoration efforts on former(poorly managed) Production Forest to protect flora and fauna
together with soil, hydrology, nutrition cycles and other naturalprocess. The overall objective is to prevent conversion of naturalforest to plantation monoculture and to re-establish a biologicalbalance.
Strengths of the concept include securing land rights andentrusting concession management to a legitimate management authority; collaborating with local communities and forest-dependent people in monitoring and safeguarding theforest from illegal exploitation and allow for utilization of
non-timber forest products; and the potential for obtaining sustainable financing through carbon credit (REDD) projects.
Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) has madea US$100 million commitment to support conservation throughTony Whitten Fauna & Flora International
Bradford Sanders Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER)

forest restoration licences. To achieve this, APRIL established
Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER), a collaborative project bringing
together groups from private and public sectors to restore andconserve 150,000 hectares of degraded peat swamp forest on
Indonesia's Kampar Peninsula and Padang Island, in Riau,
Sumatra.
The Peninsula holds one of Sumatra’s largest remaining peatswamp forests. It is home to a near complete peatswamp fauna
including at least 44 globally threatened species, stores hugequantities of carbon, and its resources support the livelihoodsof over 17,000 people who live in surrounding areas. Historicallythe forest has been damaged by logging and is part of an areathat had been allocated for selective logging concessions.
Supported by resources and expertise from partners Fauna &Flora International, Bidara, The Nature Conservancy and the
APRIL Group, RER is working with local communities to restore
the forest and provide sustainable livelihoods for communities
in surrounding areas. Three years of operation have alreadyresulted in a decrease in threats to the forest, with no illegal
logging, encroachment or fires in forests under RER management in 2015-16. Six villages in adjoining areas have received
training in sustainable farming techniques, while the establishment of a 21-strong Fishing Group has already resulted in adecrease in destructive fishing practices. RER partners are also
working with regional government to coordinate peatswamp
forest landscape restoration across the Kampar Peninsula.
Through public-private sector partnerships, RER aims to createa replicable model for private sector engagement in forest protection and restoration in production landscapes.

Reasonability of cyclic floodplain rejuvenation for biodiversity and ſlood managementin Japanese lowland rivers

Shigeya NAGAYAMA

Aqua Restoration Research Center, Public Works Research Institute, Civil Engineering and Eco-technology Consultants Co., Ltd., River Basin Research Center, Gifu UniversityMorihiro HARADA River Basin Research Center, Gifu University

Shiro SAGAWA Graduate School of Regional Resource Management, University of Hyogo
Yuichi KAYABA River Restoration Team, Public Works Research InstituteThe riverscape has intensively changed in Japan since the
Meiji era (1868–1912), when modern civil engineering technology was introduced from European countries. The floodplain,
which was a broad wetland on the coastal alluvial plain, hasbeen disconnected from the main river channel due to intensive
levee construction from the Meiji to the Showa periods. Since
the 1980s, inter-levee floodplains in many Japanese lowland
rivers have been terrestrialized, and riparian forests were established in the context of riverbed degradation.
Terrestrialization and riparian forest establishment have led
to further deterioration of floodplain ecosystems and decreasein the flow discharge capacity. Therefore, river managers have
implemented tree removal and excavation of terrestrialized
floodplain surfaces to increase the flow discharge capacity.
These measures may recover floodplain ecosystems due toincreases in inundation area and flood frequency. We examined
this hypothesis from a viewpoint of recovery of freshwater
unionid mussels, which are potential indicator species of floodplain ecosystems, after tree removal and excavation. We also
examined how the initial ground elevation and elapsed time
(max. 16 years) after the excavation affect mussel recovery.
This study was conducted in the lowland Ibi River (32–39 km
from the river mouth), central Japan. The riverbed slope isapproximately 1/3,300. The excavation work was implemented
in the study segment from 2000 to 2007 to increase the flow
discharge capacity. River managers also had another purpose,i.e., to determine how the initial excavation height affects the
suppression of tree establishment, although this aspect was not
examined in this study. We selected fourteen excavation sites
70 Poster Session I

with different initial ground heights and at different years since
excavation. The river managers did not expect the recovery of
any floodplain-dependent aquatic organisms. Freshwater
mussels eventually colonized ponds (i.e., floodplain ponds),
which were naturally created in the excavation sites throughflooding. Mussels were captured in nine of the fourteen excavation sites in December 2011 and 2016. In eleven excavation sites,
including the nine sites for mussel survey, cumulative sediment
depth and the number and area of floodplain ponds were investigated based on cross-sectional profiles (2001, 2002, 2005,
2008, and 2013) and aerial photographs (2002, 2006, 2007, 2009,
and 2012), respectively.
In the sites with lower excavation heights (but higher thandrought water level), mussel abundance was higher in both2011 and 2016 surveys, and sediment depths and deposition
rates were lower. Mussel abundance and the number and areaof ponds first increased and then decreased, with peaks between
5 and 6–9 years after excavation, in the context of continuing
sedimentation. These results suggest that excavations should
be strategically implemented so that low excavation sites at 5–9
years after excavation always occur in a target river segment.
This strategy can be performed based on the concept of cyclic
floodplain rejuvenation that re-terrestrialized sites with continuing sedimentation are planned to be excavated. Cyclic floodplain excavation can contribute to floodplain biodiversity andflood management by increasing in the capacity of flow discharge and can be a reasonable method in many Japaneselowland rivers where sediments progressively accumulate on
the excavation sites.

Comparison of the photosynthetic responses to temperature and irradiance of two edible brownalgae, Cladosiphon okamuranus from Amami Islands and Cladosiphon umezakii from Takeno,
Honshu Island, Japan






Rika Fukumoto Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Japan
Iris Ann G. Borlongan United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Japan

Gregory N. Nishihara Institute for East China Sea Research, Organization for Marine Science and Technology, Nagasaki University, Japan
Hikaru Endo Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Japan
Ryuta Terada United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Japan

Species of the brown macroalga Cladoshipon (Chordariaceae;
Mozuku in Japanese) are found along the temperate and subtropical coasts of Japan, and are regarded as important edible
resources. In fact, the mariculture of Cladosiphon okamuranus
has been widely practiced in the subtropic Ryukyu archipelago
including Amami Islands, and has been one of the major industries that contribute to the islands’ economy. Meanwhile, Cladosiphon umezakii has recently been reported as new species fromthe temperate region of Honshu Island, with a potential as new
food resource. Although phylogenetically-related in the genus
Cladosiphon, distribution of the two species in Japan is completely different; hence their temperature and irradiance optima
or tolerances for photosynthesis may be distinct. Knowledge on
this aspect still remains insufficient. In the present study, effects
of temperature and irradiance on the photosynthesis of two
species of Cladosiphon, C. okamuranus (CO) from Yoron Islandin Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture and C. umezakii (CU)from Takeno, Hyogo Prefecture, Honshu Island were determined.
Measurements of photosynthesis and dark respiration rates, andphotochemical efficiencies on the sporophyte stage of these two
species were carried out by using optical dissolved oxygen
sensors and the pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer.
Results of the oxygenic gross photosynthesis and dark respiration experiments over a temperature range of 8–40 °C revealed
the rise in gross photosynthesis rates with increasing temperature, and a sharp decline after reaching their peaks (GPmax =10.59 µg O2 gfw-1 min-1 for CO; 10.41 µg O2 gfw-1 min-1 for CU) at
29.5 and 25.7 °C, respectively. Maximum quantum yields (Fv/Fm) of C. okamuranus and C. umezakii after 48 h of exposure
over a similar temperature range were relatively stable at low
temperatures, but dropped to 0 at 36 ºC and 32 ºC, respectively.
Although temperature optima for photosynthesis of the two
species partly overlap each other; C. okamuranus can tolerate
relatively higher temperatures than C. umezakii. The two species
likewise showed similar responses to light at 28 ºC, with comparable photosynthesis-irradiance (P–E) curve parameter estimates, and no reduction in photosynthetic activity and quantum
yield of oxygenic evolution up to 1,000 µmol photons m−2 s−1.
Photoinhibition-recovery experiments at 8, 16 and 28 °C werealso carried out on both species. Their effective quantum yields(ΦPSII) after 6h of continuous PAR exposures at 1,000 µmol
photons m−2 s−1 under all temperature treatments significantly
decreased, and did not recover after 6h of dark acclimation.
Such irradiance level was high enough for the seaweeds tosuffer from photodamage, regardless of temperature.
Whereas complete recovery in post-dark acclimation Fv/Fm
occurred for C. okamuranus exposed to 200 µmol photons m−2
s−1 at 28 °C, and for C. umezakii at 16 °C. Low temperature limitation may account for the decreased photosynthetic activityof C. okamuranus, while temperatures beyond the tolerable
limits in C. umezakii may cause its greater tendency for photodomage. Overall, this study clearly showed the distinct temperature adaptations of the two species, in relation to thetemperatures in their respective habitats, which further explains
their distribution in coastal waters of Japan.

The eſſect of irradiance and temperature on the photosynthesis of a temperate seagrass, Zostera marina(Zosteraceae) from Kagoshima, Japan, as the southern end of its distribution in the western PaciſicNatsumi Shimada Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Japan
Gregory N. Nishihara Institute for East China Sea Research, Organization for Marine Science and Technology, Nagasaki University, Japan
Hikaru Endo Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Japan
Ryuta Terada United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University

Seagrasses (marine flowering plants / angiosperm) often
form dense assemblages and provide a number of functions
within the coastal ecosystem. Kagoshima Prefecture is locatedin the southern part of Kyushu and northern part of Ryukyu
Islands, and lies at the boundary between temperate and subtropical climates. Hence, more than 10 species of temperate andsubtropical seagrasses including Zostera marina L. (Zosteraceae) are found in the region. Although annual in habit andcosmopolitan in distribution, temperate species of Z. marina in
Kagoshima Bay seem to have an annual habit. They disappear
by the end of early summer; while newly germinated seedlings
re-appear in autumn, and dominate seagrass beds in winter andearly spring. Seawater temperature rise, brought about by
global climate change has been a serious concern; its effect may
influence the continued survival of biological organisms, particularly of such temperate species at the southern end of its
distribution. In the present study, we determined the effects ofirradiance and temperature on the photosynthesis of Z. marina
from Kagoshima Bay by field and laboratory measurements.
Measurements of photosynthesis and dark respiration rates, aswell as maximum (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yields (ΦPSII)
were carried out using optical dissolved oxygen sensors andthe pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer. In situ
measurements of Z. marina population revealed a decline inΦPSII with increasing incident PAR, with minimum values
occurring during noon to early afternoon. ΦPSII recovered byevening, indicating dynamic photoinhibition. Results of in vitro

photosynthesis-irradiance (P–E) experiments showed that Z.
marina did not undergo photoinhibitionat 24ºC, as net photosynthetic (NP) rates were saturated at Ek (i.e., at 154 mmol
photons m–2 s–1), and remained stable up to the highest irradiance level of 1000 μmol photons m−2 s−1. However, an occurrence of such was observed at 8°C, given the decline in NP rates
above Ek (134 µmol photons m-2 s-1). The response of oxygenic
gross photosynthesis (GP) rates over a temperature range of
8–40 °C showed a gradual increase up to 32 ºC, and a decrease
thereafter. Fv/Fm of Z. marina exposed to a similar temperature
range for 72 hours were likewise evaluated. Values were relatively stable between 8 ºC and 28 ºC after 24 hours, and eventually declined to almost 0 above 32 ºC after 48 and 72 hours.
Results of the photoinhibition-recovery experiments (i.e.,12-hour PAR exposures at 200 and 1,000 µmol photons m-2 s-1,
and at 8 and 20 ºC) revealed larger depressions in ΦPSII of
samples exposed to 1,000 µmol photons m-2 s-1 under both temperature treatments. Fv/Fm of samples after 12 hours of darkacclimation were restored to initial values at 20 °C, but not at 8
°C. Indeed, low temperature, in addition to high PAR stress, hasenhanced photoinhibition with greater risk of photodamage.
This species is considered to be well-adapted to the current seawater temperatures in Kagoshima (15 – 28 °C); however, summertime seawater temperature at the study site is close to theirtolerable limit, which could also influence its distribution atlower latitudes.
Poster Session I 71

Field Observation Study on the eſſect of Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material aiming
at the NAGASU Tidal Flat restoration


Ryoichi Watanabe, Teruki Hamada, Koreyoshi Yamasaki Fukuoka University
Masahiro Koga,Yoshiaki Koga Koyou Co.Ltd.

The NAGASU tidal flat that carried out this field experimentstudy is located at the middle site of Kyushu Island. The Ariake
Sea is a heavily closed sea water area, therefore tidal exchangewith the outside of the bay is not effective, and eutrophication
progresses by pollution load from land.
For these past several years, fish catches of the Manila Clam
Ruditapes hilippinarum decrease sharply in various places
throughout the all over Japan. The reasons for the decrease offish catches of the Manila Clam Ruditapes hilippinarum has not
yet become clear.
It is being explained what humic substance and Fe-Fulvic acidare important for tidal flat ecosystem. Since the dam reservoir
temporally stores river waters, those humic substance like
Fe-Fulvic acid trap in the lake of the dam bottom. And also, after
the 1960s, supply of the sand material from main rivers had
decreased sharply in the Ariake Sea coastal area.
The consequent decrease in the Fe-Fulvic acid and sand supply
to the sea is not advantageous to diatoms (siliceous and mostly
benign) in tidal flat ecosystems. Therefore, a lot of fine organic
rich suspended sediment such as silt and clay deposits on the
tidal flats surface. In the Ariake bay, annual catch yields of theManila Clam Ruditapes hilippinarum has been decreasing fromthe 1990s especially in Kumamoto and Fukuoka prefectures.
In this research, we observed the effect of Fe-Fulvic acid silica
complex material at NAGASU tidal flat.
We installed the Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material in the
Nagasu tidal flat from July, 2014 and began observation. Thisobservation research has carried out once a month at the
NAGASU tidal flat from July, 2014. The observation contents are
the observation of the tidal flat surface altitude by the RTK surveying, the collection of the bivalve in the quadrat (50cm×50cm),

collection by the sampling core of the tidal flat surface layer. The
area that the Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material into the tidal
flat, approximately 2,000 square meters. The Fe-Fulvic acid silica
complex material is enclosed in a biodegradable bag with sand.
The material is located into a a cross- woven lattice form within
2,000 square meters, and distance between the material isapproximately 5m. In addition, the contrast section that did not
spend the Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material in the placeapproximately 100 meters away from the construction sectionthat spent the Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material.
Observation Results from the monitoring survey showed
improvement in habitation of the Manila Clam Ruditapes hilippinarum and sediment quality, the restoration of the tidal flat
was confirmed. For example, the Manila Clam Ruditapes hilippinarum have sharply increased in the NAGASU tidal flat experimental area. Also diversity of bivalves and other benthic
organisms have increased in the tidal flat area, suggesting an
improvement of the habitat environment. Furthermore, analysisof the Fe-Fulvic acid silica complex material in the tidal flat suggested that suspension feeders such as bivalves have an important role in the water purification process of tidal flats. Therefore
increase in bivalve abundance will likely result in the improvement of water purification ability of the tidal flat area.

Protection and utilization of great salamander in Toyosaka district, Higashi-Hiroshima cityGreat salamanders are the biggest amphibians in Japan, 150
cm at the maximum. They are designated as a Japanese special
natural monument. They distributed from Gifu to Oita Prefecture.
The many inhabit the rural area in the Chugoku region.
We focus on the great salamander in the Mukunashi river, Toyosaka, Higashi- Hiroshima city. We will report the critical situation of the great salamanders in this river, and discuss thechallenge for extending social support for the solution.
Mukunashi river is a small river flowing through rural area inthe center of Hiroshima prefecture. In this basin, the population
is decreasing and the aging of the population is proceeding.
Shimizu and others have investigated the great salamander ofthis river. They found the natural nest for breeding. This is anonly natural nest finding in Hiroshima prefecture now. However,the survey showed clearly that there is no salamander of a specific generation. Only big old salamander or small newborn one
lives in this river, middle size salamander has not been foundhere. In this river, there are many small dams for agriculture.
These prevent the salamanders from moving freely in the river.
And young salamanders are carried away to the paddy field
together with water for agricultural use. It is thought that many
young salamanders are dead in the irrigation canal or the paddy
field. In order to regain the sustainable habitat of the salamanders, the repair of the river and land use management of thedrainage basin are required.
Some residents in this district have conserved the salamander
from the 1960s.
However, they grow older and some of them have died. So it
becomes difficult to continue the conservation activity. In addition, many of the other residents are not so interested in theenvironment of river or the salamanders. The residents who
have conserved salamanders in the Toyosaka district met by
72 Poster Session I

Toshihisa Asano, Norio Shimizu
Hiroshima University

chance the members of the nature conservation group who lives
in the urban area.Then the conservation activities spread, adding
the researchers of Asa Zoo and Hiroshima University to themembers. The basic survey for the salamander conservation
was restarted in 2011.
This survey clarified the ecological feature of the salamanders
in this district and the crisis of their habitat. However, it is actually difficult to solve the problem. This problem is not known by
many people and the problem solving is not considered to benecessity. So the request to the river improvement for coexistingwith the salamanders does not arise.
Although the concern of the residents to salamanders isincreasing by the energetic report of local mass media or eager
study activities at the elementary school, it is not enough inorder to require the river improvement. It is necessary to show
intelligibly that conservation of the salamanders makes benefitsof the district. Some activities are actually beginning to try. The
Kamo plateau eco-museum proposed by Hiroshima University
Museum is one of them. The problem is developing the concrete
activities which contribute to both the salamander conservationand the regional vitalization, and which stimulate many residents’ participation.

Analysing social perceptions on the risks and beneſits of tidal flat restorations:Cases from Japan and Malaysia
This presentation analyses what kinds of discourses havebeen identified regarding perceptions of tidal flat restoration
projects in past studies in different parts of the world, what kindsof conclusions have been drawn so far, and what kinds of contributions environmental sociological approaches could makeinfuture studies in this field. Various tidal flat restoration projects
have been conducted in recent years in an attempt to revitalize
fish stocks, prepare for sea level rise or for mitigation purposes.
Coastal wetland restoration projects, such as coastal realignment or re-flooding farmland, still represent a new concept. Dueto the need for long-term social support and investment in such
schemes, as well as avoiding potential conflict, it is becoming
increasingly important to take into account the various perceptions that exist in the community. When looking at the existing
study results, although they clearly list what kinds of opinions
have been expressed by citizens, they lack investigation into
aspects of environmental justice, and risk communication. Citizens are sometimes branded as self-interested, hoping to receive
short-term and tangible benefits but not caring for tidal flat environments or future generations. This short paper explores thepatterns of social perceptions of the risks and benefits of tidal
flat restoration projects in the existing research findings and discusses the potential contributions environmental sociologicalapproaches could provide in making future analyses of perception studies more meaningful. This paper is part of a Japanese
government-funded (grant-in-aid) research project looking at
how the ‘risks’ and ‘benefits’ of tidal flat restoration projects arecommunicated and perceived by different stakeholders in casestudies from Japan, the UK, the Netherlands and Malaysia (20152018). This short paper looks into what kinds of discourse havebeen identified regarding perceptions of tidal flat restoration

Hiromi Yamashita Ritsumikan Asia Pacific University (APU)
Naoyuki Mikami Hokkaido University

projects in the past studies in different parts of the world, whatkinds of conclusions have been drawn so far, and what kinds ofcontributions environmental sociological approaches could
make in future studies in this area. Tidal flat is a shallow, often
muddy, part of seashore, which is covered and uncovered by therise and fall of the tide. It supports not only an immense variety
of wildlife, but also has an economic value, including providing
a source of food, water purification, erosion control, andreducing damage from tsunamis. Among conservationists, tidal
flats are regarded as one of the most important areas to conserve for the health of the wider coastal and oceanic environments. International convention documents, such as those
produced by Ramsar, emphasize this (e.g. Ramsar Convention
Secretariat 2008). In recent years, various tidal flat restoration
projects have been conducted in the world in an attempt toprepare for sea level rise or revitalize fish stocks. A wetland scientist, Mitsch (2010) notes that ecological restoration is becoming common practice to improve ecological quality of manydegraded ecosystems. Coastal wetland restoration projects,
such as coastal realignments or re-flooding farmlands still represent a new concept. However, it is believed to become one of theimportant environmental conservation activities in the future.
Due to the need for long-term social support and investment insuch schemes, as well as avoiding potential conflict, it is becoming increasingly important to take into account the various perceptions that exist in the community.

Red-crowned Cranes in Japan; Is it Possible for Them to be Independent?
The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is a species that
represent the wetlands in East Asia as an apex species in thefood chain in wetland. There are two separate populations in
China and Japan. The population in China is migratory and has
approximately 1,300 individuals, while the population in Japanis non-migratory and has approximately 1,750 individuals thatlive only in Hokkaido, especially in eastern Hokkaido including
Kushiro Wetland.
Red-crowned Cranes in Japan had been regarded to be extinct
in early 20th century due to hunting and habitat degradation,
until a few dozen birds were found again in 1925 in Kushiro
Wetland. Thanks to the effective winter feeding by local people
since 1952, the population increased steadily. The conservation
efforts are evaluated highly to be worthy of praise.
However, as most of the wetland and natural water system ineastern Hokkaido freezes during winter, it is difficult for the
cranes to find enough natural food to maintain their current
population. The feeding by local people and NGO is indispensable for crane’s survival. Currently the feeding is subsidized by
local and national government.
As a large population of cranes, sometimes as much as 200 to
300, gathers at each of the 3 main feeding sites in winter, there
is concern over the outbreak of infectious diseases such as bird
flu among them. Moreover, due to the decreasing wetland area
including the Kushiro Wetland, the population density is stillhigh in the limited habitat even in summer. It makes many ofthem obliged to live near people’s living range. As a result, accidents to cranes, such as collision into cars, trains and powerlines, and damages by cranes to agriculture are both increasing.
There are numbers of reports regarding the damages to agriculture, which include eating seeds and seedlings of maize for livestock feed during sowing season, spoiling silage (stored fodder)

Nobumichi Kurosawa
Kushiro Sarun Trustby pecking its plastic wrapping, and intruding into cattle shed toeat cattle feed or foul it with their feces.
There are several movements in other areas in Hokkaido topromote cranes’ natural dispersion by preparing good habitats
and/or restoring old habitats. It has worked for a certain degree
but is not enough to alleviate the concentration in eastern
Hokkaido.
There is no reintroduction scheme for them so far, but the
Ministry of the Environment aims to encourage them to disperse autonomously by reducing the period and amount offeeding.
The main habitats of cranes in eastern Hokkaido are wetlands
and the surrounding dairy farm areas. There is a high possibility
for them to disperse into farming regions producing rice, vegetable and other crops. It wouldn’t be a problem while thenumber is small, but when the number increases, new problems to agriculture might arise before long. It will be necessary
to ensure not only the wetland environments for cranes but also
the consensus of local people around wetlands.
Since Red-crowned Crane is appreciated as an auspicious
bird in Japan, it is highly possible that the dispersed population
is welcomed in each area. In order to live along with cranes, it
should be an essential step to raise awareness of local people
as well as to promote wetland conservation and restoration.

Poster Session I 73

Integrated evaluation of biodiversity in tidal flat in Tokyo Bay

By using the data of biological survey (2006, 2007, 2010) conducted by Chiba prefecture for Sanbanze tidal flat (1800 ha) inTokyo Bay, we tried to create maps on biodiversity of tidal flat bycombining these data. The following seven data were used.
• Benthos: "number of species" and "wet weight"• Fishes: "Number of species" and "Number of individuals"• Phytoplankton: "Number of species" "Total cell number"• Algae: "Number of species"
The map was prepared from the point data of the survey pointby the following two methods.
1) Spatial interpolation by IDW method using geographic information system2) Estimate by multiple regression analysis from Pixel value ofsatellite image (Landsat)
We mapped each of the above four classification groups,
seven parameters individually. Next, standardized so that the
maximum value became 1, and totaled in consideration of dispersion, and created two integrated maps, which are showing
the number of species and the quantity of biomass.
As a result, the spatial interpolation method has a geometricshape, and in the method using the satellite image, a noise-likepattern was appeared due to delicate reflection difference suchas sea surface influence, but the following common tendency It
has been clarified.
1) The number of species and biomass in Fish tended to behigher as they were closer to the land.
2) The number of species in Benthos tended to be higher in the
direction closer to land, and the biomass showed an opposite
tendency.
3) Plankton tended to be higher in both the number of species
and biomass, closer to the offshore area.
4) The number of species of algae tended to be higher in the
coast closer to the land.

74 Poster Session I

Masayuki Takada Hosei University
Yoshio Mishima National Institute for Environmental Studies
Takahiro Ota Nagasaki University
Hiroyuki Oguma National Institute for Environmental Studies5) The integrated maps roughly show the number of species andbiomass tended to be higher near the land area.
It is presumed that the difference in properties of individual
tidal flats (such as mud type and sand type) is difficult to find dueto the location of the survey point, but the biodiversity was
shown to be both rich. It is also suggested that plankton is low
on the land side due to water purification effect of tidal flat.
We provided these maps to conservation activity members
conducting on-site surveys of tidal flat, and interviewed the following items.
1) Difference between maps and actual feeling2) Relationship between people's use and rich areas of biodiversity3) Effect of maps on conservation and understanding the tidal
flat, and dissemination of more effective map information As
a result, the following was clarified as the effect of the map
information.
1) It can lead to conviction that the area is rich in biodiversity
seeing his experience of conservation activities.
2) It can be used for checking information or correcting misunderstanding by his experience.
The former is a great motivation for the continuation of conservation activities and it also works effectively for disseminating information to others.The latter is an indispensable viewpoint
for adaptive conservation management.
On the other hand, the trade-off between index integrationand information accuracy is a future task in terms of information
disclosure and communication. Especially, according to the
purpose, it may be unnecessary to provide the details of theinformation and uncertainty, and it is difficult for the public tounderstand it. It is necessary to further consider a more desirable expression method of map information through balancing
these two factors.

Poster Session II

Sago Eco-Techno Village: Towards Alleviating Disaster and Vulnerability of Agriculture andCommunities through Nature Conservation and Enhancement in the Agusan River Basin in
Mindanao, PhilippinesRowena P. Varela, Glenn Arthur Garcia, Roger T. Sarmiento

With Climate Change affecting the Philippines, the 10-year
forecast reveals that periods of high rainfall (La Nina) will
increase in northeastern Mindanao. This phenomenon will
trigger more frequent and dangerous typhoons and floodingthat will impact on people and their sources of livelihood. Thus
communities need to prepare for disasters and risks associatedwith these typhoons and flooding episodes. Natural vegetation
along rivers serves as buffers against flash flooding. Reforestation that assumes the natural vertical and horizontal tree community structure constitutes the natural protection systemagainst flooding. Hence, education through seminars, training
and workshops was conducted to heighten the communities’
awareness on the value of the riparian vegetation of Agusan
River in preventing flash floods. The communities were involvedin conserving natural stands of sago palm (Metroxylon sagu
Roett.) and/or enhancement through replanting in disturbed
areas in the wetlands of Agusan River Basin. Sago palm, also
known as starch palm, is a plant species that produces 250-kg
starch per palm. It thrives well in wetlands and water-logged
areas in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea. This palm isubiquitous in the Agusan River Basin and utilized as a traditional source of food among the indigenous people.
However, conversion of sago areas into ricefields and housing
has been becoming fast in recent years with the increasing population. To prevent further conversion of natural sago areas inwetlands along the Lower Agusan River into housing areas andricefields, communities along the river are organized to participate in establishing the ‘Sago Eco-Village’. The eco-village isdesigned to be the pilot site for a wider sago replanting programthat will eventually spread into the upper Agusan River Basin.

The ‘Sago Eco-Village’ aims to provide livelihood to the local
communities through starch production while maintaining thesago-based plantation to serve as buffer during flooding and ashabitat for biodiversity. The ‘Sago Eco-Village’ has 4 major
project components: a) organized local communities; b) a sagobased nursery; c) sago-based plantation; and d) postharvest
processing centers. To preserve the cultural value of sago as a
traditional crop and its cultural connection to the indigenous
people in the Agusan River Basin, sago starch processing adopting the traditional methods is highlighted in the eco-village.
However, a modern mechanized sago starch processing is alsoa major component of the sago eco-village to cater to thedemands for bigger volumes of starch for industrial purposes.
Community participation is encouraged to let them take ownership of the sago eco-village, thereby sustaining the sago-based
revegetation in the Agusan River Basin. The sustainability of thesago eco-village is viewed to increase the income of people inthe communities that will reduce their vulnerability to disasters.
Moreover, the demand for raw materials in sago starch production will encourage wider replanting of sago palms in the river
basin resulting to sago conservation. The expansion of sagobased green belts through the community- based developmentof the sago eco- villages is viewed to assuage disaster and vulnerability of agriculture and communities through nature conservation and enhancement. The enhanced sago-based green
belts are expected to help improve the waterways while protecting the agricultural fields and human settlements in the riverine
villages from the rushing water during flooding episodes.

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Caraga State University

Practice of rebirth of the Tora area in a special emergency project to cope with severe disasters

Kiyofumi Kobayashi Kyushu University Graduate School of Engineering/Daishin Co.,Ltd
Hironori Hayashi Kyushu University Graduate School of Engineering
Yukihiro Shimatani Kyushu University Graduate School of Engineering

In the Sendai River basin which flows in Kagoshima prefecture, there was recordable heavy rain mainly in the northernpart of the Satsuma region from July 19th to July 23th 2006.
Total rainfall for 5 days exceeded 1000 mm at rainfall observatory. In particular, the damage of Satsuma Town was enormous.
There were one person dead and three minor injuries, 214 completely destroyed buildings, 367 semi-collapsed buildings and232 inundated buildings. This flood damage was mainly caused
by unprecedented heavy rain. In the downstream part of theSatsuma Town Torai area, there was a narrowed section where
the river channel was curved large. It was pointed out that risingof the water level of this greatly curved river channel part is oneof the factors which caused the damage to be expanded.
On the other hand, similar floods had occurred in the area in
1972. As a result, the residents had a strong distrust againstriver administrators (MLIT: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,transportation and Tourism). This project was accompanied by aremarkably large scale renovation that cuts waterways of about
250m in extension, 65m in average channel width and 700 thousand m3 of excavated sediment. In addition, the project site isadjacent to shopping districts and residential area in theSatsuma town. For this reason, we had to fully consider the
impact of river improvement project extending to an extensionof 2.0km on the lives of the local residents. For that reason, it
was necessary to inherit the history and culture of the area, tomitigate the impact on natural landscapes and ecosystems, andto fully consider the utilization methods after the reconstructionin advance.
In this paper, we introduce the Sendai River river refurbishment project which was carried out by participating residents inthis Torai area. Specifically, the concept of planning design, thelandscape hydraulic model experiment used to study the flood
effect and the natural environment accompanying the division
channel opening, the consensus formation process with thelocal residents, the maintenance management after the completion and the utilization I will introduce the situation in the local
area.In the area, floods occurred two weeks after the completion, but the water level observation station supports the safetyof the region, such as a water level drop of 0.8 m is confirmed.
After that, six years have elapsed, flooding flows repeatedly
from 3 to 5 times each year in the waterways, and now a new
wetland space to be a habitat area is also created. In the 2.0 km
river refurbishment section, a masonry protection stone utilizing construction-generating materials, a waterfront walking
path incorporating universal design, a waterfront space thatthoroughly preserves the sea, the foothills and the waterfront
are also completed, and local residents and NPOs There are also
many regional event by event. With this project as the opportunity, moves are also underway with the view of regional creation, such as expansion of neighboring prefectural parks,
community development connecting creeks and towns, tourism
projects to experience the nature of the Sendai River basin.

Poster Session II 75

Study on river improvement technology in high gradient river using masonry groin forenvironmental conservation

Muneyuki Nakaji Department and Urban and Environmental Engineering,Kyushu University
Rei Itsukushima Department of Decision Science for sustainable Society, Kyushu University

Yukihiro Shimatani Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University

Nature friendly river improvement technology of midstream
is generally established. However, the technology of high gradient river or mountainous stream is not established due to large
velocity and attractive force during flood. We studied to design
nature friendly river channel of the Oide River (located in Nagasaki city) which is steep high gradient river.
We tried to design a river channel that can flow flood occurred
once in thirty years in safety and create habitat of aquatic biota.
We used masonry groin as a riverbank defense method.
However, groin design technology system is not established.
Accordingly, we conducted physical, movable-bed model. The
physical model was scaled 1:50 applying the Froude’s law. To
investigate energy dissipating effect of groin structure and fluctuation of river bed after the flood, the experiments combination is conducted 24 experiment cases. We conducted
experiments changing of left bank groin size (4.0m,7.3m,notinstalled), groin distance (15m,20m,25m,30m) and occurrence
probability of flood (1/30 and 1/10). Regarding the right bank, agroin of sufficient size was necessary to protect the right bankriver bed. Accordingly, the right groin size was unified at 8.8m in
all cases. Measurement items are water level which are measured at intervals of 20m at three points on the left bank, thecenter and the right bank, flow velocity which are measured
between groins at the three points similar to the water level andphotogrammetry to evaluate fluctuation of river bed.
As a result, left bank groin size of 7.3m was unsuitable because
inundation occurred in the upstream part of the right bankregardless of groin distance. The phenomenon is thought to be
due to the fact that the river bed rose locally and the flow crosssection decreased compared to the groin size is 4.0m when leftbank groin size is 7.3m. The right bank flow velocity of the casewhich left bank groin size are 4.0m and 7.3m were smaller thanthat of the case which left bank groin is not installed regardlessof measurement point. This means that the flow velocity reduction effect by the left bank system also affected the flow velocity
on the opposite bank. The case which left bank groin is notinstalled, excessive river bed scour was occurred at the left bankriver bed. Therefore, we determine the left bank groin size of
4.0m as most appropriate. To decide optimal distance of groin,
we evaluated the experiment in the case of left bank groin sizeas 4.0m.
As a result, in the case of 25m water route formed after flood
was moderately meandered (sinuosity:1.06) and various habitats such as riffle-pool structure were expected to form after
flood. Finally, from the viewpoint of flood control, river bed
scour and environment, we decided that the left bank groin sizeof 4.0 m, the right bank groin size of 8.8 m and the groin distance of 25m are optimal as the structure of the groin system.
As a result of this study, it is revealed that masonry groin is
important element technology to design the environment consideration river channel in high gradient river.

Establishment of Monitoring Program in Iranian Wetland Ecosystems
With the selection and application of the ecosystem approachfor protection, management and wise use of Iranian wetland
ecosystems, establishment of an integrated wetland management plan with the participation of all stakeholders has begun
and, in cooperation with all the governmental organizations,
NGOs and local communities, finalized in technical workshops
and after numerous stakeholder meetings the integrated planestablished.
Part of the integrated wetland management plan is dedicatedto the monitoring protocol. In this section, required steps withdetails for monitoring of wetlands
ecosystem are specified in three sections of the biodiversity, water -soil and socioeconomic. These details include monitoring parameters,suggested locations for establishment of stations, monitoring
and collecting data responsible, data storage locations andreporting times. The purpose of the preparing of the monitoring
protocol is to raise awareness about the biological, physical andsocial conditions of the wetland and its catchment area, helping
the beneficiaries to better manage these resources.
Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project with the aim ofhelping to implement the integrated wetland management planand collecting important ecosystem data from wetlands facing
water quality problems has begun to design and set up monitoring stations for water quality in wetlands. In the first phase,
two Choghakhor and Kanibarazan wetlands were selected. After
field surveys and review of similar experiences, the location of
the stations and parameters needed to be measured at different
depths was selected and finalized. The Choghakhor wetlandwith an area of about 2000 hectares is one of the wetland ecosystems with high habitat values, with an average depth ofabout two meters. The station is located on the northeast of thewetland and in depth of about 2 meters, the sensors is installed
76 Poster Session II

Yosefali Ahmadi, Mehri Asna-Ashari, Abolfazl Abesht

Iran Department of Environment, United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
at three different depth on the floating platform. The parameters
are water temperature, EC and DO in three depths (water levelsensor in wetland bed) and a sensor also collect weather datasuch as temperature, air pressure, and relative humidity and adigital platform send data online to the server.
In the Kanibarzan wetland, with the aim of identifying ofthermal stratification in the water column, installed the sensorsof temperature, water level changes, EC and DO at two depths(water level sensor in wetland bed) and also air temperature, airpressure, and relative humidity parameters on a fixed platform.
Also, with the purpose of collecting more data from other partsof the wetland, two satellite stations are located at two otherpoints of the wetland, which collects temperature, water levelchanges and EC parameters.
In the second phase, based on the experiences of the firstphase pilot, it was attempted to set up monitoring stations in
Solduz and Nowrozlu wetlands, which are now the location of
the stations, the target parameters and the required tools Identified and finalized. And Planning for installing tools is underway.
Important points of the Iranian wetlands monitoring program
include the participation of NGOs in data collection and the participation of universities and other research centers in analyzing
data and helping to better management of these ecosystems.

Should we go alone, if we want to go fast? Should we go together, if we want to go far?
A discussion of sustainable cooperative efforts among registered and non-registered wetlands

Old African proverb says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If
you want to go far, go together.” Could we apply this proverb to
the wetland conservation cooperation? Ramsar sites registration increases concerns about the wetland and biodiversity conservation in the registered area, but is also expected to bringvarious regional financial profits ranging from increasing
tourism revenue, community development to promotion of
persons who have significantly contributed. In Japan, By some
aspects, they might be competitors and by some aspects theymight be cooperators. Then, how does each wetland develop acooperative relationship? And in what case could they develop
the sustainable cooperative relationship? We classify the stakeholder structures into four cases, and examine which casecould explain the actual wetland conservation cooperation welland in which case could sustainable cooperation be developed.
Classification of stakeholder structures is based on two different
properties of the regional profit of Ramsar sites registration.
One is the correlation between profit and order of registration.
If the registration profit has the “first in time, first in right” structure, then earlier registered wetlands would earn more profit
and registration would become less attractive for the non-registered wetlands. The other is the correlation between profit andthe number of registered wetlands. If increasing number of theregistered wetlands would make the Ramsar sites less distinctive, smaller number of the Ramsar sites would bring greater
profits to the registered wetlands. From these two properties,
we have four stakeholder structures; Case1: earlier registeredwetlands earn greater profit and growing number of the registered wetlands increase the profit, Case2: earlier registered wetlands earn greater profit but growing number of the registeredwetlands decrease the profit, Case3: earlier registered wetlands
earn fewer profit and growing number of the registered wet-

Hiroshi Tomida Manko Waterbird and Wetland Center
Eiji Sawada Faculty of Economics, Kyushu Sangyo University

lands increase the profit, Case4: earlier registered wetlands
earn fewer profit and growing number of the registered wetlands decrease the profit. Within these four structures, bothcooperation between registered wetlands and non-registeredwetlands, and among non-registered wetlands are only
expected in Case 3. Combining the field studies in Ariake sea
and Okinawa islands, we apply every cooperation type in study
area, international cooperation, national cooperation, local
cooperation, to one of four stakeholder structures, respectively.
As far as our studies, while many cooperation among registered wetlands and cooperation among geographically apartareas are observed, there are few regional cooperation. In geographically close areas, their profits are strongly linked and theboth effect of the order of registration and the number of registered wetlands would become significant. Hence, regional
cooperation has the Case1 or Case 2 stakeholder structures andthat is the reason why only few cooperation are observed.
Based on the above discussions, let us again consider theproverb noted in the beginning. By arranging in the context of
wetland conservation cooperation, we can say “If you want tobe registered earlier, then you would go alone without any
cooperation among non-registered wetlands.” And further cansay “If you want to be registered together, then you would
develop a cooperation between registered wetlands andnon-registered wetlands.” And finally, we have to add extra, “Ifyou want to develop both cooperation between registered wetlands and non-registered wetlands, and cooperation among
non-registered wetlands, then policy makers should redesign
the stakeholder structures to make Ramsar site registration is
profitable for later registered wetlands as well as the earlier registered wetlands.”

Develop and startup ESD activities for rehabilitation of mangrove forests in MalaysiaSince year 1995, Japan-Malaysia Association (JMA) has beenplanting depterocarpaceae tree species for reforestation
purpose in Sarawak, Malaysia. Together with the Forest Department of Sarawak and local communities, we have been conducting not only tree planting but also maintenance, raisingseedlings and also environmental education activities. Basedon this experience, JMA is planning to develop and startup ESD
activities for sustainable rehabilitation program of mangrove
forests in cooperation with local universities and communities
in Malaysia.
At this moment, Kuching Wetland National Park, Sarawak andMerbok Mangrove Forest Reserve, Kedah are proposed area forour project.
Kuching Wetlands National Park, located 30 km from Kuchingcity, was gazette as national park in 1992 and covers an area of
6,610ha. The park is composed of coastal, marine and freshwater ecosystems.
The park is home of at least three predominantly arboreal primates, the endangered proboscis monkey, the long-tailed
macaques and the silvered langurs. White-bellied sea eagles,
mudskippers and horseshoe crabs are also present. Otters andthe Irrawaddy dolphins can also be sighted. On nearby Mount
Santubong, hornbills can be seen.
Merbok Forest Reserve is located about 1 hour drive northfrom Penang. Merbok F.R., which is made up of 18 compartments with a total area of 4,176 ha, is under the jurisdiction of
the Kedah Forestry Department.
Merbok F. R. consists of 32 species of trees exclusive to themangrove ecosystem, and has been considered as one of themost floristically diverse mangrove sites in the world. The FR also
harbors a diverse array of fauna, most prominent are its bird
communities where about 80 species have been recorded including migratory species. Other inhabitants include several speciesof primates, reptiles and a high number of commercially-important aquatic species occupy the estuarine river ecosystem.
In the both area, the mangrove and river ecosystems play an

Takuji AraiJapan-Malaysia Association
important role in providing livelihood for fishermen and the surrounding village communities. Some of the villagers and fishermen comprise of low income households. However some parts ofmangrove forests have been degrading in effect of urbanizationand development in the both area and it has been big concern on
sustainability of ecosystem and biodiversity in the future.
We have had discussion with experts of Universiti Malaysia
Sarawak (UNIMAS) and RCE Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia(USM) several times for the future cooperation. At this moment,
we are planning to start restoring forest in Kuching Wetland
National Part with the Forestry Department, UNIMAS and local
communities from next year.
Potential activities are as follows;
1. Reforestation activities at degraded sites with participation of
local communities.
2. Establish mangrove seedling nursery as a stock for mangrove
reforestation sites. The project’s nursery can also be a supplier of mangrove seedlings for other mangrove reforestation
projects in surrounding area.
3. The proposed reforestation project can be a platform to train
local communities in silviculture, tree care, forest management, communication skills, and other relevant skills.
4. The proposed reforestation project can be an educational tool
for local schools, visiting schools and universities to learn
about mangrove ecosystem and conservation.
5. The proposed reforestation project can be used to conduct
outreach and awareness programs to visitors, and the publicat large.
6. The proposed reforestation project can be a platform for ecotourism and contribute to the growing ecotourism activities.
7. Establish a mangrove environmental/educational gallery andit will be the center of ESD program in the future.
8. Hold seminars at university to share experience with schools,
NGOs and other related bodies and print leaflet for publication.
Poster Session II 77

Continuable hydrological monitoring with high data availability

Yoshiyasu Fujimura, Yoshiki Yamamoto
R and D center, Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.

Wetland play important rule such as supporting biodiversity,hydrological buffer, and climatic buffer. Hydrology is the driving
force behind wetlands and their important functions, while it isquite variable because input/output of water can be affected byboth natural and anthropogenic factors in and around wetland.
Therefore, hydrological monitoring is essential for wetland
management.
Most important requirement for long term monitoring is continuities in terms of cost, measurement facilities, and technicaleasiness. If measurement facilities are fragile, continual datacollecting is difficult and frequent maintenance should also riserunning cost. Technical easiness is particularly important in caseof monitoring by non- professional.
After data collecting, the data should be used for evaluating
wetland hydrological condition. It is preferred that evaluating
whole wetland hydrology based on data from limited observation point. To make it possible, water flow in whole wetland
should be considered when determining location of observation point.
In this presentation, we introduce hydrological monitoring
system which is developed for a small peatland, Nishibetsu
mire, as an example. Water table measurement have been
carried out in cooperation with local government officer andprofessional engineer in this mire.
Nishibetsu mire is located in cool temperate area in northern
most island Hokkaido. The mire has an area of about 7.4 ha, lies ataltitude 30-35 m, and receive avg. 1135 mm/yr of precipitation.
The mire is designated as natural monument as a habitat ofendangered tree species Betula ovalifolia. Therefore, local town
should keep mire condition which allow the tree can maintain its
population. The aim of hydrological monitoring is to capture thehydrological change in the mire, and to provide suggestion about
factor of hydrological change for further detailed investigation.
To consider contents of monitoring and location of observa-tion, following investigations were carried out: ground level
survey, water depth measurement in many point, measurement of ground level fluctuation, reconnaissance to seek in/outflow path, seepage/spring of water, structure which affectwater flow such as drainage ditches and sheet pile. Based onthese investigation, we determined contents and location ofmonitoring as follows: groundwater level measurement at only
two observation point. One observation point is located at area
where hydrological head is highest (higher observation point,
HOP), while the other point at area where hydrological head islowest (lower observation point, LOP). Hydrological component
at HOP must be simple because HOP receive water from only
precipitation. Therefore, monitoring data at HOP is easier tointerpret than other area where hydrological component iscomplex. Data at LOP coupled with HOP is expected to be used
when considering whole wetland hydrology such as water
retention regime.
To capture the hydrological change from monitoring data, wedeveloped a coupled tank model which simulate water level
fluctuation at both HOP and LOP. This tank model is calibrated
by two series of observation data, making a small improvementin the fault of traditional tank model which use many physicallyuncertain parameters against only one series of calibration
data. Using this model, we can interpret the monitoring data
regardless of amount of precipitation.
To get suggestion about factors of hydrological change, wedevelop a three- dimensional ground water flow model which
simulate not only water level at HOP and LOP but also waterflow of whole wetland. And additional simulations are carriedout under the possible situation. For example, if one of the surrounding ditch will be deeper, water level at HOP will be drawdown whereas that at LOP will not change.
Such scenario analyses greatly improve monitoring data
availability.

Water Quality of Malaysian Tropical Reservoir Associated with Aquaculture Activities

Muzzalifah Abd Hamid, Harith Mokhlas, Siti Norasikin Ismail, Mashhor Mansor

In October 2008, a large scale of aquaculture project was initiated at tropical Temengor Reservoir, Malaysia due to its vast
area and favorable environmental conditions. The fish cage
culture was operating within 100ha of the Aquaculture Industrial Zone (AIZ). The zone was identified by Perak Fisheries
Department. The objective of the aquaculture industry at Temengor Reservoir is to produce a high quality of tilapia fish species
that can be commercialized to local and international highprofit market. Although the positive economic impact of aquaculture is well acknowledged, however, the associated negative
impacts on the environment cannot be overly emphasized.
Without proper planning and management, the establishmentof aquaculture could degrade the surrounding environment.
Based on previous studies, aquaculture activities may contaminate the lakes and reservoirs due to the water discharge fromthe cage itself which contains a high concentration of nutrientsand suspended solids. Therefore, the aquaculture sector must
be well-managed and monitored to avoid any environmental
degradation towards the Temengor Reservoir.
As there are limited documentations on the impact of aquaculture on this tropical reservoir, hence this limnological study
was conducted on the water quality status and phytoplankton
community at Temengor Reservoir as the elucidation of thecurrent lake status could reflect the influence of tilapia cage cultures. A total of 15 sampling points were established andassessed along the aquaculture zone to examine the trend ofwater quality changes between the sites that were near to thefish cages versus those 5km away at a 1km interval. Evidently,
among the physical parameters, transparency, dissolved
oxygen and pH values were slightly lower in the stations withcages, while other parameters were relatively similar at all sampling points. From the water analysis, apparently, the nutrient
concentrations are comparatively higher at aquaculture zone
and decreased slightly at sampling points more distant from the78 Poster Session II

School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia
cages. The higher concentration of nutrients was attributed to
the nutrient leaching from uneaten food pellet, fish excretionand decomposition of nitrogenous and phosphate compounds.
Besides, the chemicals substances such as vitamin and antibiotics that were used to increase the aquaculture production
might as well contribute to loads of nutrients.
Evidently, the higher concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll a have contributed to the higher abundance of phytoplankton especially at the aquaculture zone. There were 21
phytoplankton species recorded in this study. The dominantphytoplanktons were Staurastrum sp., Cosmarium sp., Cyanodictyon sp., Peridinium gatunense, P. inconspicuum, Staurodesmus sp., Tabellaria sp. and Desmidiales sp. Based on thetrophic state index (TSI), the aquaculture zone is eutrophic.
Perhaps it is estimated that an occurrence of an algal bloom will
be resulted due to the high levels of eutrophication. Algal bloom
could bring many negative impacts on the lake ecosystem andsurrounding such as creating unpleasant scenery, foul-smelled
blooms and altering water quality by increasing acidification,
turbidity and decreasing oxygen availability which will induce
the suffering of aquatic life especially the native fish communities. Fortunately, the trophic state at sampling points with nocage culture is still in mesotrophic state. However, the concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll a at Temengor Reservoir
were still within the acceptable limit of water pollution as theaquaculture waste could slowly sink to deeper depths. This
resulted in low concentrations of nutrients as compared toother previous studies conducted in other areas. Hence, thelocalized water quality observed here has not led to any detectable environmental problem so far. Nevertheless, proper control
and management need to be imposed in order to avoid total
destruction the lake ecosystem.

Sustainable use of natural resources for community livelihoods in the Setiu Wetlands,
Terengganu, Malaysia
Haramaini Arifin WWF-Malaysia (Setiu Wetlands Field Office)Daria Mathew WWF-Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia Office)Muhammad Zaid Nasir, Nur Syahirah Wahab WWF-Malaysia (Setiu Wetlands Field Office)The Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu is undeniably a jewel of
Malaysia’s natural world. Located within the administrative district of Setiu which is inhabited by 61,700 people, the Setiu Wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services that are beneficial
to the local population’s livelihood and wellbeing.
The reliance of local community has been examined via a
number of studies and in a recently concluded high conservation value assessment (HCV) by WWF-Malaysia, whereby thefindings confirmed the community’s high dependency of natural
resources from the wetlands especially on fisheries. The mangroves ecosystem serves as fish nurseries while the river andlagoon support freshwater and brackish water fisheries. The loss
or degradation of the wetlands would cause serious implications by depriving the community of their basic necessities interms of their main source of protein. The assessment also
proved the existence of a strong link between economic incomeof the community with cultural resources derived from the wetlands that is tied to their traditional identify. Lepironia apiculata(Kercut) leaves and Nypa fruticans (nipah) fronds are the raw
materials used to make traditional handicraft items (such asbags, floor mats, kitchen accessories, baskets, Malay wedding
gift trays and lamp shades) which are sold and contribute supplementary income to the community. These traditional items
are part of the culture of the local community and has existed
for generations.
However, the Setiu district is one of the poorest districts in
Terengganu thus there is great pressure and demand for economic growth to generate higher revenue. This factor also forms
the catalyst for the government to implement social development and poverty alleviation programs to make available more
job opportunities and income generating activities for the communities, often involving the allocation of natural and forested

areas for the poor to develop into agricultural smallholdings. The
prospects of faster and huge economic returns from development are often perceived to outweigh the ecological and social
benefits provided by wetlands ecosystems which are usually notdirectly measurable. It is a challenge to convince decision makers
as well as the community themselves about the need to conserve the Setiu Wetlands in order to sustain the livelihood andwell-being of the communities. One of WWF-Malaysia’s strategies for Setiu Wetlands is to empower the local community tosupport and participate in conservation efforts through conservation partnership with community groups and Community-based Organisations (CBOs). The CBOs act as wetlands
guardians and agents of change by promoting custodianshipover wetlands and empowering the larger local communities tomanage their wetlands resources in a responsible and sustainable manner. Since 2006, WWF-Malaysia has been working
closely with the CBOs in Setiu in a variety of community participatory activities such as mangroves replanting, wetlands camp,community surveys and participation in planning processes fordevelopment and protected area planning, and patrolling
nesting beaches to collect Painted terrapin eggs for transfer toand incubation at the hatchery. Capacity building of the local
community to undertake and drive conservation activities that
may also contribute supplemental livelihood benefits is emphasized as an integral aspect of the community engagement. It isenvisaged that through community stewardship, there is greater
possibility for ensuring the Setiu Wetlands remain healthy, ecologically functioning and biologically diverse.

The roles and actions of the wetland centre of Yatsu-higata Tidal Flat,a wetland in the city that experienced massive urban development in the inner area of Tokyo

The areas in Tokyo Bay, where Yatsu-higata Tidal Flat is locatedin, are highly urbanised. Ninety percent of the coastline of thebay is covered with artificial embankments as the results oflarge-scaled reclamation of the tidal flats that started in 1960s.
The areas along the rivers flow into the bay are densely inhabited, where 25% of Japan’s total population reside.
Yatsu-higata is located inner part of Tokyo Bay. It is one of the
precious remaining tidal flats that survived the massive reclamation. It is an important shorebirds habitat in the East
Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). The area became a national
wildlife protection area in 1988, designated as a Ramsar site,
and joined the EAAF Site Network in 1996.
Yatsu-higata has survived thanks to the conservation actionsof local people that started in 1970s, and has been successfully
conserved through the efforts by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOE-J), and Narashino City. However, there are a
few issues arising recently. First, a kind of seaweed species
called ‘Aosa (sea lettuce)’ started to expand in a large scale
which causes odor when it gets rotten in summer.
Second, the number of shorebirds flying in is reducing.
Thirdly, non-native clam species proliferates recently, bringing
about accumulated empty shells that may prevent the tidal flownear future.
To tackle such issues, many conservation activities have been
carried out by the Yatsu- higata Nature Observation Center(YNOC), the basecamp of the CEPA activities for the conservation and wise use of Yatsu-higata. This presentation will share
our best practices listed below. By doing so, we would like toconsider the roles of the wetland centers in urban areas likeYatsu-higata, in order to contribute for wetland conservation in
Asia, where more development and urbanisation will be goingon in the coming future.
1) Deciding the anniversary day of Ramsar designation and cele-

Tatsuya Shibahara

Yatsu-higata Wise Use Partners
brating it annually with events – More than 20 years has passed
since the Ramsar site designation, but the conservation efforts
are still continuously made by the local government and citizens, thanks to the designation of anniversary by Narashino
City and the annual events to celebrate it. The events areplanned and managed by the YNOC with local citizens.
Such anniversary and events provide opportunities to thecitizens to participate and reminds them the most importantconservation objectives; to promote conservation and wiseuse of Yatsu-higata. Such approach is effective for the wetlands located in urban areas and has straggle in showing
direct benefits from wetlands.
2) Cooperative works for conservation and wise use of Yatsu-higata involving the MOE-J and citizens - In Yatsu-higata, themain body for the CEPA activities is the YNOC, and conservation is the MOE-J. The mains of wise use were the local fishermen till the reclamation of adjacent areas, but after they
relinquished their fishery rights, there is no fishery going on.
That makes it difficult to utilise Aosa seaweeds and non-native clams as resources. YNOC holds workshops to facilitate
the cooperation among the stakeholders to share arising
issues and discuss the possible solutions.
3) Networking and cooperative activities among the institutions
and organisations that are related to Tokyo Bay – AroundTokyo Bay, there are small wetlands scattering. They survived
from reclamation or were restored after the development.
Local authorities manage such areas as parks. These wetlands
have similar characteristics in terms of history and biodiversity. However, the management authorities vary, and thenumber of cooperative activities among the facilities is nothigh. In such highly urbanized inner bay, networking andcooperation among such facilities will be the key to effectively
appeal the situation of the Bay and promote conservation.
Poster Session II 79

Evaluation of inſiltration characteristic of amended soil by long term observation under naturalrainfall for establishing runoſſ reduction technologySoichi Okayama Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University
Rei Itsukushima Department of Decision Science for sustainable Society, Kyushu University
Yohei Ogahara Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University
Yukihiro Shimatani Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University

Flood disaster has frequently occurred in urban areas. The
cause is a decrease in the infiltration area due to urbanization andan increase in localized concentrated torrential rain due to climatechange. As a solution to this problem, law maintenance, andintroduction of rainwater storage facility have been carried out.
However, existing method are not sufficiently popular due toproblems such as cost, so urban flood damage is still occurring.
Therefore, it is indispensable to develop small, inexpensive,and easy technology for flood reduction, such as rainwatertanks, rain gardens, simple infiltration trenches, and so on. In
addition, since it is difficult to increase the infiltration area inurban areas, it is effective to improve the penetration capacityof existing infiltration areas. In this research, we focus on compacted bare land such as ground and park. To enhance infiltration capacity of compacted soil at bare land, soil amendment
materials such as humus and bamboo chips have been mixed.
On the other hand, infiltration capacity of soil at bare landdecreases due to forming crusts at soil surface layer due to raindrop impact. It is reported that underground vegetation andlitter in artificial forests such as cypress are weakening theimpact of rain drops and inhibit the formation of crusts.
However, with regard to compacted bare ground in urban areas,no technology has been established for improving infiltration
capacity by suppressing crust formation on the surface.
This study aims to evaluate the influence of soil surface structure (no surface structure, permeable soil paving material andgravel mulching) and soil amendment materials for compacted
soil (humus and bamboo chips). We conducted infiltration

experiment under natural rainfall by observing surface runoff
and measuring volumetric water content of soil.
As the results of this experiment, surface runoff frequently
occurred in the case of soils with no surface structure, whereas
surface runoff rarely occurred in the case of bamboo mixing
soils covered with surface structure such as gravel mulchingand permeable soil paving material. Coating surface structure isthought to be effective, because surface structure prevents
surface disturbance by raindrop and avoided the decreasing of
infiltration capacity. As for soil amendment materials in compacting condition, the amount of surface runoff of humus mixed
soil is larger than that of bamboo chips mixing soil, because
depression of void structure by compaction caused the decreasing of infiltration capacity of humus mixing soil.
In addition, the amount of permeated water exceeds theamount of water captured by the soil in the case of rainfall event
more than 50mm. Permeation amount is more than 60% of total
rainfall amount. Therefore, evaluation of infiltration capacity ismore important than that of volumetric water content.
In this experiment, it was found that the compaction affects theinfiltration capacity, and the influence differs depending on thesoil amendment material. It is necessary to evaluate the influencequantitatively. In addition, there is a possibility that soil amendment materials such as mulch humus and bamboo chips deteriorate over time. We are going to continue this experiment andinspect the effect of aged deterioration on infiltration rate.

The Study of Grey Water Footprint of Organic-Rice Cultivation for The Lower Central Plain
Management in Thailand: Case Study in Nakhonchaisi District, Nakhon pathom ProvinceThe lower central plain in Thailand has usually been used for
agriculture, especially rice cultivation because of the suitabilityof geography and the productivity of water body. The information from Rice Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Thailand has been shown that the rice cultivation areaof the lower central plain in 2016-2017 is approximately
381,856.8 hectares or the third rice cultivation area of Thailand.
To have good quality and quantity of rice cultivation, it
depends on many factors. One of the essential factors is theplant’s nutrition from fertilizer. It has been clearly seen that mostThailand’s farmers have used the chemical fertilizers that contribute to the environmental problems whereas some farmers
have used organic fertilizer instead. So, this study aims toresearch about organic fertilizer under the study’s hypothesis‘Does organic fertilizer also has an effect on the environmental
problems and Thailand’s lower central plain management?’ byusing the calculation of grey water footprint as an indicator. The
grey water footprint is one of water footprint types. It is definedas the volume of water required to dilute polluted water (A.Y.
Hoekstra and A.K. Chapagain, 2011), in this case, is water polluted from natural organic fertilizer. The study area is located in
Nakhonchaisi district, Nakhon Pathom province which is thepart of Thailand’s lower central plain.
Rudimentary field research was asking the information aboutorganic-rice cultivation procedures from the organic-rice field’s
farmer. The farmer informed that the area has not been used
any types of natural fertilizer but growing the Sunn-Hemp plant
scattering all area and ploughing it into the soil as natural fertilizer before beginning the rice cultivation. Due to its rapid
growth and nitrogen-fixing capability, Sunn-Hemp is gaining
popularity as the cover crop (Audrey Alwell, 2015). Grown and
80 Poster Session II

Chotika Ya-anan, Werachat Chatpanyacharoen
Faculty of Environment and Resource studies, Mahidol University

ploughed Sunn-Hemp 1 hectare can produce Nitrogen as muchas Nitrogen from Urea (46-0-0) 93.75kg. (Land Development
Department of Thailand).
Next step was collecting water samples in the organic-rice
cultivation area. They were collected 3 times related to land
preparation phase, the first vegetative phase (15-20 days of rice
growth), and the second vegetative phase (50-60 days of rice
growth), respectively. All of the water samples were analyzed
the concentration of Nitrate-Nitrogen (NO3-) at the laboratory
and its concentration was used for grey water footprint calculation. The result shows that the calculation of organic-rice’s grey
water footprint is 690 m3/ton.
Even though the organic rice cultivation has no chemical fertilizer applied, ploughed up and over the Sunn-Hemp canincrease Nitrogen in soil and released to water. The result ofgrey water footprint has been shown that organic-rice cultivation also has an effect on the volume of freshwater and widely
effect on the lower central plain because almost all this area has
been used for rice cultivation. It means that the volume of waterused to assimilate pollutant is increasing.
In conclusion, the organic-rice cultivation can decrease theenvironmental problems from using the chemical fertilizers but
it still has the amount of Nitrogen released to the natural water.
It has been undeniable that the organic-rice cultivation also has
the grey water footprint and there is much more Nitrogendrained into the natural water that may cause the problems
such as, eutrophication. Therefore, grey water footprint is one of
the effective indicators that can be used for managing manycases about polluted water and this research has shown that thegrey water footprint will be able to use for agricultural management in the lower central plain of Thailand.

Diversity and distribution of Macroalgae in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chindanai Jaitamart, Rungnapa Tagun and Tatporn Kunpradid

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University

One of the most important producers in the aquatic ecosystem is algae. Due to they are important in the functional feedinggroup as a primary producer. More than that, algae has a great
deal of usefulness to humans in area such as agricultural, environmental science, and medicinal applications. However, theapplications of algae have not been fully developed because ofa lack of basic knowledge, limited species level identification
and basic ecological data. The ecology, morphology andpigment compounds in each species are different in even in thesame genus and it is very complicated to identify. Hence, thestudy aims to survey the diversity and distribution of macroalgaes and its relationships with the various habitats and environmental conditions in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand.
The samples were collected from 26 running and standing reservoir sites from seven districts throughout the Chiang Mai
Province. The study was carried out from February to November
2016. The attached macroalgae that can be seen with the naked
eye were scraped as filaments, thalli, brown or green film on
hard substratum, rock, cobbles, gravel, sand, branches of trees
or other substrates. Some may be found as a free floating onwater surface. The samples were kept in a 20-50 ml centrifuge
tube. Filled with the water from reservoir sites into samples
tube and reserved at 4-10°C to maintain conditions prior tofurther study in the laboratory. Identified up to species level
under compound microscope and using the books or relevant
documents. The photo image and monograph of macroalgae
samples were processed for making a macroalgae hand book.
Thirty-three species of 20 genera in four divisions were found in
this study. The Division Chlorophyta was the most dominate distribution (45%) followed by Division Cyanophyta(27%) , Division Rhodophyta (23%) and Division Charophyta (5%)
respectively. The Spirogyra sp., Rhizoclonium sp., Cladophorasp., Phormidium sp., Compsopogon sp. And Audouinella sp.
were a common species of Chiang Mai area. The area where
found the highest diversity were the old traditional indigenous
check dam “Fai Wang Hai” and eight species of seven genera
were found in this sites including Microspora sp., Spirogyra sp.,
Tetraspora sp., Tetraspora cylindrical, Lyngbya sp., Chaetophora
elegans, Stigeoclonium flagelliforum and Phormidium formosum. It was concluded that the distribution of macroalgae weredepended on the appropriate substrate, water condition as thenutrients and the physical and chemical properties, light intensity and conductivity. The data of this study was use to initiatedthe macroalgae hand book that could be use by the student andlocal people. This book included the distribution of macroalge
ecological data and the development of the simple method formonitoring the environmental conditions by youth and studentthat could easier communicated and understood with picturesand symbols. In addition, these data could be used by local
people who cultivate the macroalgae in the natural stream andriver that they are normally use this organism as a nutritional
supply and medicinal propose in their daily life. The book also
could be used as the Environmental Education tool for students
and local citizens in Northern Thailand and the other areas.

Diversity of Macroalgae and Benthic Diatom in Upstream of Mae Chaem River,
Kalayaniwathana District, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thakdanai Paotajai, Rungnapa Tagun, Tatporn Kunpradid

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University

Macroalgae and benthic diatom plays important rules inaquatic ecosystems as the producers that there are key components of food webs and related to the environmental condition
in aquatic ecosystem. There are diverse, abundant and closely
linked to environmental factors as well as sensitive to pollution
and rapid response to external disturbance. The aim of thisstudy is to survey the diversity and distribution of Macroalgae
and benthic diatom in the upstream parts of Mae Chaem River
Kalayaniwathana District, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Mae Chaem
River is an important tributaries of The Ping River that essential
to the livelihoods the major portion of the population in Northern Thailand. The sampling was carried out from December 2015
to July 2016. Four sampling stations of upstream of Mae Jam
River were selected and sampling once a season. Fourteen
species of eight genera in three divisions of macroalgae and 62
species of eight genera of benthic diatom were found in thisstudy. The dominant species of macroalgae were Spirogyrasp.,Compsopogon sp.,Cladophora sp., Rhizocronium sp., Audonilla sp., Oscillatoria sp., Lyngbya sp. a n d Nostochopsis sp.
Which visible by the naked eye., Growth attached on rocks,
cobbers, gravel, They could be found on land including in soil,
surface water, on leaves, tree, any surface as well as buildingwal, branches of trees or other substrates or within the water
current, appeared as filaments thalli and dominant species ofbenthic diatom were Cymbella tirgidula ,Navicula radiosafallax,
Gomphonema parrulum var. Lagenula , Gomphonema clevei
Fricke ,Cymbella tirgidula ,Coconeis placentula var. Lineata,
Navicula viridula Ehrenberg. The important feature of thosediatom is two frustules stick together composing of silica withbeautiful patterns that could be used for identification. In addition, there has more brown pigment that makes the cell brown-

ish. The diversity index ranged from 1.143 to 2.548 and thehighest value recorded at MJ1 in December 2015. The evenness
index ranged from 0.395 to 0.860 and the highest value recorded
at MJ3 in July 2016. The highest species richness was recorded
at MJ2 in December 2015 (29 species). The chemical and physical variable in each sampling sites were classified in the moderate to good and moderate according to the water quality areclose to neutral as standard surface water of Thailand. Overall,
the water quality of Mae Chaem River Kalayaniwathana Districtbased on AARL-PC Score method were revealed that the water
quality were oligotrophic-mesotrophic status. The data of water
quality and its relationship with the organism distribution wastransferred to the community via the initiation of water quality
monitoring focus groups including the researcher, local organization, students and teacher. The group activities were raised
the issues with the easy methods and planning for the local biomonitoring. The reflection from the local citizens was satisfied
with an appropriate simple technique for physical and chemicalmeasurement with the organisms investigation. Therefore, thismethod could be developed and used as the Environmental
Education tool for students and local citizen who lives nearby
creek and upstream area of Northern Thailand and the otherareas.

Poster Session II 81

Project of the visit center on peatlands – young view from SiberiaThe region I came from is famous of its peatlands (peat accumulating mires). West Siberia is known as the most paludified
area of the planet. The peatlands cover more then 60% surface
area in some places like Tomsk region. The largest mire systemof the world – Great Vasyugan peatland system – is situated at
the territories of three regions at the West Siberian plain, mainlyin Tomsk region.
We can recognize the history of paludification and peatlands
development at the territory of Siberia from the beginning of
Holocene – 10-12 thousand years ago. Since those time peatlands have accumulated carbon of plant remains within peat
deposits reaching now up to 11 m. Peatlands of the West Siberia
vary on surface area, ecological types, topology, degree of thepermafrost development at the peat deposits, modern vegetation, genesis and evolution as well as ecosystem services andanthropogenous impact. They are vast and endless, especiallyfrom the bird’s eye view.
Only very limited public in Siberia knows that mires and peatlands are important component of the landscape with special
biodiversity and ecosystem services. Mires are widely known as“aggressor” occupying such plentiful areas of valuable land.
Wetland centers mission is to protect mires and peatlands andto raising the awareness of wetland issues through education,
research, involvement, visitor activities.
Wetland centers started to appear in Russia recently. There
are only few (3-4) wetland centers in Asian Russia (Siberia). Oneof them - Wetland Center of Tomsk State University - has beencreated in Tomsk region on the base of the oldest in Siberia mirescience school as a link of the global network of educational
centers for wetlands, Wetland Link International. It aims the purposes of environmental education and exists mainly as Internet
resource. However, virtual information is not enough. We need

Tomsk State University
places where people could directly get to know the nature of thepeatlands.
The goal of my work is to create a project of the peatland visit
center that could visually show all diversity of peatland floraand fauna, ecosystems and communities, landscapes and functioning. The process of the development of the project of thevisitor center on peatland includes the following steps: identification of target audience, concept development, creation of thedesign project and the working project.
Visit center on peatland can be used as for scientific purposes,
so for the education of ordinary citizens. It would be possible toshow peatlands, which are considered a distinctive feature of ourregion, to foreign tourists, students and scientists. This will be ascientific enlightenment center with a training area for thematicclasses, where all information relating to the peatlands of Siberia
will be presented, and an open area for visitors with a viewing
platform. Also people can observe the diversity and behavior of
birds from an enclosed space. Visitors will not only know about
the biodiversity, but also about the land use on peatlands.
The internal exposition is represented by information stands
showing the species of mammals, birds and insects that live
nearby, as well as plant species, most typical for peatlands, andalso birds migration map. The voices of birds are chosen as thesoundtrack. From the observation platform, equipped with binoculars, everyone can get acquainted with the surrounding
fauna and flora, without disturbing local inhabitants.
We need to show people that the peatland is not a gloomy
and dangerous swamp, but a beautiful place and a home formany representatives of the animal and plant world.
The work is supported by the government order from the
Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation(Project No. 5.4004.2017/P).

Comparison of CEPA activities and base facilities in Peru and Japan

Peru is located approximately in the middle of the continentof South America, bordering Ecuador, Brazil, Chile etc. with thewest side facing the Pacific Ocean. Peru is an extremely diverse
country. The country has 3 main regions according to the traditional method of dividing the country by altitude: coast, mountains, and jungle. Peru joined the Ramsar convention in 1992
and has 13 registered sites. The total land area is 6,784,041ha,
ranking third in Latin America. PARACAS was registered in 1992
as the first Ramsar site in Peru. The sandy beach of Paracas animportant resting place for migratory birds. As part of thereserve is open as a beach, 250,000 people a year visit for swimming and sightseeing. In recent years, Tourism development
and overfishing are taking place, threatening the ecosystem of
the protected area. The need for CEPA activities increased, andJICA dispatched volunteers for two years in PARACAS.
This paper compares CEPA activities in Peru and Japan from theviewpoint of base facilities. Its objective is to summarize common
points and differences and contribute to Asian CEPA activities.
#545 PARACAS (1992.3) / #615 YATSU-HIGATA (1993.6)
Area: 335,000ha / 40ha
Number of Staff: 25 people / 15 people
Number of Visitors per year: 250,000 people (for swimming,sightseeing, educational visit) / 40,000 people (for exercise, bird
watching, volunteer activities, educational visit)
Access: 15 minutes by car from the major national highway / 15
minutes on foot from the station
Volunteer System: Summer volunteer (3 months, live-in, 20
people, students), Weekend volunteer (4 people, students) /Registration system (100 people, 13 years old ~ senior citizen)
Center Structure: (900m2) Permanent exhibition, Theater room,
Bench, Walking Trail / (1750m2) Permanent exhibition, Special
exhibition, Food and drinking space, Multipurpose space,
Library, Bench, Walking trail
82 Poster Session II

Anastasia Volkova

Yuki Ozaki
Ramsar Center Japan

CEPA Activities: Delivery courses (irregular), Puppet theater /Nature observation tours, Center guides, Craft workshop, Picture-story show etc., Volunteer activities (27 groups: Newsletter
editing, Data analysis, Carving etc.)• Common point: There is a visitor center, and it has a permanent exhibition. There is good access to town. Both have succeeded in making use of volunteers as a solution to theshortage of staff.
• Differences: In the case of Paracas, there are few staff members
in charge of CEPA activities (Only one person at the visitor
center). There is no guide and no binoculars in the viewing
space. Information has not been updated. The visitor's staying
time is short.
Compared with Japan, the Paracas center was not well utilized
as a place for CEPA. Although it is a fine building, its activities arehampered by having fewer personnel in charge of CEPA.
On the other hand, it does succeed in playing the minimumrole. It accurately conveys the information of the site to many
people. There is also a toilet and a promenade.
In order to solve the above problem, I carried out activities
thinking about what few people with no space would be able todo. Guide at the boardwalk (explanatory board and binocularsthat can be carried)
School Visit to nearby elementary schools (Developed interpretation teaching materials on the theme of wildlife conservation) We installed an information board outside the center andrenewed it every month.
CEPA activities can be raised in quality by creative ingenuity.
However, to implement CEPA, both hardware and softwareare required. Also, it will not start unless you focus on involving
people above everything else. Especially, it is important to
involve the young generation as volunteers.

Growth and burrows of the Japanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major) in the Arao tidal ſlatTowaki Ide, Chihiro Fukushima, Syoya Oobuchi, Sinnosuke Harada, Taiyou Kiyota,
Yukito Yoshimoto, Ryuki Wada, Fumiko Koyama, Hiroshi Matsuura
Taishi senior high school, Arao senior high school, Kumamoto prefecture

1, Growth of Japanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major) Majak
We call the Japanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major) “Majak”.
We were interested in the ecology of famous Majak in the
Arao area. To study their growth and development we dug up
Majak over a 5 month period of time and recorded their size.
Within 5 months, growth of about 5 mm and transfer of a newgeneration could be clearly confirmed. During the September
to October period, we surveyed at spring tide, which comes
every two weeks, and confirmed that the Majak were growing
about 5 mm on average and that a new generation of Majak waspresent. We also checked for the presence of plankton Majak
affixed to the Arao tidal flat sediment.
In a business report by Kumamoto prefectural seaweed laboratory, reported in 1986, the size of Majak was recorded as
23.7mm for a 2 year old male, 23.3mm for a 2 year old female,
32.6mm for a 3 year old male, 30.0mm for a 3 year old female,
34.2mm for a 4 year old male, 32.1mm for a 4 year old female.
In Arao tidal flat, we could confirm individuals over 30 mm in
the spring season. So we supposed these individuals were 3
years old.
2, Burrows of the Japanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major) Majak
We compared the data of the burrows which was surveyed by
Imamura and Miyazaki from the Arao tidal flat that were 80 cm
in depth the data of the burrows from Tokyo Bay that 207.9 cm indepth (Kinosita, k., 2002). And it was obvious that the burrows
from the Arao tidal flat were shallower.
In order to confirm many burrows of the Arao tidal flat, wepoured resin into a quadrat of 25 cm × 25 cm, and also poured
resin into another hole which is a pair outside of the quadrat to
avoid resin leaks.
In addition, we thought that Majak seem to block the burrow

even though the burrow continues. So we dug out the resin
which was set in the burrow and examined it after catching the
Majak. We caught Majak by the traditional method in the Arao
region. We put a calligraphy brush into the burrow. Then, when
the Majak came up to push out the brush, we pulled the Majak
out of the burrow.
On August 31 st, 2015, we poured the resin into the burrows.
When we dug up the resin molds, we gathered many burrows
with a “Y” shape. We also found 4 small connecting tunnels
between the burrows. They were too small to be made by Majak.
When we connected the burrows, they made a labyrinth shape.
The 4 small connecting tunnels had a diameter of 5.6 to 12.6mm.
3, Perspective
We will continue these investigations in the future. And,
despite the fact that many Majak are gathered every year due to
Majak fishing competitions and fishery. We want to elucidate
the mechanism of growth for Majak of the Arao tidal flat. In
addition, just want to think about how many Majak we shouldcatch, to make it a steady catch every year.
In addition, we have plans to exhibit the resin mold of the
Majak burrows at Saga. And we would like to discuss the factthat the Majak burrows extend oxygen conditions to deep
places in the tidal flat.

Benthos of the Arao tidal ſlat, its list and specimenYukito Yoshimoto, Towaki Ide, Haruki Kume, Ryouki Wada, Natsuko Kobayashi, HIroshi Matsuura

1, List of Benthos of the Arao tidal flat that we could confirm
The Arao tidal flat became a Ramsar wetland site in 2012, andthis year will be the fifth anniversary. In the meantime, we havecontinued the investigation of the Arao tidal flat.
Based on the survey method of Wetland International Japan(WIJ), we conducted 15 minute surveys of the Benthos on thesurface and by digging 15 holes. Furthermore, qualitative investigations were also conducted.
We used pocket books published by WIJ, etc. to identify theorganisms collected. Creatures that could be confirmed werereleased on the spot and several individuals that could not be
confirmed outdoors were brought to school.
Also we brought typical shape samples back to school, soaked
them in alcohol and made them into a preserved specimen. The
results are summarized in the table.
From November 2012 until October 2013, 58 species wereconfirmed.
By October 2014, we were able to record 78 species, including
species we confirmed visually, without collecting them. We also
learned that three species were not officially listed. By October
2015, we confirmed 90 species of benthos.
We were able to confirm a total of 125 species of benthos by
October 2016. It was difficult to judge the type of Polychaeta andmore investigation is necessary.
2 , Characteristics of Benthos List of Arao tidal flat
In addition to our list of benthos, 80 species of Benthos wereconfirmed in the Arao tidal flat in the "Arao City History" issued
in March 2000. Shigeo Tokuyama, a member of Arao City Cultural Property Protection Committee investigated this with students in Arao Daiichi Junior High School from 1998 to 1999.
According to a survey entrusted to the Kyushu Environmental
Management Association by the Arao tidal flat conservation

Taishi senior high school, Kumamorto prefecture
and wisdom utilization council in 2014, they confirmed 103
types of Benthos on the Arao tideland.
There are many arthropods in every list, especially Decapoda.
The next most frequent group was Gastropoda, followed by
Bivalvia.
A lot of sand and muddy benthos, which is the characteristicof the Arao tidal flat, were recorded. The benthos of the Arao
tidal flats are also characterized into many types. The reason isthat the Arao tidal flats are a wide and ecologically diverse. For
example, there are Hakusennshiomaneki (Uca lacteal) frequently found in the tidelands of sand near the exit of the bay,
and Siomaneki (Uca arcuata) which are frequently found in the
mud flats of the bay.
Compared with the Kyushu Environmental Management Association's list, there are creatures that are not recorded on our list.
However, we found various Benthos that were not on the Kyushu
Environmental Management Association's list as well.
3, Perspective
We will continue to investigate this in the future and I would
like to further enrich the list.
In addition, we would like to create a list of about 50 kinds ofbenthos for various purposes, such as an organism list that is easy
to catch for each season, that is easy to catch even for elementary
school students, and that is useful for observation sessions.
We will be attending Asian Wetland Symposium Saga. We arepreparing to exhibit specimens of Benthos soaked in alcohol
which we are currently preparing at school.
We would like people in the venue to see the real benthos anddiscuss with many people about the comparison with the list 20
years ago, the continuation of the survey in the future, and themonitoring survey.
Poster Session II 83

The tideland which was left in the city “HIRAKATA-Bay”Towaki Ide, Chihiro Fukushima, Syoya Oobuchi, Sinnosuke Harada, Taiyou Kiyota,
Takuma Ezoe, Noah Honda, Kokoro Nakayama
Kanto-Gakuin Mutsuura Jr & high school Biology clubWe, Kanto-Gakuin Mutsuura Junior and Senior High School
biology club. Have been conducting nature observations in
Hirakata-Bay for about 60 years. Hirakata-Bay (35 degrees 20
north east longitude 139 degrees 38 minutes) is an elongatedbay with a width of about 0.3km and a length of 1km located in
Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture (partly in
Yokosuka city) Part of the bay is a small tideland. There is a 1 km
square islet called Nojima that closes the mouth of the Bay,
barely connected with Tokyo Bay by Nojima waterway on thesouth side and Nojima canal on the north side. Hirakata-Bay isclosed so firmly that seawater exchange is very difficult to occur
and four rivers flow into it. Dredging is regularly carried.
Ricefields were developed in the north side of Hirakata-Bay
were developed in the north side of Hirakata-Bay during
the first reclamation in the 19th century.
Many painters including Utagawa Hiroshige drew Ukiyo-elandscape paintings of the northern side of the Hirakata Bay.
After that, Yokosuka Navy Air Corps was placed in the vicinity ofthe exit of the bay.
Unfortunately sediment accumulated in the Nojima waterway
between Nojima and Hirakata-Bay, and it was closed in 1966.
Instead, the Nojima canal was built in the north side of Nojima
and it became the only passage connecting the Hirakata-Bay
and Tokyo-Bay. At that time, the southern side of the bay thatremained was filled with land and the Hirakata Bay now is along narrow water area.
Since the 1960s, domestic and industrial wastewater was discharged into the four rivers flowing into the Hirakata-Bay.
Because of the firmly closed nature of the bay, the organisms at
the most the bottom almost disappeared. The whole bay was
like a settling pond of living and industrial wastewater. A large

amount of sludge was accumulated, a stench filled the surrounding area, many toxic substances including cyan weredetected, and in the 1980‘s, it became “the worst marine polluted water area”.
The Nojima waterway was opened again in 1994. The seawater became easier to flow into the bay, and the sludge in the bay
was removed to some extent. Also, sewage treatment systems
were newly established, and the inflow of new domestic wastewater ceased. Finally, the bay‘s condition improved so dramatically that many creatures could live in the bay again.
I heard from fishery related people that there still remains
some sludge. Because it is a terrain that is easy to eutrophic,
there are years when red tide occurs. Transparency in summer
can get relatively low and, the transparency in winter was pretty
high, can get pretty, enables us to look at the bottom easily.
Since the sewage treatment was conducted, It’s water quality
has been kept the same level as Tokyo Bay.
Hirakata Bay experienced nationwide water pollution first in
the past. It was a narrow and shallow watershed with a badodor, so at that time there was an option to make it a residential
area. However Hirakata-Bay was preserved. It now a place forpeople to relax. It is valuable as one of the few tidal flats left inTokyo Bay.
Even if there is the worst environmental destruction, it can be revived, on
the other hand it is difficult to restore the contaminated places.
Hirakata-Bay makes us realize these two aspects and for these reasons,
Hirakata- Bay is a valuable ocean. We think that it is important to raise our
voice in order to get more attention
to this area. We will continue to observe the situation of Hirakata -Baythrough investigation of birds and fishes, and will continue to act as a bodythat will care for whatever changes may happen

The activities of Shisei junior high school biology club
— Our hometown builds on the beautiful tidal lands, levees and canals —Takahiro Araragi, Riro Ozaki, Emi Omagari, Chika Nanao, Toru Koga, Mao Eguchi

In this presentation, the members of Shisei junior high school
biology club are going to introduce our activities. Seishi juniorhigh school is located in Kubota Town, Saga Prefecture, where isclose to the Ariake Sea. This year, a biology club has been established in this school. One of the purpose of this club is a contribution for inshore fishery resource conservation. In addition tothat, we have routinely studied about cultures, histories andenvironments of our hometown in the comprehensive class(We call the class to “Saishi-gaku”*1). Therefore, to study our
hometown furthermore and to contribute to activation of communities, we conducted following four activities in cooperation
with the Seishi-gaku study group*2 ; i) Open Seminar; ii) Field
Work; iii) Development of the Fish Breeding Method and Releasing Activity ; iv) Growth Experiment on Suaeda japonica.
i) We held a seminar for local general citizens. We invited a lecturer from a local museum, and asked him to give a lecture
about original scenery of our hometown.
ii) We learned comprehensive water management system constructed in 1600s, and visited Saga City Sewage Clarification
Center and Saga Aquaculture Promotion Center to study
function of these infrastructures.
iii) 
We have examined weather we can cultivate young fishliving in the Ariake Sea (e. g. Acanthogobius hasta, Cynoglossus joyneri, Sinonovacula constricta, etc.) in indoor
breeding tanks. If we can breed the fishes to adult, we will
release them to the the Aiake Sea where they were born.
iv) We have conducted indoor growth experiments on Suaeda
japonica which is marshy threatened plant species to conserve it.
As above, we have ever studied about our hometown andachieved some results for activation of our home communities.
84 Poster Session II

Shisei Junior High School, Saga city
Through these activities, we understood that if we want to study
situations of our hometown, it’s effective that we receive directly
guidance from the local specialists. Our theme in the second
half of this year is to make a plan and hold a “Symposium for
Measures of Community Development” with some students,
government officers and specialists in addition to taking place“the Second Fieldwork and Open seminar”. After that, we’regoing to have an opportunity to evaluate and make an improvement plan of the learning program which had conducted incooperation with related parties this year.
*1 Sisei-gaku is one of the class in Shisei junior high school. In this class, allstudents have studied local cultures, histories and environments. In 2014, theformer students had developed educational texts of Shisei-gaku in cooperation with teachers and local specialists. And now, current students have beenpracticing Saishi-gaku using the developed texts.
*2 Seishi-gaku study group has been experimentally established by PTA inthis year. The aim of this group is development of Saishi-gaku study program
including field work, open lecture and symposium with local people.

Thangmi Folk Cultural Values of Forest for Wetland Conservation in Himalayas, Nepal


THANGMI Ancient Folklore Customs have social, religious,
cultural norms, values and traditional biocultural diversity do
not disturb the wetland ecosystems, natural forest ecosystem,
biodiversity, habitats, flora, fauna is a signal of conservation
and wise use is deeply rooted with Baulaha Pokhari (Lake) and
Dew Dhunga ecosystems, Dolkha. Nepal is a cradle of ancientcivilization Himalayan country with racial and traditional biocultural diversity i.e. ecosystem; species and genetics, wetland
conservation have not documented well in landscape. Wetlands
oral traditions, intangible, tangible cultural values, knowledge,
practices, folklore, customs, norms, religious, spiritual beliefs
and significance of traditional biocultural wisdoms link with
forest biodiversity are disappearing from society. There areample opportunity for scientific innovation, restoration, conservation, wise use of Himalayan wetland ecosystems, biodiversity, biocultural diversity and its relation with human dynamic,
institutional enhance, ecotourism development and promotion
for rural livelihood. The geography 60 to 4000m and temperature varies 42º to -10ºC forest biodiversity freshwater wetlands
ecosystem are the habitats for diverse flora and fauna and also
culturally significant.
Due to the diverse beautiful landscapes and wetland culture,country has 118 natural ecosystems, 2.6 % flowering plants,
9.3% birds, 4.5% mammals, 4.2% butterflies, 2.2% fresh water
fishes, 1.6% reptiles and 1.0% amphibian species (IUCN Nepal
2004) .
Society e.g. Kirant (indigenous inhabitants) believes theorigin of their ancestor in natural landscapes in which ancient
folklore, oral tradition, religious, spiritual relationship and wayof traditional life is deep rooted on air, earth, water, rivers, rivulets, mountains, rocks, caves, biodiversity, ecosystem, forest,
animal, birds, flora and fauna co-relate in conservation and sus-

Kamal Kumar Rai

Society for Wetland Biodiversity Conservation Nepal
tainable use. Natural wetland landscapes, lakes, ecosystems,
biodiversity and folklore are the ancient historical sacred assetsof the society. People visit the area to respect and express their
willingness, future plans, show new born babies, good orfavorable weather or climate for next crops to ancestor gods,
deities with singing and dancing. People bring new harvested
crops, maize cobs, fruits, local fowl eggs, cucumbers, and apairs of life pigeon to votive offer to ancestor god are the ancientoral traditions, bio- culture, and cultural heritage of society inconservation. People release the pairs of pigeon for wishes andlong live. Lack of documentation, conservation education,awareness, gapes in young and old generation and local strategy, impacts of climate change, natural disasters, earthquake
2015, and existing natural beauty are being threatened. It isbeing urgent to take restoration, conservation action in multi-stakeholder approach. Scientific study on species, habitats,traditional biocultural diversity, tradition, life style, religious,
spiritual, biological corridor and connectivity are important. It isalso important to investigate, document, prepare community
protocol, preserve and transform of oral traditions, indigenous
knowledge, skills, folklore affinity with biodiversity in Himalayan sacred wetlands in landscapes. The upstream has natural
feeding to the downstream freshwater ecosystem which has avital role for fisher folk for biodiversity conservation, enterprises development and livelihood improvement in people participation. Implement CBD, Ramsar, UNESCO, ICH, cultural
heritages in world biological hotspot and Himalayan criticalecosystem with respect to custom and customary system ofsociety is being importance.

Valuation of village ponds as cultural landscape component in IndiaVillage ponds are a specific type of small artificial reservoir in
India. They are constructed for harvesting and preserving local
rainfall and water from streams in agricultural landscapes,
especially in India, which has lacked perennial rainfall for thousands of years. Village ponds primarily have been used for agricultural and drinking water but also for bathing, ritual, andaquaculture. According to the Ecosystem Services (ES) framework, classifying and evaluating the benefits for people derived
from ecosystems, village ponds may have all aspects of ES
including provisioning (food, fresh water), regulating (waste-water treatment), cultural (aesthetic appreciation, inspiration for
culture, spiritual experience) services; but village ponds have
not yet been valued regarding their ES using quantitative valuation techniques such as economic/monetary approaches. Historically, villagers retained the indigenous knowledge of usage
and management practices for village ponds. Indigenous formsof knowledge regarding the sustainability of local resources arereferred to as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Although
TEK is most frequently preserved as oral traditions and as suchmay lack objectively confirmed documentation, TEK for village
ponds has not yet been classified. In the present situation, withlittle concern, village ponds are at risk of disappearing and wewill regret losing this critical resource. India is in rapid economictransition. Many rural villages now have dramatically modernized the drinking water supply system. Development of a watersupply service for drinking water and a large reservoir for agriculture through modernization and urbanization can replace
this traditional component of village ponds. The ES of TEK invillage ponds should be as management practices and shouldbe evaluated and classified for sustainable management ofvillage ponds.
Our goal was to confirm the function and importance of

Gea-Jae Joo, Yuno Do, Ji Yoon Kim
Pusan National University, Korea

village ponds in the rapidly developing areas as well as rurallandscapes. We categorized village ponds based on TEK, evaluate ES of village ponds in India, and establish a framework forconserving village ponds and improving public awareness ofinterested parties regarding village ponds using modern
approaches. Over the last two years, we assessed the benefitsof village ponds located in northeast India through field surveysof the Chilika Lagoon basin (State of Odisha). The catchment
area (526.3km2) surrounding Chilika Lagoon contains a large
number of villages (population; approx. 690,000). We digitized
several hundred village ponds and dozens of ponds have been
visited. We found that on average each village possesses 2 or 3
ponds with different usages such as irrigation, religious observance, and bathing. The questionnaire included questions on
the name of the village, population, the number of the ponds,
the number of alternative water sources etc. the possibility ofcultural activities being practiced, management schemes, andthe dependency (i.e. residential, agricultural, aquaculture, religious practices). Our project will represent the first scientificassessment of the village pond and traditional management
scheme’s value. The potential results will include the traditional
knowledge of village ponds created by the local community to
manage the pond for their cultural, economic, and domestic
needs over a long time. Moreover, we are sure that the well-organized traditional management of the village pond will beapplicable to increase the value of abandoned ponds in urban
landscapes. The traditional knowledge based restoration willcontribute in enhancing ecosystem health and the resilience ofhuman society by strengthening ecosystem functions.

Poster Session II 85

Building Capacities for Wetland Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction
and Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines

Joy M. Navarro Biodiversity Management Bureau – Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Amy M. Lecciones Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc.

Dolores Nuevas EbA Project Implementation in the Philippines, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

With the approval of the Philippine-authored Resolution on“Wetlands and Disaster Risk Reduction” at the 12th Meeting of
the Ramsar Convention Conference of Parties (COP12), the Philippines has affirmed the vital role of wetland ecosystems in
reducing disaster risk. Through this Resolution, the Philippines
supports the need to develop and implement management
plans that integrate the principles of ecosystem-based management and adaptation against water-related natural hazards. The
mainstreaming of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (ecoDRR) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change
adaptation measures in spatial and management plans and into
all relevant policies, action plans, programs and project designs
is also affirmed by this Resolution. Furthermore, the Resolution
also encourages the establishment or strengthening of CEPA
programmes to “increase awareness on the role of wise use,management, conservation and restoration of wetlands in disaster risk reduction and on the role of wetlands in contributing to
reducing vulnerabilities and mitigating disasters”.
As part of the operationalization of the Philippine-authoredRamsar Resolution, the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc. conducted a series of learning events on Main­
streaming Wetland Ecosystem-based Approaches to Disaster
Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (Eco-DRR andEbA) from July 2016 to June 2017. The first of the series waspiloted in selected critical inland wetlands while the last was
focused on capacitating wetland practitioners from the Luzon
Island Group. There is plan to conduct another round for the
Visayas and Mindanao clusters for next year. Integration withexisting projects implementing ecosystem-based adaptation is
also aimed at. Meanwhile, the SCPW had also been conducting
their regular youth ecological camps which incorporate concepts on environmental protection and natural resources con-servation in relation to disaster risk preparedness and climatechange adaptation and mitigation in the local context of amunicipality or groups of contiguous municipalities.
The learning events aimed to develop the capabilities of technical staff of DENR in operationalizing the Ramsar Resolution on
Wetlands and DRR and in assisting local government units in
integrating the adoption of the Resolution into local plans andprograms. They also intended to strengthen and enhance thecapacity of the DENR staff, particularly the wetland managers,
in assessing the vulnerability of wetlands to natural hazards at
the appropriate social and spatial scale to enable the designingof effective risk reduction interventions including ecosystem-based solutions and approaches to reduce the vulnerability
and exposure of people and ecosystems. Moreover, wetland
managers will be able to mainstream the principles of ecosystem- based approaches and adaptation against natural hazards
to the management plans as part of their regular functions
related to wetlands.
The paper will focus on the Philippines’ efforts and challenges
in building technical capacities for the operationalization of theRamsar Resolution XII.13 entitled “Wetlands and Disaster Risk
Reduction”. It will highlight the challenges as well as lessons
learned from conducting a series of learning events on mainstreaming ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation through wetlands
conservation and management. The importance of developing
partnerships for the successful conduct of such events will also
be emphasized, as well as accessing national climate funds
such as the People’s Survival Fund. It will then discuss thevarious techniques which had gained positive participant feedbacks as well as some of the other key enabling and limiting
factors that should be considered in developing modules forthis kind of capacity-building activity.

Using Art in Engaging and Enabling the Public to Act to Conserve Wetlands

In recent years, Guandu Nature Park has devoted itself toadopting an art-based approach to engage the public in knowing
the values of wetlands and biodiversity. Already a well-managed
wetland reserve and a leading wetland education center in
Taiwan, Guandu Nature Park is still striving to find innovative
ways to expand its influence to a wider public. During the experience of organizing an environmental art event, the Park has
discovered that by using art as a medium for transmitting ideasof environmental protection can have a different communicate
effect to inspire people to take action.
Dating back to 2006, the Park started the Guandu International
Outdoor Sculpture Festival as a way to finding back visitors withthe circumstance of the avian flu outbreak in 2005. The pandemic
disease has made the public panic about getting near to birds
therefore further prevent them from visiting the Park. The art festival became an alternative solution to weaken the strong
impression of the connection between
Guandu Nature Park and birds. Meanwhile, new audiencessuch as art-lovers were also attracted to visit the Park for the firsttime. The event was held annually by inviting international artists
to create eye-catching, site-specific installations using natural or
eco-friendly materials. Many art volunteers were also specially
recruited to participate in the process of artwork creation. It has
successfully created a buzz for the Park and gained its popularity
gradually among the public.
In 2016, after celebrating its 10-year anniversary in the previous year, the event has come to a new stage by resetting its title
into "Guandu International Nature Art Festival." Public participa86 Poster Session II

Yi-Fen Jan, Chin-Ling Wu, Shih-Hung Chen

Guandu Nature Park Management Office, Wild Bird Society of Taipeition, art intervention, and nature conservation are still the key
elements of this event, and it is expected to serve as a catalyst to
deepen the public's awareness of the environment, as well as
care for the local cultures. The event has transformed into much
more than just an art exhibition and has included a range of features and activities: the artist-in-residency program, the volunteer participatory program, and diverse community-based
education programs to combine the ecological observation withartistic creation. All aims to reflect the unique vibrancies of local
history, environment, and culture Guandu area.
Guandu is situated at the confluence of flowing rivers andbrackish water. This estuary wetland is a great habitat for a richvariety of organisms, attracting flocks of migratory birds. An
agricultural landscape with largest and the last rice paddies ofTaipei City is still being kept in this region as well. It is Guandu
Nature Park's mission to safeguarding the Guandu wetland ecosystem and to improving the public's comprehension of the ecological value of this place.
As the issues that Guandu Nature Park faces continue tobroaden, Guandu International Nature Art Festival, therefore,
plays a vital role of engaging people from a sentimental perspective to establish their personal aesthetic experiences in anatural landscape. These experiences might be a key to encouraging people to change and act. The interdisciplinary dialogues
and interactions happening during this art project have also
inspired each participant to reflect upon their own relationshipwith the land.

Increasing capacity of local communities to implement wetland conservation and Eco- DRR
and EbA activities in the Laguna de Bay Region and Marikina-Pasig River WatershedAmy M. Lecciones, Wilhelmina Ricamunda, Aaron J.M. Lecciones, Zenaida M. Ugat,
Jose Carlo H. Quintos, Darry Shel M. Estorba
Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc.

In 2014, The Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc, with support from The UPS Foundation embarked on
an initiative aimed to increase the capacity of local organizations to take actions for wetland conservation that will contribute to the effective reduction and management of disasters andhelp in implementing ecosystem-based climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. It takes a different route from theusual intervention that directly train people on actual DRR
measures by dealing instead with the more basic organizational
aspect. This refers to the organizational capacity to accessresources and how to manage them efficiently and effectively tocome up with the desired outcome which is a resilient andclimate change-proof environment.
The project selected 10 local organizations composed of fisherfolks, environmental groups, local media, and DRR-focused
NGO from areas vulnerable to disasters in the Marikina-Pasig
River and Laguna de Bay area. It has three components: (1)learning about wetlands and the ecosystem benefits derived
from them as well as the threats and ways to conserve them; (2)assess the readiness of local organizations to embark on
wetland conservation measures through a participatory capacity needs assessment and design and implementation ofmodules to improve their project management and resource
mobilization skills; and (3) implement wetland conservation
measures by proposing an activity (or a project) that will begiven seed fund by the SCPW.
The project employed innovative learning tools, resources,
methods and approaches that enabled these organizations toraise funds, build strong local partnerships, and have clear
action plan on how to reach their wetland conservation and
Eco-DRR (Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction) and EbA(Ecosystem-based Adaptation) related goals. The training sessions was delivered through lectures, mentoring sessions,sharing of experiences, practical application of learning experiences in real situations including a field visit to an example of abest practice activity. It employed a combination of in-housetraining sessions, in-office practicum sessions, cross-visits,
internships, and actual project implementation. The Modules
focused on organizational profiling and readiness, project
development and management, resource mobilization and sustainability, and communication and sharing of experiencesamong the participating organizations. The Modules include
helping them prepare proposals to access resources for wetland
conservation.
As an application of their learnings, the Project allocatedP20,000.00 (USD500) to fund an activity proposed by eachorganization. Among the projects proposed and implemented
by the beneficiary organizations are: the construction of rainwater harvesting facility and a greenhouse to ensure supply ofvegetable seedlings for distribution to communities especiallyafter occurrence of disasters; community-based early warning
system; production of gill nets to help mitigate the infestation ofknife fish in Laguna de Bay and processing the catch into products as additional livelihood; production of a Youth-oriented television show to be shown through a local cable channel, among
others. The activities implemented received counterpart funding
from the trainee-organizations that sometimes exceeded theseed fund provided by the SCPW. Additionally, these organizations are now able to access funds and other support fromvarious sources including from the Local Government Units,
Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tradeand Industry, among others. As a result of this initiative, thetrainee-organizations updated their registration documents, iebusiness permits; enhanced their vision, mission and integrated
wetland conservation and Eco-DRR and EbA in their strategic
and action plans, and were able to leverage funds from various
sources. More importantly, they were able to understand andappreciate the relationship between the integrity of wetlands
and the vulnerability of local communities to disasters andother impacts of climate change. This realization urges them to
do more to conserve their local wetlands.

Distribution and growth of Pectinatella magniſica (Leidy, 1851) in four large rivers, South Korea


Eui-Jeong Ko, Jeong-Soo Gim, Hyo-Gyeom Kim, Hyunbin Jo Pusan National University
Hyun-Woo Kim Sunchon National University
Gea-Jae Joo Sunchon National University

Internationally, distribution survey of Pectinatella magnifica(Leidy 1851) has increased sharply in the 21th century. This
species originated from North America but now is consideredinvasive species in Europe and Asia. P. magnifica is one of freshwater bryozoans that they are colonial sessile invertebrates andhave asexual dormant bud (=statoblast) that it can tolerate withharsh condition. In the summer of 2014, this species had an outbreak in the four large rivers of South Korea. We have studied 1)
the distribution of colonies in the nationwide four large rivers 2)
attachment characteristics of colonies and 3) the growth patterns from germination to initial growth. P. magnifia prefers
temperate climate region but is affected by monsoon season,
distribution surveys to find a colony were conducted in June
(before monsoon) and October (after monsoon). To find colonies, the littoral zone of each study site was examined up to 1 m
depth, along a 100m long riverside transect. The colony attachedsubstrates were divided into natural and artificial substrates todetermine the substrate preference of the colonies found in the
distribution survey. Two artificial substrata were installed withinseveral survey points where colonies were previously reported.
The number of statoblasts and colonies on the substrata wascounted weekly. Also, we observed changes in the size ofseveral of the colonies found. Our results showed the P. magnifica was distributed nationwide. In the entire survey, P. magnifica colonies were collected at total 24 sites in four large
rivers. At first, P. magnifica, which was found in stagnant water,
extended its distribution to the lotic water. In our survey, resultsof the distribution were different for each survey, but it was
repeatedly disappearing and rediscovering in the mainly discovered sites. Given the tributaries that connect the large rivers
and the area where they were initially discovered (i.e. dam,weir), it is possible to anticipate the prosperity of P. magnifica in
the large rivers as well as in the tributaries. Freshwater bryozoans are known that they do not show species specificity for substrates. 531 colonies were used to identify substrate preferencesin 4 large rivers.
Our results also showed that a large number of the colonies
tend to attach to aquatic plants. However, there were no significant differences between substrates. Statoblasts have been
observed continuously from our artificial substrata. Regardlessof the number of statoblasts accumulated, it is considered thatthe point where the formation of colonies was begun is likely tocontinuously increase the number of colonies through growthand diffusion around habitat. The smaller size of the colony, thegreater the likelihood of maintaining shape in the event of achange in rainfall or water velocity.
However, surviving colonies may continue their volumetric
growth despite changes in water bodies. Because this species
can form colonies longer than 1 m in length. In conclusion, ourstudy for P. magnifica is the first distribution survey that was
conducted nationwide in the South Korea. Also, it is comparable
because repeated surveys were conducted using the consistentmethod.
Poster Session II 87

Ramsar Biwa-Kids Ambassador Project

Shigekazu Ichiki*, Kana Hatta*, Ryo Onoue**, Daisuke Nakamura***, Yumiko Nomura****, Munetsugu Kawashima*****
ILEC, **Shiga Prefectural Government, ***Shibukawa Elementary School, ****Yuda Elementary School, *****Shiga University*

In Shiga Prefecture, there is Lake Biwa designated as Ramsar
Site. The Shiga Prefectural Government has hosted “Biwa Kids
Ambassador Project” (Biwakko Project), an environmental education program targeting children to support sustainable environmental conservation effort and to train younger generation
for the future of Lake Biwa since 2008. The International Lake
Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC) has been entrustedwith this project since 2015. Prof. M. Kawashima, Mr. D. Nakamura, Ms. Y. Nomura and other guest lecturers have been
engaged as educators of this project. Here, we make a presentation about what this program is and how it works.
In 2015, six students (10-12 year old) selected from the elementary schools in Shiga participated in this program as the
Ambassadors to learn about “lakes and their food culture”.The
highlight of the program was an international exchange activities in November held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in collaboration
with the universities and elementary schools. Before visiting
Thailand, the Biwa Kids learned about Lake Biwa, and its foodculture and traditional fishing methods.
They experienced a traditional fishing method in Lake Biwa,
and several cooking lessons using the lake’s endemic fish. But
by fishing with beach seine, they knew what they caught was
mostly invasive species such as large mouth bass.
One of the recipes they learned was how to prepare Funazushi,
a fermented sushi made with Funa fish, which tastes like blue
cheese. They enjoyed not only interesting taste of the food but
also discovered the importance of environmental conservationand the value of local food culture passed down through generations to generations in the Lake Biwa basins.
The Biwa Kids visited Chiang Mai, Thailand in November,2015. They participated in the exchange program themed on“lakes and their food culture” jointly organized with the local

elementary schools and universities. The six kids successfully
made presentations on what they had learned about theirhome-town lake, Biwa and its food culture. Another mission
they have proudly completed was to cook Japanese food using
ingredients purchased from the local market. They enjoyedtasting what they prepared (such as miso-soup, fish-flavored
rice, and tempura, etc.) and also discovering an exotic flavor of
the Thai food prepared by Thai children.
In 2016, the study theme was “to learn about rice farming,
irrigation and creatures around rice pads.” Newly selected six
Biwa Kids went to local rice fields to find various creatures in
the channels, and were dispatched to Bali, Indonesia, where the16th World Lake Conference was held. The kids attended the lectures on Balinese culture and Subak at the Udayana University,and then headed north to the Subak Sembung, one of the Subaksites, where they explored various aquatic creatures. They experienced a lot of memorable moment like an enthusiastic
welcome at the local elementary school and an impressive
opening ceremony of WLC17.
After their return to Japan, the Biwa Kids reported their yearlong activities to Vice-Governor of Shiga Prefecture, and to otherstudents at their schools. Through the precious experiences,
they have become more aware of the environmental issues.
The successful execution of the project made us convincedthat these kids would play important roles in conserving theenvironment of Lake Biwa in their future.
This November, newly selected ten Biwa Kids will study Lake
Biwa and attend the kids program which will be held in Araohigata, Ariake Sea just before the AWS.

About the effectiveness of simple questions during nature observation for
promoting development of self-expression

Nature Saga is a voluntary organization that nurtures a love of
nature through nature observation. The primary members of
Nature Saga are nature observation instructors certified by the
Nature Conservation Society of Japan (NACS-J). The activities
of NACS-J are science based, and Nature Saga is also trying, as
NACS-J liaison to Saga prefecture, to pursue a growth of scientific understanding. The members of Nature Saga have expertise in various kinds of fields which cover many types of naturalenvironment in Saga prefecture, and each member organizes
nature observations focusing on what he/she loves.
The wetlands in the middle area of Kasegawa (or Kase River)that runs from the north to the south of Saga city, and Tafusegawa (or Tafuse River), the tributary of Kasegawa are two of themost important focuses of Nature Saga’s observations. One
member has been holding nature observations with various citizens for about 12 years on the rice fields in the tributary around
Kasegawa and Tafusegawa. And Nature Saga also has over 12
years of experience observing the Tafusegawa Riparian Park.
In recent years, Nature Saga has organized observations forfamilies with small children, because we believe that environmental education is the key to our goal, which is nature conservation.
Nature Saga members, as nature observation instructors,
provide support to parents who carry their children, or pushthem in strollers so that they can participate in nature observations. Reducing the parents’ limitations is a very important stepwhen starting to get into nature.
Wetland of middle area of river is a great place to conduct
environmental education, because it is easy to access from residential areas of Saga city and it has a great diversity of natural
creatures. Giving parents and children the opportunity to meetsomething that truly inspires them during the observation is
88 Poster Session II

Hideharu Masuda, Masumi Kimoto

Nature Conservation Society of Japan (NACS-J) liaison to Saga prefecturevery important. The middle area of the river has various kinds ofplants, aquatic insects, fish and birds. So the possibility ofcoming across something they find interesting is high.
To make the experience special, we often give goals to thechildren on the tours such as “find your favorite creature” or“let’s discuss what you see at the end.” Asking simple questions
at the beginning of the tour is important. Small children who
have just started speaking two-to-three word sentences cananswer if the goals are simple enough. At the end of the tour we
ask the group what they liked, and the small children, while
nervous in front of the group, often manage to answer. Parents
get to witness their child’s ability to communicate grow, as thechildren develop their expressiveness. This makes it an important memory for everyone.
Not a few young parents who participate in our nature observation did not have experiences in the nature when they wereyounger. They grew up in a time of economic growth, where testscores and exams were the most important. Japanese society
has been preoccupied with those values for a while. But in recent
years, people have thought more about coexisting with nature.
Additionally, we are starting to realize that healthy brain development makes us smarter individuals than test scores.
A simple question and answer session during nature observation is incredibly valuable to the development of a child’s
brain. We believe that nature observation will increase the effectiveness of environmental education as a whole.

The Role and Process of Wetlands Education through Environmental Educationand ESD in Japan

Kantaro Tabiraki

United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the educational meaning of a place of a wetland and to obtain proposals
for the improvement of Wetlands Education in Japan. Althoughmany educational programs for water sites, including rice fields,
rivers, wetlands, and oceans exist individually, little study has
been done to construct a systemization of education aboutwater in a general framework. Therefore, it is important to createsuch educational programs to develop human resources for theeffective conservation of wetlands; this viewpoint is discussed
using a case study of the Reintroduction of the Oriental White
Stork in Toyooka, Hyogo prefecture. Toyooka has tried to provide
CEPA and an opportunity for Environmental Education and ESD.
It should be effective to focus on the educational programs in
the area that requires conservation of wetlands in a wide area atthe beginning, so it is necessary to conduct a fundamental
research on the role and process of Wetlands Education. Furthermore, by seeing these educational programs as a fundamental practical model of ESD, I would like to reevaluate
cultures and skills related to a wetland and to rethink the way ofintersection between School Education and Social Education as
a comprehensive Citizen Education.
In this study, the kinds of CEPA required by the Ramsar convention’s programme, along with the role and process of Wetlands Education, are examined through a case study of the“Lower Maruyama River and the surrounding rice paddies”
Ramsar Site in Toyooka. Furthermore, the study focuses on two
issues, “cooperation” and “responsiveness,” from an analyticalperspective concerning Environmental Education and ESD. At
present, the problem is that the sport park will be moved for its
development under a flood control project for the Ramsar Site
in Toyooka. The land- use planning problem must be reviewed at

this time and throughout development or conservation fromthree perspectives: 1) the process for seeking a possible site fora sport park is inappropriate, 2) the sense of “Community Development through the Reintroduction of the Oriental White Stork”
is played down, and 3) the need for CEPA in consideration of the
problem is emphasized repeatedly. In other words, it is necessary for possible target groups and stakeholders concernedwith wetlands to adopt a way of learning through experienceand sense as part of the story of the conservation of wetlands.
The second to be noticed is that a harmonious coexistence
between human and nature. Unfortunately, it has become anissue that one stork released by Toyooka were accidentallyshoot by a hunter. In this respect, hunters would be needed an
educational program with a focus on CEPA such as a trans-disciplinary approach which is not only shooting skill but also
some ESD components. It is sad thing of the shooting of thestork. But also, a hunting as a management for wildlife is evenmore important after people have killed the natural predators of
the species hunted. This killing is often because of fear or
because the predators kill farmer's animals. Considering withthe restrictions on firearms and hunting in Japan and somecountries which storks fly around, ESD, including a hunter education would be very beneficial to help preserve and help withthe reintroduction of various animal species.
A further study of how Wetlands Education play a role of wildlife conservation should be conducted. The study also aims todevelop learning material using active learning toward all
people, including the hunter. Based on the above, it attempts tofind educational ways as Wetlands Education to impart culture
and history to future generations in a sustainable manner rather
than dredging up a problem in Toyooka.

How can a senior high school biology teacher contribute to CEPA activities at the Arao Tideland.


Currently, I am a teacher of biology at Kumamoto Prefectural
Senior High School. This high school is also close to the Araotideland, which was registered a wetland of the Ramsar Convention on July 3, 2012. It is on the east side of the central partof the Ariake Sea.
What I can contribute as a CEPA activity in this Arao tideland
is to let many people know about the tiny living creatures in the
tidal flats and the importance of tideland ecosystem diversity.
First of all, as a biology teacher at a senior high school, I
suppose that the activities with our high school students themselves are CEPA activities.
The school name was Kumamoto Prefectural Arao HighSchool in 2012. I started scientific research on Benthos of the
Arao tideland as a subject of “task research” which the scienceand mathematics class will take for 2 years. From the beginning, I received a lot of support from the people related to WIJ
and the secretariat. The theme of the research was as follows. In
the classes from 2012 to 2013, “Research on the Arao tidal flat”.
In the class from 2013 to 2014, “Think about Arao tidal flamefrom the crab's mouth.” Classes from 2014 to 2015 are “Benthosof Arao tidal – Livelihood separation, coexistence, symbiosis –”.
This research won the best award in the west Japan, Shikoku,
and Kyushu district, high school science and mathematics department, issue presentation announcement meeting. In addition, we
presented a poster titled “Growth and burrows of Japanese mud
shrimp (Upogebia major) in the Arao tidal flat” at an annual conference of the Japan Association of Benthology in 2016.
Today, the Taishi senior high school science club is studying
the relationship between temperature and benthos in the Araotideland. In addition, we are doing activities that arouse interestand teach the importance of wetlands to those who do not know
about the Arao tidal flats. Our students joined some activities as

Kazuya Nakayama

The Arao tidal flat conservation wisdom utilization consultation meetingvolunteer staff so that many children could enjoy contact with
the Arao tidal flats and benthos living there. I would like tosupport and raise this CEPA activity through Taishi senior highschool science club’s activities for several years until my retirement age.
Next, I’d like to contribute increasing opportunities to teachabout the tideland ecosystem diversity and the importance ofword-of-mouth communication.
I have been researching with senior high school students so
far and I was able to meet many people who participate in tidal
flats and wetland conservation activities. And I had the opportunity to work with the people of “the Arao tidal flat conservation· wisdom utilization consultation meeting”. For example, I joined
the activities to plan and manage the events at lecture and cultural centers, “participation in improving the Arao tidal flat as afishing ground”.
I’m engaged in activities to better understand the Arao tidal
flats by connecting children with young generations and large
people on many occasions. I would like to contribute to connecting the people who I got aquainted with, the stakeholdersof the Ariake Sea, by making use of the Waterfowl and Wetland
Center of the Arao tidal flat planned by the Ministry of the Environment and Arao City.
I believe that this can be done after retiring as a senior highschool biology teacher.

Poster Session II 89

Collaborative activities around the Hizen-Kashima Area:
MAE-UMI Citizens’ Association ActivitiesIn the past, the Ariake Sea was said to be a bountiful. However,
because of recent environmental problems, the number ofmarine organisms, and especially shellfish, has decreased drastically. There are various reasons for the environmental problems in the Ariake Sea such as the Isahaya Bay reclamation
project. The agents responsible for the decrease in the catchand other changes in the Ariake Sea are in agreement thatsomething needs to be done, but there are conflicting opinions
about the methods to be used. In particular, it has been difficult
to reach a consensus on the methods to deal with the Isahaya
Bay reclamation project problems. Further, people who do notdepend upon the fishing industry for their livelihood havebecome less interested in visiting the Ariake Sea, with interestin the ocean continuing to wane. Under such circumstances, an“Ariake Sea regeneration policy” based on the understanding of
the coastal region in the Ariake Sea has not yet been developed.
To deal with these issues, for six months from November
2013, preparations were made for a meeting to seek the cooperation of local citizens, with a citizens' association named the
MAE-UMI Citizens Association finally being established in April
2014. MAE-UMI members are made up of groups engaged inregional promotion, fishery companies, faculty members, lawmakers, and other citizens. The main activities of this group are
to hold monthly meetings and hold events related to the Ariake
Sea in cooperation with other groups in the area. At the monthly
meetings, information such as activity reports, forecasts forvarious organizations, and Ariake Sea status reports are presented and discussed. In addition, members of the Association
introduce relevant topics on the Ariake Sea; for example, in
2015, the reasons for the high nori cultivation in the Kashima
waters were discussed. Since 2015, biological observation

Yasuhiro Nakamura, Sakuji Higuchi, Naoki Fujii
MAE-UMI Citizens’ Association

meetings have been conducted through walking tours of the
Ariake Sea coastline.
Externally, in 2015 and 2016, an event titled “Enjoy! Ariake
Sea” was also held, in which science corners were set up for
adults and children, and exhibitions related to the Ariake Sea
were held such as the promotion of Kabayaki; a dish made bybroiling mudskippers in a thick sweet sauce; and a bus excursion titled “Let's go around the Ariake Sea!.” The event was heldat Michi-no-eki “Kashima” (roadside Station) and attracted
many people. In 2015, farmers in Saga Prefecture told stories ofnori- seaweed and in Yanagawa City, participants were invited toan event called “ARIAKE- MON” where they could try dishes
made from Ariake Sea products. In 2016, a tour around the
Ariake Sea coastal area by bus was arranged, on which lectures
were given that included: a tour of the Arao tideland, one of theRamsar registered wetlands; a tour of the Ariake Sea on the
Ariake Ferry; a lecture on Unzen mountain; and a lecture by the
temple priesthood in Ooura. It was hoped that these activities
would increase the public interest in the Ariake Sea; however,as there are few members, we would like to broaden the scopeof the activities.

From a bird to a policy: a brief history of wetland conservation in southern Taiwan

In Taiwan, the earliest record of pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) was made by British naturalist Robert
Swinhoe in 1865, nearby the Lotus Pond in Zuoying, KaohsiungCity. To 1970s, water caltrop (Trapa natans) fields, pheasanttailed jacana preferring habitat and breeding environment, distributed over Lotus Pond. However, because of the urban
development and constructions, pheasant-tailed jacana in Kaohsiung disappeared more than 30 years afterwards. In 1989,
according to Wildlife Conservation Act, pheasant-tailed jacana
was announced and classified as “rare and valuable species (II)”in Taiwan.
In 2001, a birdwatcher found a pheasant-tailed jacana on theeastern side of the Lotus Pond. This discovery caused theconcern of conservationists, and then the non- governmentalorganization “Wetlands Taiwan” recommend the Kaohsiung city
government to executive the “Pheasant-tailed jacana returnhome plan” to restore the Jhouzai wetlands. Few years later,
furthermore, Wetlands Taiwan and Kaohsiung city government
made a great effort to conserve Yuanjhong wetland, the 30 hectares coastal area belonging to Ministry of National Defense.
After many years of cooperation between non-governmentorganizations and public sector, Jhouzai and Yuanjhong wetlands became the most important bases for habitat and breeding of pheasant-tailed jacana in Kaohsiung City. Under the joint
initiative of the Wetlands Taiwan and other NGOs, the Kaohsiung City Government has been making the “Kaohsiung Wetland
Eco-Corridor” policy since 2003, constructing and connecting
21 wetlands continuously, and has now become the very important achievements of Kaohsiung City Government by constructing sustainable environment.
In 1990s, private enterprises applied to the government todevelop the Binnan Industrial Park in the Qigu district of Tainan
90 Poster Session II

Cheng Chung-chieh
Wetlands Taiwan

City, much possible to make serious environmental pollution,
not only to affect the livelihood of fishermen, but also to destroy
the one of world's most important wintering habitat of blackfaced spoonbill (Platalea Minor). Fortunately, it has been
declared termination finally under the strong protest an campaign by the NGOs and residents, and especially the joint andassistant of international NGOs (ex. SAVE International, BirdLife
International) and conservationists (ex. Dr. Jane Goodall). In
2002, this area was designated black-faced spoonbill conservation zone. In 2009, Taiwan's eight national park- Taijiang National
Park was set up, and it’s Taiwan's first national park that take thewetlands as the main conservation focuses. In view of the diversity of the wetland environment in the coastal areas of Yunlin,
Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung in southwestern Taiwan, the scholars and conservationists have further promoted the conservation of the southwest coastal wetland eco-corridors in Taiwan.
More than ten years of grand achievement of wetland conservation in Taiwan, nevertheless there are still many wetlands
facing the critical threat of development and destruction. In
2007, the central government began to executive the policy of“Taiwan’s Wetlands of Importance”, selecting, surveying, andclassifying 75 important wetlands (82 sites after 2011). February
2 (World Wetlands Day), 2015, Taiwan officially implemented the“Wetland Conservation Act”, declared Taiwan's wetland conservation to a new milestone.
From the non-government organization viewpoint, this reportbase on some cases of wetlands conserved and restored by
Wetlands Taiwan, especially on Qigu, Sicao, Jhouzai, and Yuanjhong wetlands, and briefly show how Taiwan has move forwardfrom a bird habitat(individual wetland) conservation and restoration to a local government's environmental policy, finallycompleted the wetland conservation law.

The massive noxious golden apple snail pomacea canaliculata populations were wiped during rainyseason; A case study on chenderoh reservoir, Perak, Malaysia
Siti Norasikin Ismail, Nurul Izzati Abdul Wahab, Muzzalifah Abd Hamid, Mashhor Mansor

Approximately twelve years ago, massive noxious golden
apple snail Pomacea canaliculata populations invaded 2500ha
of Chenderoh Reservoir. Chenderoh Reservoir is the oldest
man-made lake in Peninsular Malaysia. Chenderoh Reservoir
was built for the purpose of hydro-electric power generation.
The dam was commissioned in 1930 across the Perak River. The
noxious populations of P. canaliculata were originally recorded
from the adjoining rice field areas. Consequently, the rice fields
were abandoned due to the low production and non-profitable
harvest after three to five years of establishment. Eventually,
the population of P. canaliculata were spread into the Chenderoh Reservoir.The dispersal of these populations had brought
concerns towards the lake environment. Based on previous
study, a high distribution of golden apple snail population in
freshwater ecosystem may cause a serious loss of the aquaticplants. The infestation also has reduced the number of native
Asian freshwater snails species especially Pila due to the interspecific competition to get the available food resources. Evidently, each female individual was observed to lay approximately
500 eggs in one egg mass. Although the eggs were immersed in
the water, however the percentages of the eggs to hatch areabout 60%. In addition, the egg masses were recorded to attachon floating weeds such as Eichhornia crassipes, particularly on
the stems and leaves of aquatic plants with 43% occurrence.
Besides, P. canaliculata was found to lay eggs on other hard
medium such as boats, rocks, fish cages and emerged bamboo
pile with 14% occurrence.
Apparently, Phragmites australis or common reed from
Poaceae family was the most preferred plant (41%) for egg depositions whereas the least preferred plant for egg depositions
was Neptunia oleracea (3%) from Fabaceae family. Moreover,

School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia
the snail populations were also attached to Pandanus helicopus
populations which could be found along the lake’s shore. Nevertheless, the recent big flood during the rainy season from February to April 2017 had wiped out the whole populations ofgolden apple snail in the lake ecosystem. There was no egg depositions observed at 15 points of sampling sites throughout thelake area and subsequently the adult individuals were alsoabsent. During the rainy season, the flow of water is faster compared to dry season. Therefore, it wiped out the eggs and individuals of golden apple snails. The attached plants were also
damaged by the hard water current and thus the chance for thesnail populations to survive is low. In addition to high waterlevels, the slosh of surface water against the emergent vegetation has resulted in the massive destruction of golden apple
snail populations in Chenderoh Reservoir. Apparently, the findings from this study showed that those three environmental
variables are responsible in controlling the golden apple snail
populations. Thus, the management of lake water level by
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is crucial to eradicate the resurgence of this noxious population. As the invasive P. canaliculata
is considered to be in the top 100 of the “World Most Invasive
Alien Species”, therefore, the behavioural studies and ecologicalassessment are needed in order to control and reduce the economic loss especially in the agriculture sector and subsequently
for a healthier lake environment.

Habitat use of Siberian warbler species at a stopover site in Far East RussiaIn general, passerine migrants seem to use a wider range of
habitats at stopovers compared to the breeding season, behaving as generalists in terms of habitat selection. Knowledge on
the habitat use of Siberian songbird species during migration isvery limited, while their preferences during the breeding period
and from their wintering sites are known better. This is also
caused by lacking information regarding their migration routes,
and in contrast to the situation in Europe, there are just a few
ringing stations in East Asia, where it could be examined.
The goal of our study was to examine the habitat use of warblers (Thick-billed Warbler Iduna aedon, Black-browed Reed
Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps, Pallas’s Grasshopper
Warbler Locustella certhiola, Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus, Dusky Warbler Ph. fuscatus, Radde’s Warbler
Ph. schwarzi, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Ph. proregulus) on an autumn
migratory stopover site in Far East Russia. For this we haveringed 3776 individuals of seven species between 2011 and 2014
on the fall migration periods within the Amur Bird Project at
Muraviovka Park. The variety of vegetation of Park area provides
an opportunity to examine habitat use of migratory species. The
birds were trapped with mistnets, which were placed in different habitat types: homogeneous reedbeds, sedges and grassy
swamps interspersed with willows and raspberries, richshrub-layered mixed forest, very dense scrub and stubble. We
also studied the effect of the vegetation height for species-specific habitat use. For further analyses species were separated in
two groups (Group 1: “reed warblers”, Group 2: “leaf warblers”).
Additionally, we compared the observed habitat use in ourstudy site with the breeding habitat types based on literature. In
the study we also want to reveal the importance of the wetland
habitats in East Asia.

László Bozó South-Békés Nature Conservation and Birdlife Associatio
Wieland Heim Münster University, Institute of Landscape Ecology
Tibor Csörgő Department of Anatomy, Cell- and Developmental Biology

The number of Thick-billed Warbler, Black-browed Reed
Warbler, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler and Dusky Warbler correlates positively with vegetation height, while Yellow-browed
Warblers and Pallas’s Leaf Warbler use mostly the woods.
Radde’s Warbler occurs in bigger number in the bushes, while
the Dusky Warbler uses both bush types as well as grass andsedges. The Black-browed Reed Warbler occurs almost exclusively in wetland habitats. The Thick-billed Warbler preferredboth homogenous reedbeds, grass and sedges swamps habitats, but regularly occurs in the bush types as well. No strong
habitat preference was founded for Pallas’s Grasshopper
Warbler, but most birds were mistnetted in reedbeds and grassand sedges swamps.
This results highlight the importance of the protection of awide variety of habitats. Each species use a special habitat bothon migration and breeding, which most likely caused by differences in foraging methods and preferred foods. Three out of the
7 species regarding to the wetlands on migration as well, andunfortunately the wetlands are one of the most endangered
habitats of East Asia.
If the number of these habitats (reedbeds, marshes, otherwetlands) will decrease drastically in future, the population ofthese species might decrease as well. Similar measures would
be need on the complete migration route for the protection ofthese species and habitats.

Poster Session II 91

Faunal inventory in the mangrove areas of the three islands of camotes, Central Philippines

Serapion N. Tanduyan Cebu Technological University / Ponciano C. Bontia CTU-Main Campus
Rosalyn Pascual-Opiniano CTU- Argao Campus, Cebu City / Rachel Luz Vivas-Rica CTU-Main Campus
Ricardo B. Gonzaga, Virginia D. Bensig Cebu Technological University / Hemres M. Alburo CTU- Argao Campus, Cebu City

Camotes Islands have 717 hectares of mangroves areas.
Because of its great use to humans, these are exploited by thefisher folks.The importance of mangroves can not be overemphasized.This is the home and nursery grounds for some commercially important species of animals and plants.This
ecosystem is under stress due to some natural and anthropogenic activities.Hence thisaffectsthe animals living in this ecosystem.
The inventory of fauna in the mangroves and mangrovescommunities of Camotes Islands was studied. This isthe Phase 2
ofthe programentitled “Inventoryof Mangroves and Mangrove
Communities in the Three Islands of Camotes”.
There were eight mangrove areas where the study was conducted. Area 1 is Timarong, Poro, Cebu; Area 2 is Teguis, Poro,Cebu; Area 3 is Unidos; Area 4 is Mc Arthur, Tudela, Cebu; Area
5 is Villahermosa, Tudela, Cebu; Area 6 is Puertobello, Tudela,
Cebu; Area 7 is Upper Poblacion, Pilar, Cebu and Area 8 Lower
Poblacion, Pilar, Cebu. Based ontheresultsofthestudy, mangrove ecosystem of Camotes Islands has 35 families, 34 are
identified and 1 family is unidentified. They are Acanthurridae,
Apoganidae, Atheridae, Balistidae, Bothidae, Carangidae, Centriscidae, Clupidae, Gerreidae, Gobiidae, Hemiramphidae,
Labridae, Leognathidae, Lethrinidae, Lutjanidae, Mugilidae,
Mullidae, Muranidae, Monocanthidae, Nemipteridae, Ophicephalidae, Ophchtidae, Percophidae, Platycephalidae, Plotosidae, Pomacentridae, Scatophagidae, Scorpaenidae, Serranidae,
Siganidae, Sphyraenidae, Syngnatidae, Terapontidae, Tetraodontidae, Unidentified spp. Furthermore it has 61 genus and 74
species.
For the invertebrates, it shows that there are 19 families
namely: Alpheidae, Arcidae, Gastropoda, Penaeidae, Strombi-

dae, Portunidae, Palinuridae, Portenopidae, Sepiolidae, Volutidae, Holothuroidae, Scyhozoa, Stomatopoda, Xanthidae,
Octopedidae, Diogenidae,Thallasinidae, Ostreidae, and Cypraeidae. It has 19 genus and 25families.
Based onthefrequencyof species occurred in 8 mangrove
areas oftheislands of Camotes by family, it shows that Area 2ranks first followed by Area 3; Area 6 as third; fourth is Area 5;
fifth is area 1; sixth are Areas 7 and 8 and the last is Area 4 of Mc
Arthur,Tudela. Fortheinvertebrates, Area 2 ranks first followedby
Area 3; third are areas 1, 5, and 6; fourth is Area 4; fifth is Area 8
and thelowest is Area 7.
For the dominant species of fish common to all areas, it was
found out that Athrerinomorousogilbyiranks first followedby
Siganuscanaliculatusand Sphyraena barracudaasthird, thenArrhampus scleropsis asfourth; Halichoeres argus and Lethrinusatkinsonias fifth; Mugilcephalusand GerresfilamentosusassixthandArgus synancejaasseventh.
For the invertebrates Charybdishawiiensisranks first followedby Metapenaerepsissp. as second; Portunus pelagicus
and Sepioteuthis essoniana as third; Octopus macropus asfourth and the fifth is Strombusmutabilis.

Conservation and Management of Himalayan High Altitude Wetlands in India

Himalayan high altitude wetlands are crucial for biodiversity
and sustainable economic growth not only locally but also at
the river basin and regional levels. In addition they regulate
micro-climates and have immense livelihood, cultural andspiritual significance for the communities living amongst them.
High altitude wetlands, which include lakes, marshes, seeps,
peat bogs, in the Indian Himalayas have several characteristics
that make them unique in terms of their biodiversity value. The
plants and animals that occur in and around them are often
endemic and highly adapted to their locations.
These wetlands also play an absolutely essential role in thehydrological regime of some of the world's largest and mostimportant rivers: namely the Indus and Ganges.
The vegetation in the region is sparse and productivity peaks
only in short summer season. This harsh environment is thus
home to highly adaptable flora and fauna. Several species ofmammals are found in the region, like the Blue Sheep (Pseudois
nayaur), Urial (Ovis orientalis vignii), Tibetan Argali (Ovisammon hodgsoni), Tibetan Wild Ass (Equus kiang king), Himalayan Marmot (Marmota himalayana), Red Fox (Vulpes vulres),Tibetan Gazelle (Procarpa picticaudata), Snow Leopard (Uncia
uncia), Lynx (Lynx isabellina), Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus laniger),
Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus chanko), Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni), and Wild Yak (Bos grunniens).
Indian high Himalayan region dotted with some of the World’s
most unique and spectacular wetlands, also holds the distinction of being the known breeding ground of many species of
migratory birds. Several species of birds use these wetlands as
their breeding grounds, such as Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis, Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), Brown-headed Gull
(Larus brunicephalus), Great-crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), Lesser Sand Plover
92 Poster Session II

Pankaj Chandan
WWF-India(Charadrius mongolus). These wetlands also have profoundsocial, economic and cultural values at the local level where
many wetlands in particular are considered sacred both locallyand nationally.
Unplanned developmental activities and unregulated tourism
activities in some areas of Indian Himalayas are a direct threat
to the unique high altitude wetlands of the region. An important
indirect threat to these wetlands is by the disturbance and degradation of natural habitat due to overgrazing of pasturelands
by ever-growing livestock population. Despite their importance,
Himalayan high altitude wetlands are under increasing threats
from climate change, tourism and unsustainable exploitation
not only of the wetlands themselves but also of the catchments
draining into them. And there is a risk that these threats could
lead to negative knock-on effects right down the rivers systems
that they supply. By way of response, WWF – India’s more thana decades programme of technical and social interventions atthese high altitude wetlands have helped to raise awareness;
strengthened and empowered wetland communities; developed sustainable wetland management plans; assisted with
policy and regulatory framework formulation and facilitated theconservation and wise use effort - all based on good science.
The present paper presents a overview of current status ofhigh altitude wetlands in India mainly in the Indian states of
Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim andArunachal Pradesh. The paper also presents an overview of conservation initiative that WWF–India has taken to conserve theseunique ecosystems. In this conservation initiative, Local Communities, Indian Armed Forces, Different Government Departments, Local Educational Institutions and Tour Operators aremajor partners.

Post-Project Appraisal of Urban Wetland Restoration:
A Case of Mangrove Restoration Project in Jhongdou Wetlands Park, Kaohsiung

Through an urban renewal process Jhongdou Wetlands Parkwas restored from an abandoned plywood factory capped withlandfill to an eco-park. The park was designed to function as a
key patch of an ecological corridor and it combines multiple
functions including landscaping, recreation, environmental
education, flooding detention and habitat restoration. The core
strategy is to create an urban habitat by restoring six native
mangrove species of Taiwan in the park, including Lumnitzera
racemosa (mangrove), Avicennia marina (black mangrove),
Kandelia obovate (mangrove), Rhizophora stylosa (mangrove),
Ceriops tagal (mangrove) and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (mangrove). The latter two species have been extirpated from Taiwan
in the past several decades due to habitat loss.
This research performed Post-Project Appraisal method todetermine if the original ecotone planting design of mangroves
was successful in assigning the correct species to the correctelevation and, therefore, assuring optimum survival, distribution, and growth. A survey of the restored mangroves to map
the distribution of those planted mangrove saplings survived
was conducted.
Mangrove species, growth status, and abundance wererecorded. Water quality at nine selected locations in the park
was measured. The data was analyzed to determine how water
quality influenced each species of mangroves. The results ofmangrove distribution survey indicate that planted saplings of
L. racemosa had the greatest range of elevation distribution
and grew under the largest range of water quality parameters.
A.marina had the second most widely distribution and tolerance to water quality variation. Both of the two species grewwell, but, interestingly, their dominant distribution varied fromthe original design. Water quality data indicates the high salinity
may have decreased the distribution and growth of some of theplanted mangrove species. It is likely that the mangroves survived were merely doing so on the upper limit of their salinity
range. Lower salinity in rainy season may pose less stress to the

Po-Hsiu Kuo, Hsiao-Wen Wang

Institute of Ocean Technology and Marine Affairs, National Cheng Kung University
mangrove saplings allowing certain saplings to not only adapt
to the changes in salinity but also to tolerate future increased
stress. By performing Post-Project Appraisal to review the
project goals, two major lessons were learned: (1) It is critical tohave clearly stated project objectives with specific success criteria. The concept of Adaptive Management and communication
with stakeholders is needed when setting these objectives. Furthermore, the project objectives should be continually re- evaluated throughout the entire restoration project. If the designerof the original project had collaborated more effectively withother key players and used applied scientific hydrology/ ecology
monitoring information to create specified success criteria toreach the goal of ‘optimal conditions for mangrove growth’, andnot just followed the original objective to ‘enhance nature andbuild landscape’, then the alternative fresh water resources tomitigate the high salinity or low dissolved oxygen caused by
misjudging the quality and quantity of the water resource canbe obtained. (2) There is a need for park designers to accountfor river restoration schemes in terms of geomorphic compatibility, watershed hydrology and sediment transport processes.
If a designer can incorporate with specialists that deal with restoration schemes, including across disciplines of hydrology,
geomorphology, and ecology, the success of mangrove restoration may be more effective. To ensure effective and sustainablegrowth of mangrove species in the future, it is important to use
management techniques adapting the dynamic changes within
the restoration project. To achieve the goals making mangroves
not only survive but to also thrive, managers should monitorchanges within a restoration ecosystem and take action to
respond to the changes within the watershed and between theecosystems. By doing so, we may have been able to ensure theenvironmental connection of the Park as a sustainable steppingstone of the Kaohsiung Wetlands ecological corridor.

Landscape design and the evaluation of the artiſicial wetland at
the Nishinotani dry dam reservoir in Kagoshima, JapanThe Shinkawa River is a second-class river that flows throughthe city of Kagoshima and into Kinko Bay. It frequently flooded
the center of Kagoshima. Kagoshima Prefecture built the Nishinotani Dam upstream on the Shinkawa River to prevent flood
damage. The catchment area of the dam is small, and it was
built as a dry dam, which requires no operation. A dry dam
stores water only during floods. Nishinotani Dam’s measurements are a 21.5m bank height, a 135.8m length of bank top, a
6.8km2 catchment area, a 0.13km2 flooding area, and 793,000m3
total water storage capacity. Floods expand from the downstream end of the reservoir. The flooded area differs dependingon the size of the flood. Due to erosion and the accumulation ofearth and sand inside the reservoir, there is a possibility thatfields with different spatial environmental conditions may beformed.Kumamoto University, Kyushu University, andKagoshima Prefecture jointly designed wetlands at the Nishinotani dam reservoir. In the reservoir, we planned five ponds,
some waterways, and terraced paddy-field-shaped wetlands.
The wetlands were formed in conjunction with the excavationof the reservoir to ensure reservoir capacity. The major diameterof the pond is about 30 – 55 m, the depth of the pond is about
0.2 – 0.7m, and the gland levels are set for a frequency of floodsof once a year to once every five years.The ponds were designed
to have different conditions such as different water qualities,
amounts of organisms, and degrees of turbulence caused byrunning water and earth and sand.
There is some created wetland by a dry dam in Austria, but its

Tomoko Minagawa, Atsushi Tanabe Kumamoto University
Yukihiro Shimatani Kyushu University

scale is small.
Nishinotani Dam hosts the first artificial large-scale wetlandsin the world. In addition to preserving biodiversity, these wetlands promote the water purification function of wet plants.
Additionally, in creating wetlands, we aimed to suppress thetransition of vegetation and to maintain long-term storage
capacity.From the beginning of the dam plan, we spoke a great
deal with local residents and made our plans reflecting theopinions of residents even in the development of the dam environment. In the workshop, residents and participants from
Kagoshima prefecture, Kumamoto University, and Kyushu University exchanged information on the previous scenery, livelihood, river shape, natural environment, and life forms of the
Nishinotani area. We extracted directions for maintenance andimportant elements that should be carefully considered. Design
was carried out based on this information. One year after thecompletion of the dam, there are places where riparian erosion
and accumulation of sediment can be seen, mainly in the areaof running water (the river), and the topography is graduallychanging. We recorded 35 aquatic insects, 9 of these are aquatic
Coleoptera fauna inhabiting lentic. The different community
structure in the wetlands of the midstream and downstream
portion that inflow the water of swamp and of the upstream that
inflow the river water.It is growing and becoming inhabited as awetland. It is functioning as a habitat for animals and plants,
and it will play a role in the conservation of endangered floodplain-dependent species and biodiversity.
Poster Session II 93

Practice of nature restoration in Sarobetsu Mire

Takio Sano, Akitaka Iwata, Boyo Ota, Tomoya Miyahara
Asia Air Survey

Located in the northern part of Hokkaido, the Sarobetsu Mireis one of Japan’s largest high moor. It was formed in the downstream area of the Sarobetsu River over a period of 4,000 to
5,000 years. Once covering a vast area of 14,600 hectares
stretching approximately 27km north to south and 8km east to
west, the wetland area decreased drastically as a result of large
development projects launched in the 1960s. The remaining
wetland became desiccated because of these land use changes
in surrounding areas. In order to restore the original state ofSarobetsu Mire, the Sarobetsu Nature Restoration Project isbeing implemented by the Ministry of the Environment. Various
efforts are being made under the project while imagining thestate of wetland vegetation when designated as a national parkin 1974.
A distinctive approach taken in Sarobetsu Mire is the conservation of wetland along the drainage channel. At an importantpart of the Sarobetsu Mire, excavation of the drainage channel
was begun in 1961 to prevent floods in the Sarobetsu River. The
removed soil was pumped out using a dredger and then laid on
the banks of the channel. Drainage ditches were also dug toremove the moisture from the excavated soil. As a result, thegroundwater flowed out to the drainage channel and caused
desiccation, thereby changing the vegetation along the channel
from high moor vegetation dominantly covered with sphagnum
and wild cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus), to Moliniopsis
japonica communities. Ochiai-numa Pond near the channel also
dried up.
In order to prevent the degradation of the remaining highmoor vegetation, efforts are being made to dam drainage
ditches to prevent the lowering of groundwater level in surrounding areas. This has been highly effective in Ochiai-numa
Pond; these operations will restore the water level and thereby

reduce the lowering of groundwater in a wider area. Observation after damming has confirmed the rise and stabilization of
the groundwater level around the pond and continues tomonitor the restore progress of high moor vegetation corresponding to this.
Another unique approach in Sarobetsu Mire is vegetation restoration at the peat mined site. Peat mining at Sarobetsu Mire
started around 1970 and spread over 150 hectares mainly in thehigh moor area during the following 30 years. The peat sucked
up by the dredger is pumped to the factory, and after the fiber
for use as a soil conditioner is filtered out, the remaining muddy
water is returned to the site of mining. Many fine humic substances contained in this muddy water, these became massed
together in the process of being returned to the site of mining
and formed a pasty floating island. This floating island thatcovers some mined sites has a property that the surface easily
flows when rain falls and it dries extremely if the fine weather
continues, because it is composed of fine humus. For thisreason the plants have not rooted for many years, and they
have been left as bare places.
There were several places where white beak-sedge roots
from the margin area to the bare ground of floating island. From
this observation, it was considered to encourage the rooting ofwhite beak-sedge first to advance the transition of vegetation.
Therefore, through the demonstration experiments thatcombine several types of mulching and ruffling, we have led themost effective method and expanded to the remaining peat
mined site left as bare field.
Nature restoration in the Sarobetsu Mire is still in progress,
and we are promoting the project adaptively while evaluating
the response of the natural environment.

Aster tripolium (sea aster) and greening of the sea wall in Tokyo BayNoboru Kuramoto, Rasuna Mishima, Hisako Okada Meiji University
Tim Gardiner Essex Nature Club

Aster tripolium L. is an endangered plant in Tokyo, whereas inEngland it is a keystone species of salt marshes. We havestudied A. tripolium in Tokyo Bay, Japan, since 2000, and in theRiver Thames and Thames Estuary, England, since 2015. In contrast to Tokyo Bay, which supports only several small populations of this plant, there are many large populations in theThames Estuary.
We initially studied the A. tripolium population in the mouthof the Tama River, south west of Tokyo Bay. All population in theTama River was extinct by vegetation succession until 2013. Mr.
Takashi Ueno wanted to conserve the population and requested
that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government managed the vegetation for A. tripolium. However, the population was not deemedworthy of conservation as there was another population in in
the Tokyo Metropolis at Kasai Rinkai Park.
We therefore subsequently studied the Kasai Rinkai Park population. There are two small local populations in Kasai Rinkai
Park and Kasai Kaihin Park. Kasai Rinkai Park is located along
the Kasai waterfront area of Tokyo Bay. This park, which opened
to the public in 1989, is relatively new, and is the largest park
within Tokyo’s 23 wards. Kasai Marine Park is located in front of
Kasai Rinkai Park and consist of two beaches and sea.
Tokyo birders (members of the Tokyo branch of the Wild Bird
Society of Japan) and citizens of Tokyo have been working toconvert Kasai Sanmai-Zu into a Ramsar convention wetland. In
2017, Ms. Yuriko Koike, the governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan
area announced that Kasai Kaihin Park will be made into a
Ramsar convention wetland.
The East Beach of Kasai Kaihin Park has been designated anenvironmental conservation zone. The A. tripolium population
here is growing on mud in the intertidal zone of the East Beach.
We have also been studying the micro-distribution of A. trip94 Poster Session II

olium on the seashore of Kasai Rinkai Park. A. tripolium wasfound growing in the mud on concrete blocks of the lowest floorof the sea wall flood defenses in Kasai Rinkai Park, which islocated in the intertidal zone. The width of the lowest floor is 980
cm and A. tripolium grows over ca. 750 cm from the sea edge.
We found that the distribution of A. tripolium is correlated withthe thickness of the mud on the concreate blocks.
A. tripolium grows only in mud that is over 3mm thick, anddoes not grow in freshly deposited mud. If there is mud on thesea wall in Kasai Rinkai Park, a larger population of A. tripolium
might grow there.
In 2015, we displayed a poster presentation on the noticeboard of Kasai Rinkai Park, and in 2016 arranged three activities
related to seashore vegetation observation.
Furthermore, in 2016, we made a proposal to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government that small projections should be installedin Kasai Rinkai Park to trap mud.
In contrast to the sea wall in Tokyo Bay, which is a hard wallconstructed entirely of concrete, the sea wall of the Thames
Estuary is a soft wall, the middle part of which is constructed ofmud. The port engineers state that the sea wall in Tokyo Bay
must be harder than that in the Thames Estuary as the wave
power in Tokyo Bay is greater than that in the Thames Estuary.
We intend to study the wave power Tokyo Bay and make the sea
wall green by facilitating the colonization of salt marsh plants.
We hope that the sea wall will be green from Kasai along theentirety of Tokyo Bay.

Temporal and spatial variability of macrobenthic fauna in the high intertidal mud flat of the Ariake Bay

Sakura Maesaki Graduate School of Agriculture, Saga University / Masumi Koriyama Organization for General Education, Saga University,
Atushi Nakamura, Takuya Ishibashi Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University

In Japan, the largest area of mudﬂats exists in Ariake Bay inwestern Kyushu, Japan. Higashiyoka- higata is located off theHigashiyoka shore in the Ariake Bay and is one of the biggest
tidal mud ﬂats in Japan. In order to examine the temporal andspatial variability of macrobenthic fauna and its habitat environment in Higashiyoka-higata of Saga City, we conducted ecological ﬁeld surveys throughout the year. We collected the dataon the distributions and population densities of macrobenthic
epifauna and infauna and the sediment environments every
month during June 2015 - December 2016. In the macrobenthic
epifauna investigation, ﬁve observation sites (S1-S5) werelocated on the Higashiyoka-higata. We counted the number ofbenthic organisms that live on top of the sediment at 10m, 30m,
and 60m away from shore of S1-S5 using laser range ﬁnder(Bushnell, Elite 1500). On the other hand, in the macrobenthic
infauna investigation, we sampled the sediments (25×25×15
cm3) at 10 m, 30 m, and 60 m from the shore along the survey
line near S2. Then, sediments samples were sieved with a 1 mmmesh sieve, and the number of individuals and the species ofmacrobenthic infauna were obtained.
There was a marked difference in the spatial distribution ofmacrobenthic epifauna at the survey sites in Higashiyoka-higata. That is, population densities of crustacean such as crabs
were low in the sediment environments (S1 and S2) with highorganic matter content (IL = 18.07±0.41%) and reduced sediment condition (Eh =-31.42±14.20mV), and population densities
of ﬁshes such as Periophthalmus cantonensis and Boleophthalmus pectinirostris were high throughout the investigation
period. Sediment environments (S3-S5) with high individual
density of crustaceans were lower organic matter content (IL=16.90 ± 0.27%) and oxidized sediment condition (Eh=84.33 ±14.45mV) compared to that with low individual density of crustaceans. These results suggested that bioturbation of burrowing

crabs includes the diffusion of oxygen through burrow walls
into anaerobic muddy sediments and its concomitant enhancement of in situ microbial decomposition. The high crab densities
area corresponded roughly to the distribution of naturalized
Shichimenso that is an annual Chenopodiacease plant and a
halophyte which can endure salt.
The temporal variation of macrobenthic infauna biomass
showed a clear seasonal pattern. That is, macrobenthic infaunabiomass tended to increase in summer and to decrease in
winter. And, there were signiﬁcant differences in macrobenthic
infauna biomass between the sampling point of 10 m and theother sampling points (ANOVA, P<0.05). The macrobenthic
infauna biomass in the sampling point of 10m and other sampling points raged from 1.67 to 44.67 inds / 25×25×15 cm3 and5.67 to 167.33 inds / 25×25×15 cm3, respectively. The compositions of macrobenthic infauna among sampling points were different. At the sampling point of 10m from the shore, theproportions of mollusca (Bivalvia and Gastropoda) and annelida Polychaeta were 31 %, 31 %, and 34 %, respectively. On theother hand,at the sampling point of 60 m from the shore, theproportions of mollusca Bivalvia and annelida Polychaeta were
34 % and 52%, respectively. Species diversity of and evenness
macrobenthic infauna were calculated by Shannon-Wiener
index (H’) and Pielou’s evenness index (J’), respectively. As
results, average values of H’ and J’ ranged from 1.20 to 1.43, andfrom 0.58 to 0.61, respectively. There were no signiﬁcant differences in the diversity and the evenness of species among sampling points (ANOVA, P>0.05). The previous research reported
that H’ ranged from 1.09 to 1.59 in the middle and low intertidal
area of Higashiyoka-higata. Thus, we found that there was no
signiﬁcant difference in the species diversity of macrobenthic
infauna in the whole intertidal zone of Higashiyoka-higata.

Evaluation of burrowing pattern and burrow structures of crabs
in the muddy tidal flat of the Ariake Bay

Takuya Ishibashi Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University / Masumi Koriyama Organization for General Education, Saga University
Sakura Maesaki Graduate School of Agriculture, Saga University
Maho Yamaguchi, Atushi Nakamura, Haruka Ueki Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University

Macrobenthos are common in tidal ﬂat and play an importantrole in puriﬁcation functions. Organic matter decomposition in
sediments may be mediated by the activity of macrobenthos.
They can affect sediments chemistry by bioturbation such as
burrow activity, tube-building, ingestion, defecation, respiration, and mucus secretion. The process of bioturbation, associated with the burrowing and feeding activities of infaunalmacrobenthos, is one of the most important ways in whichbenthic macrofauna modify the physical, chemical, and biological properties of sediments. Fiddler crabs are often the dominant macrobenthic species and one of the principal agents ofbioturbation in intertidal muddy sediments. Therefore, theinﬂuence of crab bioturbation on material cycle in intertidal ﬂat
caused by their activities cannot be ignored. The objective of
this study is to evaluation of burrowing pattern and burrow
structures of crabs in the muddy tidal flat of the Ariake Bay.
In order to investigate the temporal variation of burrow
number of crabs, photo-quadrat (50×50cm2) of tidal ﬂat surface
were taken at intervals of 30 minutes using ﬁxing time-lapse
camera (Brinno, BCC100), and burrow numbers in quadrat werecounted. Next, we investigated crab burrows to elucidate its
burrow structure. Burrow casts were obtained using polyester
resin (PC-747S, Kyusyu Toryo Co.,Ltd.). Liquid resin was poured
in several burrows. After several hours, resin casts were pulled
out and recovered. In the laboratory, burrow’s depth, length,
and surface area that covered aluminum foil with resin casts
were calculated by Image J. Volume was detected water volume
spilled out from container into resin casts.
A total of 46 burrow casts were obtained, whichUca arcuata
and Cleistostoma dilatatum burrow casts were 28 and 18,
respectively. Structurally, the burrows consisted of J shape type
and I shape type. In the case of Cleistostoma dilatatum, 65.4%
of burrows were J type and 26.9% of burrows were I type. On

the other hand, J type and I type of Uca arcuata burrows were50.9% and 42.4%, respectively. The Uca arcuata and Cleistostoma dilatatum burrows depth ranged from 3.4 to 18.3cm(7.2±7.0cm) and from 3.3 to 14.4cm (7.9±9.2cm), respectively. The
relationship between carapace width and various burrow
parameters was found. That is, depth and surface area andvolume of burrow tended to increase exponentially with carapace width. Formulas to estimate burrow parameters from carapace width (CW,mm) as follow: in the case of Cleistostoma
dilatatum, (1)depth (mm)=20.093CW0.5251, R2=0.26; (2) surface
area (mm2) =764.64CW0.5841,R2=0.30; (3) volume (mm3)=4673.8
CW0.4845, R2=0.19; in the case of Uca arcuata, (4) depth (mm)=13.079CW0.5661, R2=0.15; (5) surface area (mm2)=184.05CW1.0651,
R2=0.38; (6) volume (mm3)=127.60CW1.62, R2=0.40.
The existing burrows number of Uca arcuata in quadrat
during neap and spring tide in August-September
2016 ranged from 14 to 18 inds/50×50 cm2 (15.1±1.6 inds/50×50
cm2) and from 15 to 22 inds/50×50 cm2 (16.9±3.2 inds/50×50
cm2), respectively. The difference of existing burrows numberof Uca arcuata between neap and spring tide was not signiﬁcant(t-test, P>0.05). The remaining rate of Uca arcuata burrows inquadrat for 1 week during neap and spring tide was 31-100%
and 44-60%, respectively. Thus, the renewal rate of Uca arcuata
burrows during neap and spring tide in summer ranged from0.57 to 5.14 inds/m2/day and from 4.57 to 10.86 inds/m2/day,
respectively. Based on the renewal rate of burrow and burrow
parameters of Uca arcuata, the soil-turnover rates induced byborrowing activity of Uca arcuata were estimated to be 69.3654.9 cm3/m2 and 844.0-1607.8 cm3/m2 in neap and spring tide,
respectively. We found that soil-turnover rates of Uca arcuata
depended strongly on the ﬂuctuation of sediment water content
with time and frequency of inundation due to tide and rainfall.
Poster Session II 95

The transition of river morphology and minor restoration in Kamisaigo river

Takuma Ono, Hironori Hayashi, Yukihiro Shimatani
Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University

In recent years, it is said that various physical environment isimportant for habitats of fish. Many river restoration works havebeen promoted in japan. In 2007, technical standards for river
channel planning on small and medium rivers was notified by
MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport). However,there are many failed examples due to the problems caused byour misunderstanding about river flow dynamics. For example,
Channel Narrowing changes the hydraulic environment in riverand the habitat constitution living creatures. For that reason,
effective river restoration method is not well established. Aimsof this study are to report the results in detail recorded aboutminor restoration methods in river and the process of riveritself. In this study, we surveyed transition process of river innovated small restoration methods in Kamisaigo river from 2011 to
2016. Kamisaigo river was executed river restoration over about
one kilometers, where installed various minor restoration ateach section. And we surveyed fish survey, physical environment survey, transverse survey and proportion of each habitat.
From the result, the channel narrowing was occurred in every
station with taking about three years, after that the river width
was relatively stable. After three years, the river width tends totransition while repeating to occurred the river width widening
after flood period. In the section where the stream flow path
was not artificially constructed, the flow path was apt to fluctuate. Habitat such as pool and riffle was not fixed, it disappeared
and formed repeatedly. In the section where the stream flow
path was artificially constructed, the flow path was not apt tofluctuate, and stabilize the shape of the stream flow path. In thesection where the minor restoration method was installed, theeffect of keeping the stream width was confirmed. Also habitat
diversity was improved around the minor restoration method
such as big rock and log structure. Also, Oryzias latipes have

96 Poster Session II

increased dominantly in the pool made by rock in 2016. In otherwords, it was suggested that various habitat of around the rockalways keep various kinds of fish. However, some rocks were
gradually buried in the sand after river restoration. When introducing rocks, it was suggested that measures such as introduction to the center of the river as much as possible are necessary.
Also, it was suggested that excessive vegetation managementof rivers is one of the factors that greatly change the stream
flow path. The section installed the solid bank of a minor restoration method was confirmed the effect of keeping the stream
width and habitat diversity the entire section not only aroundthe solid bank. The solid bank has the effect of diversifying theflow of water at the time of the flood, so it was inferred having
the effect of keeping the stream width and habitat diversity.
However, since it was not find out in this research so far, that itis necessary to conduct a hydraulic analysis in the future. Also,from transverse survey, the river bank formed gentle slope
tended to be gradually higher and steeper in every station.
Rising the river bank and the channel narrowing seemed to be aclose relationship, we need to survey further.

Poster Session III

Prediction of Drought Using Coupled Ocean-Atmospheric Phenomena in the Watershed of
Maharlu and Bakhtegan Lakes, Iran

Bahram Choubin, Farzaneh Sajedi-Hosseini Sari University of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources
Hamidreza Gharechaei, Abolfazl Abesht Department of Environmental; United Nation Development Program (UNDP)

Nowadays, water resource management is an important issue
in arid and semi-arid regions due to the increasing human activities such as agriculture, industry, dam construction, and etc. Precipitation changes may alter underlying water resourcesconditions and increase the need for new water management
programs and strategies especially in highly uncertain climates
within arid and semi-arid regions. It seems that the forecasting of
precipitation can be helpful to mitigate consequent problems andbetter management of water resources; mainly due to the highlighted outcomes of this issue in arid and semi-arid climates.
The study area, watershed of Maharlu and Bakhtegan Lakes
in Iran, consists the three sub watersheds and four lakes including: sub watershed of Kaftar lake (where Kaftar lake is located),
sub watershed of Maharlu lake (where Maharlu lake is located)and sub watershed of Bakhtegan lake (where are Bakhtegan
and Tashk lakes are located). The lakes are important in aspect of
tourist sites and also ecological values as the sites for migrating
bird species from Siberia during winter such as Flamingos(Phoenicopterus ruber and Phoenicopterus roseus) and Dorna(Grus leucogeranus).
The lakes water level specifically in case of Tashk and Bakhtegan, which are among biggest lakes of Iran, have decreased
mainly due to human activities and droughts in recent years.
Low water level in the lakes has accelerated environmental
threats so migrating bird species (about 220 species) has
decreased over 2008-2014 period. In addition, it accelerates creation of salt domes in the lakes. About 117000 hectare of Bakhtegan Lake has been converted to salt marsh over last 26 years
that caused increasing of 12 % of aerosol (or haze) in watershedarea. Thus, understanding the amount of precipitation in Maharlu-Bakhtegan Watershed can be helpful to better managing ofwater resources for agriculture, industry and ecological waterrights to prevent environmental crisis such as increasing of thesalt domes and haze, and decreasing of migrating birds.
The main objective of this study was investigating relationship between large scale climate signals and monthly precipitation in the Maharlu-Bakhtegan Watershed, Iran.
The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) of 1, 3, 6 and 12
months was calculated and their relationships was evaluatedover 12 time-lags based on the Cross-Correlation Function(CCF). Then, the most effective signals obtained from CCF
method was selected as input models. Stepwise regression
combined with CCF was used to improve performance of Multivariate Linear Regression (MLR). Among the eight selectedsignal by CCF, AMO (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation), NINO3.4(East Central Tropical Pacific Surface Temperature), NINO4(Central Tropical Pacific SurfaceTemperature), NTA (NorthTropicalAtlantic) were capable enough to construct regression equations.
Moreover, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) network and Neuro- fuzzymodels were also considered and predictions were done to 12
steps ahead.
Results revealed that MLP performance was better than othermodels based on root mean square error (RMSE), correlation
coefficient (R), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NS) andTaylor diagrams. According to the results, Watershed precipitation of Maharlu and Bakhtegan Lakes can be predicted 12 monthahead with Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies of Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Estimation of Environmental Risk of Pollution Water in the Rivers


Tynybekov A.K., Azamatov N.A., Osmonkanov N.O., Iskenderova J.N., Tumanova I.B.

This article examines the state of water of a river system, aremethod for the evaluation of ecological risk on the example of
the Barskaun river.
Despite the abundance of water resources, Kyrgyzstan faces
water shortages for both irrigation and drinking needs. This trend
may intensify in low-water periods, and every year the deficit will
be felt more and more.
A significant part of the water taken in the republic is lost whenused. The cause of the losses lies in the unsatisfactory technicalcondition of irrigation and water distribution systems, the deterioration of equipment, and the use of imperfect irrigation methods.
Agricultural production based on irrigated agriculture is theleading sector of the Kyrgyz economy and consumes the lion's
share of water (93%) . Among the countries where agriculturallands are artificially irrigated, Kyrgyzstan occupies one of theleading places (78%) . However, inefficient use of water is noted.
The existing water supply and drinking water supply infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan is also in critical condition, and most of thecountry’s centralized water supply systems are not functioning
effectively.
Receptors (taking a negative impact or carrying toxic substances) of environmental risk may be the abiotic and biotic
material components of the ecosystem. Abiotic receptors include
water, suspended matter, bottom sediments and ice.
The study of their contribution to the pollution of coastal lakewater areas by persistent organic substances possessing carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties is extremely
important for the assessment of environmental damage Lakebioresources. The science of risk was formed in the last quarter ofthe 20th century, and it will certainly be one of the leading in the
new century. The reason for this is in a place that has taken on arisk-related problem. The most important feature of the science of

KSU by I.Arabaev
risk is its interdisciplinary character with the close interaction of
the natural and human sciences.
In the industrialized countries, funding for scientific research in
the field of risk analysis and assessment is constantly increasing.
For example, in the US chemical industry 25- 30% of funds forscientific development are allocated for solving the risk problems, and more than 50% for pharmacology. Abroad, a circle ofspecialists of a new type was formed - risk experts, which, according to sociologists, will constitute a new elite stratum of thepostindustrial society. Unfortunately, in the Kyrgyz Republic, thescience of risk has not yet developed. In the former Soviet Union,
there was practically no risk science.
Strictly unambiguous mathematical definition of risk does notexist. The risk can be described and explained by examples andin this way gradually refined. Thus, to risk - this is due to the decision making, management decision in uncertain situations andits implementation. We must learn to measure, evaluate theresult of this decision, the risk with a certain accuracy. And forthis we must be able to somehow rank, compare the decisions
made on their future possible results, and in this way choose theleast secure solution. It is necessary to create a theory of risk. But
it is possible to create a mathematical theory only if there is amathematical model of the process under consideration. Herewe clearly distinguish between the model of the process, theobject that we are examining, and the risk model that arises
when the model of the given process, the object, is realized. On
the models of the object many of its properties are studied. The
problem is how to present the risk in the language of a mathematical model.

Poster Session III 97

Possibility as ECO-DRR of The Japanese Traditional Water Management SystemJun TERAMURA

Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University

In Japan, ingenuity of flood control and water utilization has
long been taken. There are 60% of mountainous land in Japan,
plains tend to be less. Therefore, various measures had beentaken to increase the agricultural productivity in the plain
section. Various flood technologies had been developed against
the flooding of rivers caused by floods. In addition, efforts had
been made to efficiently secure fresh water, maintenance of irrigation canals for water use for rice cultivation and other purposes. In addition, efforts had been made to efficiently secure
fresh water and maintenance of irrigation canals and reservoirs
for use of water for rice cultivation and the like. Many such Japanese old water management systems had been lost, however
some still exist as traditional techniques.
Means techniques for achieving the purpose such as concrete,heavy machinery and dams are becoming highly advanced in
the present age. However the old days there was no such means
techniques. Therefore, it has been devised by limited materials
such as wood, stone and human power, experience value andview of nature. In other words, ideological technology had
developed. The Japanese traditional water management system
is a collection of advanced ideological technology.
In recent years, Green Infrastructure and ECO-DRR(Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction) have attracted worldwide
attention. The Japanese traditional water management systemis technology based on the idea to understand and utilize nature.
It contains a lot of ingenuity to alleviate disasters and enjoy thefull benefits of nature's blessings. This idea seems to be highly
compatible with the technical thought of the Green Infrastructure and ECO-DRR.
ECO-DRR is a technical thought of reducing disaster risk bynatural ecosystem. A typical example is a mangrove forest distributed in the estuarine region of Southeast Asia. With thismangrove forest, there is a proven track record that a tsunami

energy dissipation effect was obtained.
The Japanese traditional water management system is madefor the purposes such as flood control and water use. Thissystem utilizes the natural materials, there is a device that does
not destroy a large natural environment. Therefore, many ofthese cases function as part of the ecosystem. In addition, by
maintaining the system, we are constantly providing a place
where humans are involved with nature. For this reason,
ECO-DRR and Japanese traditional water management system
are common at ideological stage.
Examples of Japanese traditional water management systems
with potential as ECO-DRR are as follows. Open Levee In The
Downstream Basins Retarding Basin
Main Function: Retarding (When flooding in the river, accumulate flood upstream to reduce the flow of the downstream
flood.)
Ecosystem: Spawning Emergency Evacuation (A wetland
environment suitable for spawning fish can be temporarily
made. At the time of the flood, it becomes a refuge place of fish
and insects.)
Secondary: Nutrition Provision(In the flooded place, nutrientsand earth and sand which are carried from the mountain enter.)
Creeks Of Saga Plain
Main Function: Agricultural Water Domestic Water (Creek
stores freshwater at sea level 0 meter) Ecosystem: Natural Fish
Pond(One of the leading freshwater fish habitats in Japan. Manykinds of freshwater fish live.) Secondary: Flood Control Inland
Navigation
Besides this, various cases such as Flood Restraining Forest
Belts, Irrigation Ponds, Fascine Weir, Trees Planted to Arrest
Shifting Of Sand and the like have the possibility to function as
ECO-DRR besides the original function as well as the bank.

Response of biotic components after hydrological intervention in the tropical lagoon


Ji Yoon Kim1, Yuno Do1, Gu-Yeon Kim2, Gea-Jae Joo1, Ajit K. Pattnaik3, Krupasindhu Bhatta3, Gurdeep Rastogi3

Lagoon ecosystems have been severely degraded by anthropogenic activities, which result in ecological and hydrologicalchanges in the system. Detailed understanding of the recovery
processes of restored lagoon systems has been impeded by
the underlying complexity of integral environmental components. Chilika Lagoon, the largest brackish lake ecosystem in
East Asia, experienced severe problems such as excessive dominance of freshwater exotic plants and rapid debasement of biodiversity associated with decreased hydrologic connectivity
between the lagoon and the ocean. To halt the degradation of
the lagoon ecosystem, the Chilika Development Authority
implemented a restoration project, creating a new channel topenetrate the barrier beach of the lagoon. The opening of the
new mouth provided a favorable increased salinity regime
throughout the lake, with higher fluctuations and improved
water clarity due to sediment flushing through the new mouth.
The aim of this study was to understand different recovery
responses of lagoon biota in a restored lagoon, and temporaland spatial changes at each recovery stage after lagoon restoration. Using a satellite-derived normalized difference vegetationindex (NDVI) dataset, we compared the trend of vegetation
changes after the lagoon restoration, from April 1998 to May
2014. We also compared temporal response of lagoon animals
based on the local monitoring literatures. Response of lagoon
animals during restoration periods was estimated from theannual production records or population survey results of local
monitoring reports. We established temporal data of planktons,
fish, birds, and mammals from 2000 to 2014.
Compared with other biological studies, long-term analysis of
NDVI in the restored lagoon revealed that diverse biologicaltaxa responded differently, and had a different range of recov98 Poster Session III

Pusan National University, 2Kyungnam University, 3Chilika Development Authority

1

ery rates after the restoration event. In this study, plant productivity was decreased for half a year after the restoration, andtook about twelve years to return to previous productivity
levels. It seems that a rapid decrease of NDVI was caused by thesudden dieback of proliferated freshwater species. The large
decrease of NDVI in the freshwater region was caused bydieback of freshwater species in response to the salinity change
at the very early stage of restoration. After restoration, gradualincreases of brackish lagoon vegetation, including Potamogeton sp. and sea grasses, were identified in the field. Other
lagoon biological taxa, including phytoplankton, also showed a
rapid recovery response to the levels of the 1980s after themouth restoration. The biomass of fish and prawns in Chilika
Lagoon showed a seven-fold increase (i.e., 8500 tons in 1986,
1600 tons in 1998, and 11,878 tons in 2002) during the two years
after the opening of the new mouth. Increased fishery production was maintained and stabilized for several years. Number of
Irrawaddy dolphins showed gradual increase in the population
number (98 in 2006, 138 in 2008, 153 in 2013). It was notable thatdiverse biological taxa showed different recovery responses
after lagoon restoration event. Generally, plankton, and fish had
rapid increase (2-3 years) after recovering connectivity between
lagoon and ocean, while aquatic vegetation and large mammals
had gradual increase (4-12 years) to reach previous natural condition.

Setiu Wetlands, Malaysia:
Assessing changes in landscape condition and building a case for improved management


Daria Mathew, Haramaini Arifin, Muhammad Zaid Nasir , Nur Syahirah WahabWWF-Malaysia
The Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu, a state in the east coast ofPeninsular Malaysia, represents a coastal floodplain formed by
the Setiu-Chalok-Merang-Bari riverine complex with unique presence of several inter-connected ecosystem types. The Setiu Wetlands not only provide a great array of ecosystem services suchas flood control, erosion mitigation, nursery ground for juvenile
marine fishes and provision of natural resources for the local
population’s traditional livelihoods, but also support a rich biodiversity. The wetlands also have great potential as an ecotourism
destination that can generate economic returns to the local communities and to the state. Records to date indicates that Setiu
Wetlands harbours 29 species of mammals, 176 species of birds,
36 species of reptiles and amphibians, 56 species of butterfliesand 217 species of plants. Of significance is the fact that Setiu isamong the very few places in Malaysia where viable populationsof the critically endangered Painted terrapin are still present. The
wetlands is classified as nationally important for its ecologicaland conservation values, and is listed in the Malaysian Wetland
Directory (1987) on the basis of its extensive Melaleuca forest,
mangrove forest, remnant peat swamp forest, nesting beaches
for freshwater and marine turtles, and unique formations of the
Setiu and Merang coastal lagoons.
Hence, Setiu Wetlands is undeniably one of Malaysia’s mostspectacular natural treasures. However, it is also fragile, thus
efforts to prevent it from further degradation would be critical.
The collapse of the wetland’s ecosystem could mean the end ofits many ecosystem services and its biodiversity. It is the contention of WWF-Malaysia that protection are afforded particularly forareas of high conservation value in the Setiu Wetlands withimproved and holistic management effected within the landscape. This could, hopefully provide a fighting chance for the eco-systems and biodiversity of the Setiu Wetlands to continue being
part of our environment, in order to build a future in whichhumans live in harmony with nature. Over the years, the wetlands have experienced progressive conversion primarily for
agriculture and aquaculture expansion. The lagoon and its fringing mangroves particularly have been subjected to tremendous
aquaculture development and increasingly, the Melaleuca forest
has also being targeted for conversion to agricultural activity
especially involving oil palm plantation by both companies andsmallholders. Additionally, construction of an artificial rivermouth to facilitate navigation of fishing vessels, development ofjetties and installation of bunds for coastal protection haveresulted in the alteration of river channels and coastal morphology as well as changes in the wetlands hydrological regime. The
widespread conversion and changes in land use are sending
warning signals due to the resulting degradation and loss of substantial areas of wetlands besides other negative impacts including on the wetlands ecological functions and services.
In pursuing conservation efforts in Setiu Wetlands, one of WWF-Malaysia’s
key approaches is to advocate for threat minimization using information andrecommendations derived from ecosystem monitoring to establish baselines
and to understand the changes and impacts through collaboration withresearch bodies and experts. Among the main studies undertaken are the land
use and land cover change analysis in oil palm development, population studyof Painted terrapin, riparian vegetation mapping, water quality monitoring,high conservation value (HCV) assessment and scientific expedition. The
respective studies employ specific methods that include field sampling anddata collection, on-site observation and verification, laboratory analysis, satellite image interpretation and GIS analysis. The findings of these studies arevital in helping to provide key inputs for informed decision to realize the sustainable management and protection of Setiu Wetlands for the benefit of all in
the long term.

Shorebirds and Threatened Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Ariake Tidal Flats Trends and Importance of Conservation


Minoru Kashiwagi1, Takurou Hattori1,2, Shigeki Takano1,3, Kimiko Kouno1,2, Sayaka Nakamura1,4, Nobuhiro Hashimoto5
Ramsar Network Japan, 2Fukuoka Wetland Conservation Study Group, 3Yatsushiro Bird Society, 4Wild Bird Society of Japan, Saga Chapter, 5Nanko Wetland Group1

At the last two Ramsar COPs in 2012 and 2015, three tidal flatsites in Ariake Sea, Arao-higata, Kashima-shingomori-higata andHigashi-yoka-higata in Kyushu Island, Japan, were designated as
Ramsar Sites of International Importance. In fact, tidal flats on the
coasts of Ariake Sea and neighbouring Yatsushiro Sea support
significant number of shorebirds as their staging sites according
to national monitoring project, Monitoring Sites 1000. These
areas are important for shorebird migration because it is situatedat crossroads of the East-Asian/Australasian Flyway of shorebirds between southern non-breeding sites and northern breeding sites: crossroads of both populations using Eurasian continent
via Korean Peninsula and those using Japan Archipelago. They
are also important supporting threatened species including
Spoon- billed Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank. It is
understandable that this sea area has many characteristics
similar to Yellow Sea. In fact, it was connected with Yellow Sea
many years ago as is shown by the existence of common
endemic benthic species in both sea areas.
However, the result of past monitoring since 1970s show thatthe condition of Ariake / Yatsushiro Seas has not been good forshorebirds. Shorebird population using habitats in Japan in their
northward migration recently is almost half compared with theresult during 1973-84.
In September 1997, Japan Environment Agency released a“Wetland Inventory of Shorebird Sites in Japan” based on survey
data organised by the government in the period of 1988 to 1996,
incorporating those published by a national network of local
NGOs, Japan Wetlands Action Network. The inventory noted
three important sea areas in Kyushu Island: Ariake / Yatsushiro
Seas including Isahaya and Higashi-yoka Tidal Flats; the Sea of
Suoh-nada surrounded by three islands of Kyushu, Honshu andShikoku including Nakatsu Tidal Flat; and Hakata Bay Area.
Among these, Isahaya Bay had the largest population together
with Fujimae Tidal Flat in Ise-Mikawa Bay in
Honshu Island. Both sites supported around 10 000 individualsof shorebirds on their northward migration.
However, in April 1997, Tidal Flat of Isahaya Bay was closed bya sea dike due to a reclamation project went on inside the dike.
Inflow of salt water to the tidal flat was blocked as a result.
Isahaya Tidal Flat, the richest shorebird site in Japan, wasdestroyed. Some part of the shorebird population that foraged inthis tidal flat could change their stopover site to nearby Higashiyoka and other tidal flat in Ariake / Yatsushiro Sea. However, thetotal population size in the whole area became smaller, meaning
there were shorebirds that failed to survive because they weretruthful to their lost habitat.
Degradation of shorebirds in Japan, after mid-2000, became
remarkable except for some sites in Ariake / Yatsushiro Seas, andthe Sea of Suoh-nada. In this situation, these remaining sites
should be protected also to recover other sites on the process ofdegradation. This degradation corresponds to the situation inAustralia at the southernmost end of the flyway, for which specialists suspect the impact of development that has been proceeding in the whole coastal area of Yellow Sea used by larger
population of shorebirds. The authors would like to propose theimportance of conservation and restoration efforts not only to
Japan but also to the whole flyway that are going on in habitats
still supporting a considerable size of population. We expect thatthe presentation gives an idea of the impact of development
project going on especially in Yellow Sea.

Poster Session III 99

Handicraft and Souvenir Making Using Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
and Tikog (Cyperus malaccensis)
Ana Michelle J. Talitod, Josephine L. Araojo, Emmilie T. Ibonia, Ferit Temur, Salome Acopiado



DENR 13, Protected Area Superintendent - Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Traditional Handicraft-making using a wide variety of indigenous materials such as Bamboo, Rattan and Abaca were known
to be the cultural signatures of many indigenous tribes as well
as several Weaving Associations in the Philippines. They are theraw materials for weaving baskets, mats and strong textiles.
Handiraft-making is also one of the growing industries in the
country today.
The wilderness of Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS)
caters wide varieties of plant species that can be used as
weaving materials in Handicraft making other than the aforementioned. Such plants are the Water Hyacinth and Tikog or Balangot.
Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic herb withlong roots, runners and clump form. This herb is an invasive
species and was seen as a nuisance to the daily lives of thepeople living in indigenous communities within the Marsh. The
plant is infamous for drifting troubles to communities as it clogs
irrigations and water systems and reducing fishing range. Tikog
or Balangot (Cyperus malaccensis), on the other hand is a perennial, grass-like plant often gathered from the wild and used
locally for weaving into mats. They are also abundantly foundalong the riverbanks, creeks and lakes of the Agusan Marsh andtypically neglected by the majority of people.
With these indigenous raw materials readily available, aseries of training courses for Water Hyacinth Slipper Making
from 2014 to 2016 were conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Office of
the Protected Areas, Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management
Services (PAWCZMS) to equip the People’s Organizations (POs)from the communities of Caimpugan Peatland, San Francisco,and Lake Panlabuhan with Handicraft skills in making slippers.

They were trained on the proper harvesting of water hyacinth,drying, bleaching and weaving them to be the straps and solesof the slippers.
Currently, the water hyacinth slippers are the most established and famous among the handicraft products in AMWS.
They are commonly marketed on local bazaars and fairs. As of
2016, the PO of CANFFMULCO (Caimpugan Natural Farmers
and Fisherfolks Multipurpose Cooperative) and TMOSPLAMO(Tribong Manobo of Sitio Panlabuhan Agusan Marsh Organization) were able to generate an income of Php. 18,000.00 andPhp. 30,000 respectively.
Last June 2017, DENR through the Office of Protected Area
Superintendent of Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary also conducted a Training Course on Handicraft and Souvenir Making
using Water Hyacinth and Tikog to equip the communities fromthe municipality of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur particularly thosebarangays within the Talacogon Peatland and Lake Himbang
with Handicraft skills in making souvenir items such as baskets,boxes, table runners, mats and coasters. The participants weretrained on different weaving patterns using the Water Hyacinth
and Tikog to make the aforementioned crafts. They are also oriented on the possible marketing opportunities as well as sustainable harvesting of the materials.
The skills they’ve acquired during the training proved to be
worthy in providing the recipient communities with alternative
economic benefits not only to the women but also to men thatchose to involve themselves in handicraft making. DENR are
currently planning to provide the said communities with additional enhancement and training courses as well as provide
capability development on branding, packaging and marketingof the products.

Social Innovation for Biodiversity Preservation in Wetlands Kahokugata;
Vegetable Cultivation for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society “Suzume-Yasai”,
and Rice Cultivation by Cooperation in Farmers and NPO “Ikimono-Genki-Mai”
Hisashi Takahashi



Kahokugata Lake Institute

Kahokugata in Ishikawa Prefecture is the shallow lake in thelocation near the sea. Origin was the inland sea-lake which was
the brackish water which connected with a sea until about 50
years before. 2/3 of a lake was reclaimed by the state-operated
reclamation project which has started in 1963. At the same time,
the surrounding wetlands were altered. Degradation of biodiversity in Kahokugata and circumference areas has formed by
the recent years' environment alteration which starts from thisproject. Preservation of biodiversity in this area is a pressing
problem. Two business is performed by Kahokugata Lake Institute aiming at a solution of a problem of biodiversity preservation in wetlands around Kahokugata at present.
“Suzume-Yasai” which means “Sparrow vegetables”, is abusiness of the vegetable cropping. Paspalum distichum L.var.
indutum which is an alien plant which flourishes excessively at
Kahokugata and wetlands around it is used as a compost on thisbusiness. Kahokugata is the lake where eutrophication was
done, but the Uchinada sand dune which is immediately asideof Kahokugata is the oligotrophy environment. Sound material
recycling is promoted by taking the plant lush in Kahokugata
which is an eutrophic lake and using it by the Uchinada sanddune which is the oligotrophy environment. A cost of the waterside management are served by selling vegetables on this business at the same time. When business of “Suzume-Yasai”
spreads, and use of the compost is developed in the field in
Uchinada sand dune, and use of chemical fertilizer becomeslittle, nitrogen concentration of the groundwater which flows
into Kahokugata from Uchinada sand dune will be low, andimprovement of the water quality of Kahokugata can be
expected. The present problem is that composting facility is not
100 Poster Session III

been developed. Therefore it’s still small-scale business.
“Ikimono-Genki-Mai” which means preserving all wildlife is abusiness of the rice cropping. NPO cooperates with farmers,
and this business is put into effect to make the farmland ahabitat of wildlife. Helicopter spraying of insecticide isn't performed at the rice paddy where "Ikimono-Genki-Mai" is grown.
A herbicide isn't used for a ridge. A contract farmer requests acreature investigation from NPO and receives authentication of
the reliability. The rice certified adds extra value as “Ikimono-Genki-Mai”, and is sold. “Ikimono-Genki-Mai” is certified ineach 1 rice paddy, and is bagged. The location of the field, cultivation method and the confirmed information on wildlife arerecorded on a wrapping bag. This is mechanism of the best
traceability. 7 farmers participate at present, and “Ikimono-Genki-Mai” is grown at 10 rice paddies.
Additionally there is 1 field of lotus root. A problem by restricting use of agricultural chemicals has not formed up to now. Thechange in the inhabit situation of the large-sized organisms isn't
confirmed, but it’s confirmed that small-sized organisms isincreased. The farmer who hopes for participation in this business is the possibility which will increase from now on. The
present problem is securement in a market.
Securement in an original market in the respective farmer isis behind schedule. Each farmer depends on the market NPO
has reserved.

RiceBEDProject, for Mainstreaming Biodiversityin Rice Paddies
by Networking People of Various Sectors in Japan and Overseas

Masayuki Kurechi, Minoru Kashiwagi

Ramsar Network Japan

RiceBED Project – it is an acronym for Rice Paddy Biodiversity
Enhancement Dacade Project. It was in 2013 that Ramsar Network
Japan ( RNJ) kicked the project off. It is anactionprojectfocussingonacapacityofricepaddiesto holdbiologicaldiversity.
Making best use of the capacity of rice paddies, it aims to mainstream enhancement of biodiversityin ricepaddies. Theprojectcalls for those people, in variousarea geographically and socially,
interested in maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in ricepaddies. Itinvites their participationbydeclaringimplementationofatleast one action they can practice to enhance biodiversity inrice paddies. RNJ plays a role to provide a platform for participants to exchangeinformationonrelatedactivities. In this way, theproject aims to create anew trend for enhancing biodiversity inrice paddiesby bundling power of participants while expanding
the basis of people concerned about conservation of biodiversity
in rice paddies.
In 2010, at CBD/COP10 in Nagoya, the Government of Japanwas instrumental in suggesting the twenty 10-year targets aiming
to restore lost biological diversity that were adopted as the “Aichi
Biodiversity Targets.”Ramsar Network Japan (RNJ) suggested a framework to widen
the field for their implementation beyond the scopeof CBD, which
was realized as“United Nations Decade on Biodiversity” (UNDB)
through the discussionsof the CBD/COP10.
RNJhaslaunched the “Rice-paddy Biodiversity Enhancement
Decade”(RiceBED) to provideaplatform for awide variety ofactivities that put into practice the contents of the resolution (X.31 in
Ramsar) and decision (X/34 in CBD) on enhancing rice paddy biodiversityadoptedby the Ramsarand CBD, respectively.
Ramsar Network Japan drew up an action plan in 2012, withparticipants from local governments and organizations, aswellasindividualswho havealreadybeen engaged in this field, andthe “RiceBED Action Plan” was put together.
This Action Plan gives concrete shape to the action necessary
to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and international rice

paddy resolutions. Activities aiming for completion in 2020 are
now being initiated and carried out all over Japan.
We call on all agriculturalists, citizens, corporations and government authorities with an interestin ricepaddybiodiversity tojoin handswith us to carry out this plan to pursue andachieve thegoals of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and ricepaddyresolution.
Number of participants in the project counts over 200 individuals and organisations until now.
RiceBEDhasbeen also developing aglobalplatform involving
Asia, Africaand Neotropics.
Activities thus far:Seven localmeetingsand three meetings atnational level/joined partnersmeetings of Double 20 Project.
Engaged in establishing Local Biodiversity Strategy of local
governments. Informal Civil-Government Meetings for the Implementationof the Rice Paddy Resolution; a framework to discussand exchange information on enhancing biodiversity in ricepaddies; 57 times since 2009.
International action: released Rice BED Action Plan in English
at the CBD/COP12 (Korea in 2014)/ organised a side event withJapanese Government on rice paddies inviting speakers from
Asia, Afreica and Neotropics at the Ramsar COP12 (Uruguay,2015)/ Join JICAproject in Uganda and Costa Rica/ . .
Awareness-raising activities; Home page, mailing list, newsletters, some documents both in Japanese and English.
Toward 2020:
The goal of RiceBED Project is 2020:*Target for 500 registrations of action in the year.
*RiceBEDbecomesaleadingproject, mainstreamingbiodiversityinricepaddies. Further information and registration form to theproject, see the following:*RiceBED Project Access Guide http://www.ramnet-j.org/doc/
ricebedproject-e2.pdf*RiceBEDProject HP(English) http://www.ramnet-j.org/tambo10/
tambo/en/

What is the rainwater underground harvesting tank “Tametotto”?
Shinji KawanoDaiken Co., Ltd.

The rainwater underground harvesting tank (nickname) “Tametotto” is a mechanism that can store and use a large amount ofrainwater with just maintenance, with water quality comparable
to that of drinking water, with easy construction in a short periodof time. We got inspiration from the wetland's water holding
capacity and water purification ability and got guidance from
Kyushu University and developed it.
Moreover, the upper portion of the installation can be used for“Tametotto”, and it can be installed in the garden, the parking lot,
the evacuation center of the area, the park etc. Usually it is used
as water for garden tree sprinkling, washing water in toilet andwashing water for washing. When “torrential downpour” or“local heavy rain”, etc., it can be used as living water even in theevent of a disaster because it will be operated by hand pump asa countermeasure against flood damage by storing it.
As a result, we have set up “Tametotto” in each of the two elementary schools in Atapu Province of Laos, People's Democratic
Republic of Laos at the request of the United Nations Habitat in2014. Both of them have a capacity of 100 tons, “drinking water”
for residents is the purpose.With the establishment of “Tametotto”, 400 people in Taoum village, 400 people in Pusai village,
220 people in 35th house of Pusai village, 220 teachers and staff
of two schools totaled about 650 people, for a minimum of 2
months in the dry season, 1 It will be possible to secure 2-3 litersof drinking water a day.
From the United Nations Habitat, we taught five reasons about“reason for adopting” reason.

1.	 Low installation cost. (In Laos it was possible to make it about
15,000 yen per ton of water storage.)
2.	 Short construction time. (We were able to create 100 ton classwater storage in Laos in one week.)
3.	 Installable by local people as no specialized skills are required.
4.	 Local materials can be used.
5.	 Post-installation maintenance is easy.
We received a letter from Laos 1 year after installation, reported
that I was able to use water for 4 months during the semi-annual
dry season where it did not rain, and I was able to make vegetables using saved rainwater It was a good evaluation. So in May ofthis year, I received my second request from the United Nations
Habitat and built the third “Tametotto” for Laos.
For the future “Tametotto”, we are planning to develop as amini dam near the residence, not aiming for a huge cost like
Japan and a huge amount of time, a large dam near the mountain. “Tametotto” is to exist in the vicinity of the living environment, to secure stable water for daily life and to “life-saving
facilities” to protect human life from torrential rainstorms, want
to develop to countries such as Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia etc.
thinking about. And I would like to contribute to local consumption of water resources in Southeast Asian countries even a little.

Poster Session III 101

The “Wise Use” of Green Infrastructure: Community-Based Revitalizationof Urban Wetland in Gowanus Canal, New York City

Kyohei Takizawa1, Yukihiro Shimatani2, Satoquo Seino,Taku Watanabe1

The purpose of this study is to examine the activity and planning process of a conservancy program that aims to revitalize
an urban wetland by a community-based, green infrastructure
program. Cities worldwide have a common problem with combined sewer overflow (CSO), which has a negative influence onwater quality in urban waterways and wetlands. We conductedinterviews and surveyed documents of environmental groups,
citizens, and city officials that manage the Gowanus Canal in
Brooklyn New York City (NYC), where Green Infrastructure havebeen implemented by the city administration, with the cooperation of Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC).
New York City’s Green Infrastructure Program have been
implemented from 2010. This program intend to prevents stormwater runoff from entering the City’s sewer systems, and to
reduce CSO discharges into NYC’s waterbodies. As a result, thewater quality in NYC’s rivers is expected to improve. The goal ofthis program is to control runoff from 10% of impervious surfaces in NYC.
The Gowanus Canal was constructed in 18th Century on thesite of a former saltmarsh and creek. The Canal is one of America’s most polluted waterways, due to historic industrial contamination and 377 miilion gallons of CSO into the canal every year.
GCC is a nonprofit conservancy founded in 2009 that serves
as a community-based environmental steward of the Gowanus
Canal. GCC envisions “the evolution of an Open, Clean andAlive Gowanus Canal and Watershed with accessible, connective open space; clean water, soil and air; and vibrant ecological, business and cultural activity”. GCC's master plan is torevive the waterfront by negotiating with administration, raisingpublic awareness, event implementation with a citizen like aJapan Society of Civil Engineers, 2Japan Wetlands Society

1“EXPO Gowanus” and environmental education at school.
Declared a Superfund site in 2010 by the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Canal has plans to dredge heavily
contaminated sediment. The NYC Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) is designing and constructing green infrastructure across the watershed to reduce CSO from 2010. Some rain
gardens and bioswales in the watershed are managed by citizens and GCC. GCC operate the volunteer programs collecting
garbage in the city and making composts to reuse into rain
gardens and bioswales.
Since 2015, GCC has led a planning process with approximately 300 community members, partner organizations, landowners, elected officials, and agency representatives to identify
open space priorities from a diverse range of neighborhood
stakeholders. In 2016 GCC summarized the master plan composed of GOWAUS GREENSCAPE and GOWANUS BLUE.
GOWAUS GREENSCAPE is a plan for green park network whose
core is canal's wetland. In the other hand, GOWANUS BLUE is a
stewardship across the watershed building green infrastructure
to eliminate CSO. Through the analysis of the research, the mostimportant keyword is abstracted : a stewardship. GCC recognize
a stewardship as making a connection citizen`s activities in thearea to CSO problem.
Activities that help reduce CSO, such as planting trees in rain
gardens and bioswales, foster a public awareness of the participants’ connection to the entire watershed and strengthen theirsense of public commitment. The GCC fosters watershed stewardship among their members by linking the restoration of
wetland with community improvement and beautification.

Onga River Reconstruction Project: East Side High-Water Channel Design
to Balance the Flood Control and People-Friendly Open SpaceTomoki Takebayashi, Akihiko Higuchi, Fumiko Taura

Kyushu University Faculty of Engineering

Introduction: Nogata Riverside Park of Onga River is one of afew contemporary examples in Japan that has successfully
improved the riverfront from a drainage channel to a peoplefriendly public open space. In 2004, the author’s teacher and theauthor’s graduate student group were asked by Ministory ofLand, Infrastructure and Transport Kyushu Regional Development Bureau Onga River Office (MLIT) to prepare an alternativeplan for Onga River’s riverfront in the central area of Nogata. In
this region, citizen-involved river reconstruction works havebeen conducted and more than 60-times citizen meetings were
held since 1996. Major attendee is Nogata Kawazukuri Koryukai,
a not- for-profit group aiming to revitalize Onga river. After aseries of intensive discussion with a concerned local citizen
group, the design team prepared a design plan to balance theflood control and the creation of organic open space.
East Side High-water Channel Design: The east side one waslowered with newly built stonewalled terraces. While, the westside shoulder of the flat high-water channel was cut down tomake a gentle slope connecting the downtown Nogata and thewater both physically and psychologically. Different from thewest side, the east side high-water channel tends to be eroded
due to the west-curved waterway.The existing concrete embankment walls along the water’s edge of the channel protect theeastern high-water channel from the erosion. However, thisdoes not mean that the walls are unchangeable. A series ofterrace stonewalls and grass fields in between could function asstrong enough barriers to protect the flat plain from the erosion.
This terrace structure will provide safe access to the water andalso help to create integrated and harmonious open space withthe west side riverfront.
Outcomes: Grass covered organic topography and set-backed
stonewalls has been realized over the entire east side. While the102 Poster Session III

stonewalls are reinforced by the joint concrete as a solid wall,
the joints of the stones on the wall’s surface are kept empty sothat local wild grasses could grow and cover the wall naturally ina few years. A wooden boat slip is placed in front of Mizubekan,riverfront activity center/flood shelter. A stone-paved square isalso prepared as a part of the slip. The slip as well as all thestonewalled terraces on the east side are connected each otherby both gentle slopes and stone steps for smooth pedestrian
access. After the completion of the project, the number of daily
visitors has increased by 50% both in weekdays and weekends
in one year. Also, the increase of the cross-sectional area of thewaterway has improved the river’s security of flood control.
Conclusions: This project shows it is possible to secure flood
control and to create a people-friendly public open space on an
urban riverfront simultaneously. The critical factors to realize
the design include followings: 1) The design team tried to
involve citizens in design processes and to know citizen’s needs
to use river open space as well as the past landscape of theriverfront. Here contribution of Nogata Kawadukuri Koryukai
was indispensable and their stories were helpful for designing
the desirable landscape of Onga river. 2) The design tried not touse many materials; there are only grasses, stones that are thesame stones used in previous constructions, and woods. This
design strategy contributed to strengthen the space integrity ofthe entire landscape of Onga river. 3) The design ensures thewheelchair-friendly access slopes and paths.
Not only people in wheelchairs but family with baby strollers
and seniors become possible to access to the water’s edge easily.
This water accessibility enhances the space attractiveness.

Potential of Nature Tourism in Rural Environs around Keoladeo National Park,
Bharatpur (Rajasthan, India)Satya Prakash Mehra1, Sarita Mehra1, Milind Pandit1, Swati Samvatsar2

Rajputana Society of Natural History, Rajasthan, 2JalaSRI Watershed Surveillance and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra

1

Keoladeo National Park (KNP) is one of the world’s best
birding sites. The presence of avifaunal diversity and congregation attracted community of birders, photographers in form ofamateurs and researchers. Both natural climate cycle andmanmade interventions in management of ecological conditions have affected the site to the great extent. In such conditions, the surrounding environ is playing vital role in providing
ground for the faunal diversity especially wintering avifauna.
Further, the rural and cultural aspects are the add on feature of
the surrounding environs.
On the line of Citizen’s Science, an attempt has been made toassess the ecological functions of the surrounding landscapesof KNP taking habitats, avifauna and anuran diversity as key
indicators. The present investigation identify different types of
the habitats around KNP on the lines of IUCN, as per the observations made on the birds from 2007 to 2017 whereas theaquatic avifaunal diversity in the wetland along with trends ofavifaunal diversity in the agricultural fields habitats of adjoining
villages of KNP were observed for the period of eight years(2010 – 2017).
The case study of Chak Ramnagar village has been detailed in
the present paper. The study emphasizes the relevance of inclusive programme to revive the eco-centric perception of thepeople. Based on the principle of “Conservation Practices for
Sustainable Livelihood”, a team of authors under a banner of
their NGO implemented an integrated program of resolving
problems of one of the deprived group of communities of
Bharatpur residing around Keoladeo National Park, viz., Banjara
community (gypsy community of India) is known for theirage-old practices of water harvesting.
In general, ten types of major habitats were identified from thesurrounding environs. Specifically, seven types of habitats werelisted. About 230 species of birds were recorded from different
types of habitats. The habitats of adjoining villages of KNP harbored about 150 species of birds, among which over 70 species
were of aquatic. Interestingly, 116 species were recorded fromagriculture fields of the adjoining villages of KNP. The distribution pattern and status of the wetland bird species and wetland
dependent bird species along with the trends in the habitats
were discussed in the paper along with the threats and pressure
on the protected areas in general and KNP in particular.
Discussing the case study along with the avifaunal diversity,
the intervention of the authors’ team through value addition
given to the grass artefacts production forming Self HelpGroups has been briefed. The linkages of the local biodiversity
with income generation changed the perception of the Banjara
community and making them involved in the revival of local
ecological setup in and around their villages. The paper on casestudy highlights the challenges of the community and the relevance of the local biodiversity along with the discussions on thesocio-ecological status. Such programs entail local participationin conservation practices to preserve natural resources, fulfilling the aims set by global conservation groups for World Heritage sites.
The eco-model of Rajputana’s Shakuntalam is also discussed
in the present investigation which highlights the intervention at
individual level to conserve and protect the natural environment. such steps are necessary especially around the World
Heritage and Ramsar Site such as Keoladeo.
Threats indicate that both natural climate change cycle andanthropogenic impact will put increasing pressure upon existing protected areas and that much biodiversity conservation
will need to take place beyond these reserves.

Cultural ecosystem services of temperate coastal area of Japan:
from the visitors of tidal flat, sandy beach, and rocky/coral area

Takehisa YamakitaJapan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

Ecosystem services are considered as important concepts toconnect biodiversity and human well-being. However evaluatedcoastal ecosystem services are very limited. In general here are
not many researches directly connect biodiversity and humanwell- being. Even in the monetary based evaluation which has
standardized technics, evaluations are still in early stage. For
example Costanza et al. (2014) modified their monetary based
evaluation of coral reefs in 1997 from 8000 USD to 350000 USD
par ha. Among these increase on the prices, 104000 USD wascaused by recent increase in the knowledge of cultural ecosystem services. In the case of Martin et al 2016, they collected thepapers contain “coastal and marine ecosystems” from 2004 to2014 by systematic survey. They could find only 24 papers which
evaluate cultural ecosystem services. In addition half of these
papers were published in the last one year 2014. As shown here
it is not easy to evaluate cultural ecosystem services but the
researches are increasing.
In the case of Japan, coral reef leisure and tidal flat was evaluated under committee established by the Ministry of the Environment. It showed high prices for Coral services (234.4 billion
yen) but not high for cultural services of the tidal flat based on
travel cost method of shellfish gathering only (91 thousandyen).
From 2016 we started a research program named “Predicting
and Assessing Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services(PANCES)” under Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (S15), Ministry of the Environment, Japan.
Through our project we assess and predict the social and economic value of natural capital and ecosystem services.
As a first step our group focused on temperate coastal area ofJapan and evaluated several cultural ecosystem service indica-

tors such as number of visitors or travel cost estimate. As theelements of the coastal area sea bathing, shellfish gathering,fishing, and diving are considered.
To evaluate demand and supply of the diving spot we conducted quantile regression analysis on current diving spot distribution and distribution of coral reef. As a result there are
relationships between the maximum number of diving spots
and coral reef area in 10km grids. Using this statistical model
we compared gaps of demand and supply and potential diving
spot. Besides high gaps in Okinawa southern subtropical island,
there is high gaps in the Kyushu area which at the most south intemperate area. This means high potential of the use of the coral
as tourism in the supply side of the ecosystem. For the farther
consideration of potential use on such area, we need to understand demand side aspect such as infrastructures, transport or
locally existing industry such as fishery.
We also evaluated about temporal changes in the distributionof sea bathing spots. The sea bathing was started in the 1870’s
and spread into several prefectures in the Pacific side andKyushu area in 1910. Compare to the increase in the numbers of
spots even in the country side recent days, the Tokyo Bay
showed different trend of the distribution. Before 1970’s there
are several area of the sea bathing spots even inner side of thebay. In the 1970’s almost all of the area stopped because of thelandfill and decrease in the water quality. However in 1989 thedevelopment of artificial beaches creates some spot to touch
the water. Even in this situation i.e. alteration of natural capital
into artificial capital, water quality could not afford to create thesea bathing spots yet, in the most of the inner part of the bay.
Consideration of both artificial and natural capital will be thenext challenging issue to evaluate this situation.
Poster Session III 103

Wetland and Sustainable Tourism Higashimatsushima version


Hiroki Mori



Higashimatsushima city municipal office, City planning section GroupThe coastal area of Higashimatsuhima City, Miyagi Prefecture
in northeast of Japan, was severely damaged by the tsunami
caused after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
The City immediately began the process of land restoration fordisaster prevention collective relocation with 1,288 lots (ofwhich 571 lots are public housing). Building lot delivery werestarted from June 2014 and completed in November 2016. Ever
since, home building in the newly restored area has been very
active and 80% of the lots are already finished.
One of the remaining issues is how to utilize the devastatedlands that the City purchased from citizens after the tsunami.
The area was originally a combination of residential neighborhood, rice paddy and wetland but cannot be used for residents
as the above sea level is too low. Of those 174 hector, 99 hectors
are already allocated to be used for agriculture and industry-related-purposes, however, 75 hector still remains undecided.
The City wishes to regenerate the wetland and the surrounding area as a strategic site to reconstruct tourism and promotemental well-being of citizens and tourists who visit the area.
Furthermore, the area with the surrounding forest is part of aschooling project, the Mori-no-Gakko (school in the forest)
Project, and classes of Miyanomori Elementary School are partof the official curriculum. Classes includes biological observation of plants and insects, and woodworking using timber fromforest thinning in the area and such. When taking the class tothe forest during the nurturing season of accipiter gentilis(northern goshorks), a native birds of prey in Japan, the route ischanged so that the class does not bother the nurturing bird.
The area was rich with flora and fauna and the City believes it tobe promising to regenerate the wetland.
With the regeneration of the wetland and the bird sanctuary
as the precious natural value, the coastal area will be the centerof touristic content and also part of the environmental education program for human resource development.

The Seletar Kids Art Education Project – A project to document the Wetland Jewels of Malaysia
Wong Yun YunNature Classroom, Malaysia‘Seletar’, the ‘Orang Laut”, or the 'sea people' in Malay language, is one of the 18 indigenous ethnic groups in Malaysia.
They are Austronesian and were once part of the sea nomads
that lived in boats at coastal areas and estuaries along Straits ofJohor (between Malaysia and Singapore). After the independence of Singapore in 1963, most of the Seletar tribes were relocated to Johor, the southern state of peninsular Malaysia.
Today, the Seletar people lives across 9 villages in southernJohor. Even though they have settled on land and stop living
freely on the sea like their ancestors, they are still depending
heavily on sea for livelihood and resources. They still practicetraditions and culture that closely related to sea and the mangrove forest. Many of them are animist but some converted toChristian or Muslim.
Due to rapid development such as the large scale reclamation
project along Johor Straits, the Seletar people are facing drasticchanges in their homeland and lifestyle. Quality of life is dropping as the sea getting more and more polluted and exploitedfor urbanisation. The Seletar children are found very difficult toadapt the mainstream education system. They are sometimes
marginalised due to their weaknesses in academic achievements.
As sea nomads that used to live in boats and now living atsettlement surrounding mangrove forests, the Seletar are highlyintertwined with natural environments through years of interactions. We understand that Seletar people inherited some fascinating culture and old stories which ae still remain unknown to
the world. These beautiful cultural heritage are worth to belearned and conserve. However, Seletar language do not haveany proper writing system. Besides, many younger people
prefer to speak Malay language and those old Seletar customs
could be fast disappearing.
104 Poster Session III

The ‘Seletar Kids Art Project’ were initiated to help the
younger generation of Seletar to rethink and to document their
history, culture, homeland and lifestyle through art education.
We are currently conducting a monthly art class for the Seletar
kids between the age of five to fifteen. We guided them in aninteresting way, such as storytelling, drawing, colouring andmaking handcraft and art pieces related to their family, theirvillage, their myths & folklores as well as their daily life.
By implementing the project, we hope this could encourage
Seletar kids to learn better in schools. After several monthly
session, we discover that many of them are highly interested inlearning and very talented in art. Our next target is to collect thechildren artwork as well as the Seletar’s folklores and historicaltales for subsequent documentation and publication of theirbeautiful untold stories at Johor Straits.
In AWS Saga 2017, we would like to share with the world onhow
1. Seletar people, as one of the very few sea tribes in Malaysia,
survive and thrive at mangrove wetland
2. How politic, social and economic development affect the livelihood of Seletar people.
3. How to empower indigenous people through educational art
programValuation of village ponds as cultural landscape component in India: preliminary studyInjun Son1, Hogyeum Joo2, Gu-Yeon Kim3, Ji Yoon Kim1, Yuno Do4

Pusan National University, 2State University of New York at Stony Brook, 3Kyungnam University, 4Kongju National University

1

Village ponds are a specific type of small artificial reservoir in
India. They are constructed for harvesting and preserving local
rainfall and water from streams in agricultural landscapes, especially in India, which has lacked perennial rainfall for thousandsof years. Village ponds primarily have been used for agriculturaland drinking water but also for bathing, ritual, and aquaculture.
According to the Ecosystem Services (ES) framework, classifying
and evaluating the benefits for people derived from ecosystems,
village ponds may have all aspects of ES including provisioning(food, fresh water), regulating (waste-water treatment), cultural(aesthetic appreciation, inspiration for culture, spiritual experience) services; but village ponds have not yet been valued
regarding their ES using quantitative valuation techniques suchas economic/monetary approaches. Historically, villagers
retained the indigenous knowledge of usage and management
practices for village ponds. Indigenous forms of knowledge
regarding the sustainability of local resources are referred to as
traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Although TEK is most frequently preserved as oral traditions and as such may lack objectively confirmed documentation, TEK for village ponds has not
yet been classified. In the present situation, with little concern,village ponds are at risk of disappearing and we will regret losing
this critical resource. India is in rapid economic transition. Manyrural villages now have dramatically modernized the drinking
water supply system. Development of a water supply service fordrinking water and a large reservoir for agriculture through modernization and urbanization can replace this traditional component of village ponds. The ES of TEK in village ponds should be as
management practices and should be evaluated and classified
for sustainable management of village ponds.
Our goal was to confirm the function and importance ofvillage ponds in the rapidly developing areas as well as rurallandscapes. We categorized village ponds based on TEK, evaluate ES of village ponds in India, and establish a framework forconserving village ponds and improving public awareness ofinterested parties regarding village ponds using modern
approaches. In order to understand the morphological characteristics of the Indian village pond, a 30-km2 geographicalquadrat was established and the ponds inside of the quadrat
were digitized using the GIS program. The density of village
pond was 14.6 ponds / 10km2 and the median of pond size was341.1 m². Over the last two years, we also assessed the benefitsof village ponds located in northeast India through field surveysof the Chilika Lagoon basin (State of Odisha). The catchment
area (526.3km2) surrounding Chilika Lagoon contains a large
number of villages (population; approx. 690,000). We found thaton average each village possesses 2 or 3 ponds with different
usages such as irrigation, religious observance, and bathing.
The questionnaire included questions on the name of thevillage, population, the number of the ponds, the number ofalternative water sources etc. the possibility of cultural activities
being practiced, management schemes, and the dependency(i.e. residential, agricultural, aquaculture, religious practices).
Our project will represent the first scientific assessment of thevillage pond and traditional management scheme’s value. The
potential results will include the traditional knowledge of village
ponds created by the local community to manage the pond fortheir cultural, economic, and domestic needs over a long time.
Moreover, we are sure that the well-organized traditional management of the village pond will be applicable to increase thevalue of abandoned ponds in urban landscapes. The traditional
knowledge based restoration will contribute in enhancing ecosystem health and the resilience of human society by strengthening ecosystem functions.

“Citizen Social Responsibility” in conserving water resourcesSatya Prakash Mehra1, Sarita Mehra2, Er. Milind Pandit3, Swati Samvatsar4, Ajit S. Gokhale5, Sheila Roy6
1
Advisor – RSNH & RREDC, 2CEO & SG – RSNH & Director - RREDC, 3Treasurer & Program Director – RSNH,
Director, JalaSRI, Watershed Surveillance and Research Institute, 5CEO – Natural Solutions, 6Adjunct Assistant Professor

4

Unsustainable consumption of the natural resources iscausing irreversible impacts on the natural setup of the region
and it has long been feared that human activities are causing
massive destruction to the environment at every level fromlocal to global.
Among natural resources water is among the vital component. An attempt has been made through this investigation thelevel of human concern for the environment with prime focus
on water, aquatic habitats and biodiversity.
The present investigation reviewed aspects of reviving water
sources in the arid and semi-arid zones of country, in generaland state of Rajasthan, in specific. The case studies from thesouth-western (Jalore-Sirohi) and north-eastern (Karauli-Bharatpur) parts of Rajasthan were discussed with the observations on the involvement of the community people. The
comparative studies were carried out on the self-initiated activities without external support and activities supported by external agencies on the aspects of resolving challenges in watersector. The appraisal was carried out through questionnaire
based interview surveys. The paper further established relationship of formal legislations associated with the water andhumans, water and aquatic bodies, habitats and biodiversity inIndia. Discussions and commentaries were made on the existing judicial interventions related to the water sector. Besides
formal water legislations, a number of other water-related principles and policies have emerged over time.
It was observed that traditional water sources were replacedby the modern system which affected the prevalent conservations practices of the arid and semi-arid region. The south-western parts were having the traditional measures of adaptation
towards water scarcity and the conservation measures were

inherited through cultural ethos in the people. With the development of the modern canal system, the challenges of water scarcity was resolved but on the cost of disappearance of eco-cultural
traditions. On the other hand, the north-eastern parts were well
adapted to the flood conditions prevalent in the area along withefficient irrigation system designed with the human settlements. With the check on the water flow patterns and otheranthropogenic activities the region shifted into the dark zone.
Since the people of the area were least involved in the conservation practices, therefore, sources of water were affected to
the great extent. Brief discussions were made on the interventions carried out in the areas of Bharatpur and Karauli withspecial emphasis on impact of interventions around the World
Heritage and Ramsar Site – Keoladeo National Park. The resultof the investigation suggested that ‘need’ inducts the necessityof the interventions but ‘involvement’ of the people decides
success of the interventions. Intervention from the self-initiatedactivities had high impact as compared to externally initiatedinterventions.
Despite of the existing judicial measures for the water sector
in India, there is need of the broader framework to include
human rights, environmental conservation, equity and sustainability dimensions etc. focusing duty and responsibility under acommon Water Law. As individuals, we can all rein in our own
water use to help conserve what is becoming an ever more precious resource. The recommendation from the investigation
was growing need of CITIZEN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CiSR)
Act along the provisions of the Constitution of India.

Poster Session III 105

Cultural Dimensions of Local Social Movements at Kuala Gula, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia
Asae Sayaka

Institut Darul Ridzuan

Wetland ecosystems along the Kuala Gula coastline support
an enormous diversity of life due to the generally high productivity of coastal wetland systems such as mangrove forests andinter-tidal mudflats. Biodiversity significance can be measured
in many ways. Kuala Gula: A Wetland of International Importance encompasses a multitude of habitats including the buffer
areas of a river and its tributaries, mangrove islands and mangrove coastal forests. It is area of importance to fishing activities, which has supported the livelihood of the local communities.
The mudflat and the swampy areas of the Kuala Gula mangroves have been the place of stopover and feeding for various
species of migratory and resident birds. The mudflats and theswampy areas of the Kuala Gula mangroves has been the placeof stopover and feeding for various species of migratory andresident birds, including the globally endangered Milky Stork.
During the migration season between August and April every
year, more than 200,000 migratory birds representing some 50
species are estimated to stop over here. Some of these birds
come from as far as Siberia in Russia, Kazakhstan, Japan, China
and Mongolia.
Kuala Gula has been identified as one of the 10 eco-tourism
areas in Perak State. Kuala Gula is recognized as area of important to fishing activities which has supported the livelihood of
the local communities.
Today, it is estimated that a total of 7,188 people live in Kuala
Gula and its proximity. Out of that total, approximately 35 %(2,450) of the population is directly involved in the fishing industries through activities such as fish and prawn catching as wellas cockles rearing. In addition, they also involved in trickeddown fishing activities such as fish, dried shrimp and shrimp
paste (belacan). Although some fishing and farming communities have good income, many are still operating at subsistencelevel or receive low wages as daily paid workers with household income less than RM1,000/month.
The income based on coastal and mangrove resources are
declining; local communities in the fisheries and agriculture
sectors are facing problems to adapt and take advantage of thechanging economic scenario from subsistence to cash economy
facing a lack of knowledge, capacity, capital and market access.
The natural resources at Kuala Gula are declining because of
aquaculture and reclamation for development activities and settlements and well as coastal erosion.
Social movements is another aspect of local people at Kuala
Gula in maintaining local resources. It becomes a signicant
element in protection and conservation of natural resources.
Case studies in Thailand and Indonesia have been proved thatther is a need for disfferent sectors in the society to consider
inter-related of local people movements in protecting theirresources. Various efforts and campaign activities have been
conducted at Kuala Gula. These include community forums, dialogues, trainings, worksops, seminars, and intellectual discources.
This paper will discuss efforts and changes in processes,
content, and forms of local social movements at Kuala Gula inprotecting local resources. These include cultural capital, political and economic power, and the cooperation of alliances (technical, academic, and social capital networks.

Community based management of beach litter in Itoshima Peninsula, FukuokaShuyuan Geng1, Satoquo Seino2, Mitsuhiro Aizu3

Graduate Student, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University; Associate professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University;
3
Research Fellow, Research Institute of Environment for Sustainability, Kyushu University

1

The length of Fukuoka Prefecture coastline is about 669 kilometers, with 304 kilometers coastal zone is under the protectionof the Genkai-nada Coastal Protection Act, and Itoshima zone is
one of the most important marine regions along Genkai-nada
coastal area. Not only the Genkai area designated as a quasi-national park but also the beautiful scenery of beaches with their
white sand and green pine trees have been selected among
Japan’s 100 Best White Sand and Green Pine Beaches. One of
the most significant trends affecting its future shoreline management is marine litter (or marine debris) which is estimated to
be increasing explosively with the number of tourists has
increased greatly during the last decade. However, municipal
cleaning activities, unquantified input from rivers, wind, sea,
and scarce and incomplete data collection add to the uncertainty on litter at that coastal zone.
Marine debris (also known as marine litter) has been identified among the most problematic and persistent marine pollutants, widely accepted as a detriment to the marine ecosystem,
which affects all the oceans of the world. Although numerous
scientific and community-based approaches to surveying andbeach cleanups including outreach programs targeting the
involvement of volunteers and coastal residents have been
deployed. In Itoshima zone a little is known about the litter composition on beaches from the Regional Action Plan for Prevention and Management of Marine
Litter in Fukuoka. Furthermore, it is largely unknown what thecontribution of Itoshima’s recreation and non-recreation tobeach litter found on the beaches of Itoshima zone is. More data
is required to properly assess the extent of the marine debris
issue and the effectivity of possible solutions. An answer tomore extensive data collection could be citizen science.
106 Poster Session III

2

To better understand the presence of litter on the beaches of
Itoshima zone, the purpose of this paper is to develop a baseline
for understanding the composition and distribution of beachlitter. For the purpose of my work, a social survey and survey
regarding monitoring the beach litter in the study area (i.e.,
standing stock survey) are conducted over a period of one year
from 2016.
The results show, (1) incomplete data collection affects local
residents understanding of issues regarding marine litter, (2)the most abundant form of litter observed was plastic (commonly pet-bottles) across all sites, and marine litter from unidentified sources caused by the breakdown small plastic pieces
can found anywhere on beaches, (3) nearby land is used affectthe amount and type of debris found at a location. The surveys
revealed that education campaigns must be developed continually to raise their public awareness. Moreover, more scientific
data (the information on the types, quantities, and distributionof beach litter) is urgently needed to assess the effectiveness ofappropriate coastal management policies.
In conclusion, the data, methodology, visual representations,and mapping platform resulting from this work are a first step in
directly supporting local Itoshima community advocacy andpolicy, while contributing to larger institutional strategies foraddressing the issue of marine litter in Fukuoka. It is recommended that municipal government should support volunteer-based surveys. Moreover, these investigations suggest thatbeach litter monitoring will be recognized to help focus surveys
and removal efforts as more targeted monitoring and removal
in the future.

Wetland and Culture in Afghanistan
Mohammad Shafi Sharifi

Water Resource Adviser

Afghanistan is a landlocked country with 650,000 km2 area incentral Asia and is famous for its cultural and natural richness.
The natural and cultural heritages suffered not only fromdecades of war and conflicts but also from the continuous
drought for years.
Three types of wetlands that are reported includes rivers,
lakes, marshes and reservoirs. The wetlands play a significant
role in maintaining human livelihood and in creating pristine
ecosystems in the desert. Unfortunately, due to drought andwar, three rivers, Sistan River, Qul Bagrami and Abchakan wereturned into wastelands. Many of these wetlands are located in
the area rich in natural cultural heritages.The Government of
Afghanistan not only attempts to protect and conserve thesewetlands but also has initiated special efforts to restore themalong with the revival of cultural values, both tangible andintangible. Danbura, an Afghan concert is being planned to beheld in Band Amir in July 2017. The purpose of this concert is to(1) encourage and attract internal and international visitors
there for creating employment (2) support renovation programsand (3) protect the environment from further damage and degradation.
With the growing popularity of ecotourism, there are a gooduse of the wealth of wetland and cultural heritage to attract
more tourist as well as to improve the livelihood of the people
living around and about the site with the all-out support of theconcerned parties e.g. government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, conservation bodies and local communities.
Water and wetlands play an important role in Islam. Water is
indispensable as the Muslim need to perform Wudu (ablution)prior to prayer. Water has been mentioned in the Quran over 60
times. Therefore the Quran outright rejects wasting of water.

According to the Quran, “God made all the things from water”.
But water needs to be contained in a space that is what is called
wetland. Therefore, both water and wetlands are very importantin the Islam religion and culture. And the conservation activities
are drawn from the principles of Islam. Another point that isquoted in the Quran is that “Mose chose 12 springs andinstructed each tribe to go to one spring”. Likewise, in Lake
Hamun, people make a long reed boat to navigate the shallow
water. The conservation of Lake Hamun depends on the conservation of reeds. In other words boat culture needs to be protected by the conservation of reed, which can be protected only
when wetlands are protected.
The management of resources is one of the humanity’s mostancient activities and has left its traces in cultural settings. From
management point of view, there are three governmental
departments; National Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Irrigation and Agriculture, and Ministry of Culture. Eachagency has its own responsibility. In addition to the government
bodies at the highest level, there are a few non-governmentalorganizations at the grassroots. To create sustainable solution
for wetlands related problems and better understanding of cultural, emotional, moral, social, and spiritual dimensions, thegovernment is planning to involve both local communities andauthority as well as in the conservation and management of all
resources along with a strong focus on traditional culture,
customs, values and norms. In this paper, cultural values, cultural activities and challenges that directly affect the conservation of wetlands in Afghanistan are discussed. Additionally, theintegration of natural and cultural values and attributes that is
indispensable to catalyze the conservation, wise and sustainable development of wetland are also discussed.

Fundamental research on residents’ water use and consciousness related to river environmentSince around 1990, the concept of green infrastructure, mainlyin the Europe Union and the United States, has developed. On
the other hand, in Japan, the river law was revised in 1997, andthe environment was legally positioned for the functions
required for rivers. Therefore, It is recognized that to give due
consideration to the environment in river improvement is oneof the most important matters in river management.
Knowledge and evaluation on the impact of rivers with different environmental levels on human use and consciousness are
not sufficient. From the viewpoint of developing measuresrelated to green infrastructure, accumulation of scientific knowledge on human use and consciousness on different river environment levels is urgent as wellIn this research, we conducted surveys on people's actual situation and consciousness survey for two rivers with different
environmental levels (whether or not river refurbishment considering the environment was done). One river is named Kamisaigo river which was maintained by the renovation method
considering natural environment and human use. And the otherone is named Tokunaga river which was maintained by a renovation method with conventional concrete We tried to clarify the
influence of differences in river environmental level on river use/ consciousness of people in both area. The catchment population of both rivers and the surrounding development situation
are almost the same. The survey method was in accordancewith the river space utilization actual situation survey “riverwaterside census manual (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport)”. For the questionnaire survey, we targeted elementary school children (fourth to sixth graders) located near eachriver and their parents. The questionnaire was done in a way tocollect after distribution. Main questions included concerningage, sex, frequency of use of river and its contents, environ-

Hironori Hayashi1, Masahiro Fujioka2, Yukihiro Shimatani1
Kyushu University, 2Fukuoka City Government

1

mental consciousness, attachment to the area, concerning thesense of justice and morality, about the intention to pay basedon the virtual market evaluation method (CVM) .
From the results of the actual situation survey, the following
was clarified. (1) The variety of activities are higher for rivers
with higher environmental levels. (2) The number of river users
on the waterfront increases by about 8000, (3) there is no big
difference in the number of river users per population. From theresults of the questionnaire survey, the following results wereclarified. (1)Environmental awareness of people's rivers ishigher for rivers with higher environmental level. (2) As rivers
with high environmental level have more river usage frequency,
usage becomes diversified. (3) As river with higher the environmental level have the higher attachment to the area of elementary school students and parents (4) The people who lives along
the river with higher environmental level has higher willingness
to pay in CVM. There were no differences between rivers incommunication skills, justice and morality of children. This
research revealed that when the river environment level is high,people’s waterfront use becomes diverse. It became clear thatthe environmental consciousness to rivers increases as theriver environment level is high. These results indicate that river
improvement considering the natural environment has a goodeffect on people’s use.

Poster Session III 107

Development of ESD program focusing on conservation ecology of Suaeda japonica Makino(Chenopodiacea), a threatened wetland halophyte


Takashi Shimoyamada1, Satoquo Seino2

Shisei Junior High School, Ecological Engineering Laboratory,Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu

12Conservation ecology is concerned with the origins and preservation of biological diversity. It seeks to understand how therich variety of plants, animals and other creatures exists in theecosystems around us, and how diversity has been maintainedby natural processes.
The ecosystem concept is central to this conservation ecology,
which aims to protect biological diversity and sustainably
manage the biosphere. It is important to be aware of how
extinction can accelerate as a result of the disruption of basic
ecosystem processes (Cox, 1993).
In this report, we develop an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) program based on conservation ecology andbiology and related knowledge, making use of the Suaeda
japonica Makino (Chenopodiacea) plant for teaching material.
This program connects school education and social education
as an “open curriculum” for school.
Suaeda japonica (referred to below as “this species”) is native
to wetlands around estuaries and seashores in northern Kyushu
in Japan, including an area around our town. Due to the loss of
wetlands and changing ecosystem processes in recent years,
this species is on the decline nationwide and facing extinction
regionally.
The first documentation of this species was by Makino (1909).
Its Japanese name “shichimen-sou” means turkey herb and isderived from the changing colors of its leaves, invoking imagesof the face of a turkey. Its tinted autumnal leaves are a defining
feature and tidelands are beautifully colored by them. The
autumn foliage is popular for tourists.
This changing of the leaf colors in autumn is caused mainly
by a decrease of chlorophylls and an increase of betalain pigments (Shimoyamada, Iwashina, Yamada, 1995 in press). Betalain is a well-known group of red and yellow pigments that are
specific to Centrospermae.

A 3D Voxel-Based Model of Peatland HydrologyContribution of tropical peatland is of importance to theglobal climate, mainly due to its regulating services by storing ahuge amount of carbon. Tropical peatland has been estimatedas storing carbon of about 88.6 Gt C (range 81.7-91.9 Gt C), equal
to 15- 19% of the of the global peat carbon pool, where 68.5 Gt
C of this is distributed in Southeast Asian region (77%), equal to
11–14% of the global peat carbon pool, with the largest sharefrom Indonesia of about 57.4 Gt C or 65% of the tropical peatcarbon pool, followed by Malaysia of about 9.1 Gt C or 10% of
the tropical peat carbon pool Findings from previous researches
suggest that peatlands provide significant environmental services: with very high carbon stocks, water stocks, and biodiversity. However, during dry seasons, peatlands are very vulnerable
to widespread fires, since peatlands provide either aboveground
fuel biomass on the surface or belowground fuel biomass on
the sub-surface. Hence, wildfires on peatlands imply to huge
losses of environmental services.
To understand the complexity of peatland hydrology, a three
dimensionally explicit modelling approach was used in thisstudy, capturing hydro dynamics of peatlands, either occurringon the surface or within the sub-surface of peat layers. Furthermore, objectives of the study were: (1) to develop and validatea three dimensionally explicit model of peatland hydrology; and(2) to simulate ENSO scenarios to explore peatland hydrologicalbehaviors under ENSO conditions and various land cover types.
The model was evaluated on high conservation value area of oilpalm plantation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where someparts of the area were burnt during El-Nino episode in 2015.
In general, the model captures spatio temporal dynamics of
108 Poster Session III

This species is native to salt marshes, a glabrous annual thatbelongs to the Chenopodiaceae family of flowering plants. The
genus Suaeda has four species in Japan: Suaeda japonica
Makino, S. maritima (Linn.) Dumort, S. malacosperma Hara,and S. asparagoides (Miq.) Makino.
These species are all native to coastal areas or estuaries andare distinctive halophytes. Approximately one hundred species
form this genus and all are native to salt deserts or marshes of
the world.
In the ESD program about this species, students will discuss
wetland ecosystems in intertidal zones, land reclamation projects, and river runoff linking the forest and the sea, from ancient
times to the future. Students will learn that wetlands and intertidal areas are declining and that now is a critical time for thesurvival of flora and fauna in these ecosystems. Finally, they
will recognize the need more public attention, creative research,environmentally-conscious development and positive actions
that should be directed to these areas.
This report on ESD will be part of the development of an“open curriculum” that integrates school education and public
education with the goals of creating a sustainable society anddeveloping human resources.
It is hoped that this ESD program will promote an understanding of the problems occurring in wetlands, seas and river
basins related to many living creatures including humans, andto encourage voluntary actions with a global perspective andgood judgment as citizens.
It is hoped that the results of this ESD program will ultimately
be applied through the conservation and management of thisspecies and other halophytes in wetlands.
We also hope that this approach will be applied to otherspecies in other ecosystems.

Aryo Adhi Condro, Hidayat Pawitan, Idung Risdiyanto
Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia
surface water due to land- atmospheric interactions on various
land cover types, and spatio temporal dynamics of sub-surface
water due to water diffusion within peat layers, which is three
dimensionally explicit, represented as voxels. Temporal resolution of the model is daily, and three dimensional spatial
resolution of the model is 60 m x 60 m x 0.1 m, with extent areaof about ~900 ha and maximum peat depth of 4 m.
The model was validated using field-measured data from 5
observation points, with goodness of fit of about 87%. Under
ENSO scenarios, the simulation findings suggested that drought
propagation during El-Nino period from surface into subsurface of peat layers had a time lag of about 2.5 months. With
regards to land cover effects on peatland hydrology, the simulation findings suggest that regardless the types of land cover on
the surface, peatlands stored a relatively huge amount of water,
depending on the peat depth. Total water amount within peat
layers were ~60.2 thousand m3/ha, ~59.2 thousand m3/ha, ~60.0
thousand m3/ha, and ~59.1 thousand m3/ha, for barelands,
shrubs, burntlands, and forests, respectively. Nevertheless, as a
caution that other than hydrological function of peatlands,
forest conservation and restoration efforts on peatlands play
important roles on supporting other ecological functions ofpeatlands, e.g. as specific habitat to conserve peatland biodiversity and increasing aboveground carbon stocks.
Animated voxels are available at: goo.gl/HDRMYN (for the
El-Nino 2015 episode) and goo.gl/g1sXPl (for the La-Nina 2016
episode). The model’s codes, its input data, and a short user’s
guide are available at:
http://modelingcommons.org/browse/one_model/5060

Community based migratory bird conservation at Mangalazodi in Chilika Lagoon Ramsar Site, India

Acharya Chinmaya Mishra

PALLISHREE
Chilika is the second largest brackish water with shallow
coastal wetland in Asia designated as Ramsar site in 1981 whichassemblage of marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems.
This is also the largest wintering ground of migratory water
fowl of Asiatic sub-component and the habitat of many vulnerable and endangered species listed in IUCN Red List. It supports
the largest waterbird population among the wetlands in India
with 8,00,000 to 10,00,000 numbers includes 250 species annually. This unique natural resourceful lagoon provides an ideal
nesting, feeding and roosting place for thousands of aquaticbirds both migratory and residential. This highly productive
eco-system provides livelihood to 0.1 million fishers from 132
fishermen villages in and around the lagoon.
Mangalazodi is freshwater zone coming under northern sectorof Chilika with marshes, emergent vegetations and reed beds. It
has a variety of micro habitats zone with wet meadow, very
swallow water open patches, with nyphae and water hyacinthwith phragmites. The approximate area of 58.59 sq.km. is consisted of emergent vegetation zone dominated by reeds &phragmites and 11.79 sq.km. of marshland with wet meadow.
Exclusive phragmites and reeds provides shelter for fresh water
birds such as Common Coot, moorhens, rails, crakes, migratory
warblers and bitterns.
Rampant poaching of aquatic birds both was a regular practiceof the local people previously. The Forest Department of State
Government arrested the poachers and put into jail in the year
1997 & 1998. A local social worker, Mr. Nanda Kisore Bhujabalaorganised meetings under the leadership of Dr. Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, IFS, the then Chief executive of Chilika Development
Authority (CDA) to sensitise the poachers on conservation of
birds. As a result, the leader of the poacher, Mr. Kisore Behera

and his group took oath to leave poaching in 1999. They started
a Community Based Organisation namely Mahabir Pakhi Surakshya Samittee and started conservation of birds. They got training of eco-guide with the Support of CDA. The local stakeholders
were also started supporting them in their conservation activities. Accordingly the poachers became conservationists andstarted eco-guide for tourists. It came to the notice of Government and awarded with the prestigious State level environment
award namely “Bju Pattnaik Award for Wildlife Conservation”
with a certificate including 1,00,000 INR. In due course another 2
CBOs have been formed and engaged in bird conservation activity, namely Mangalazodi Eco-tourism and Mangalazodi Conservation Tourism Trust. Annually on an average of 5000 tourists are
visiting this zone. In 2016 winter, 147 species of migrating bird of
3,50,000 in number have arrived in this zone.
Now the migratory bird such as clossy idis and duck speciesof spot-villed, lesser whistling & grater whistling have started
nesting here.
In this zone, the birds are tertiary consumers that help recycle
nutrients back into the eco-system through guano. The major
factor for the high biomass production of macrophytes and thelucrative fisheries in Chilika is the amount of guano deposited
into the Chilika eco-system by the waterfowl estimated to bearound 33.8 tonns of nitrogen and 10.5 tonns of phosphorous.
Waterbirds prune the vegetation while they eat and this does
not only maintain the fresh sprouting of tender shoots andleaves with rich proteins, but also controls its excessive growth.
This fresh growth will benefit the fish and invertebrates. The foraging actions by the waterbirds leads to the thinning of vegetation in the lake, this enables the free movement of fish in theareas with dense vegetation as well.

Peat accumulating mountain wetlands of South Siberia: biodiversity and ecosystem services


Irina Volkova

Tomsk State University

West Siberian plain is well known by the largest peatlands ofthe world situated here. However, mires and peatlands can befound not only at the vast plains of Siberia but in the mountains
too. Siberian mountain mires are unique type of wetlands thatcan be found at the large mountain land at the south of West
Siberian plain, in Altai Mountains. Our research started in 1996
and covered more than 100 mire massifs where about 800 geobotanical releves were conducted. The research objective was toestablish a scientific basis for the protection of mountain mires– rare natural wetland type in continental Asia – in Altai Mountains (about N 49°04’–55°38’ and E 83°57’–89°52’). Altai is a large
mountain country (about 150 thousand km2) with a range ofvarious climate, relief, hydrology and vegetation conditions indifferent parts. Thus, the climate varies from hyper-humid on thewestern macro-slope of Kuznetsky Alatau ridge in the north of
the Altai region where precipitation reaches 3000 mm per year
to arid with only 120 mm per year in the South-Eastern Altai.
Mires occupy concaves and flat areas such as large depressions, high-mountain circuses, river valleys, saddles, flat tops,
the slopes foots and even gentle slopes of the mountain ridges.
Siberian mountain mires are sources of supply to many river
basin heads, including the upper Ob’ – the largest Siberian river.
Peat mires started to develop in Altai Mountains in the middleof Holocene, at the end of time period called the Holocene
climate optimum, about 4.5-5 thousand years ago, having accumulated up to now maximally 3.9m peat deposit depth. Plant
remains of sedges (mainly the remains of Carex altaica), brownmosses and sphagnums are found most frequently at mountainmires peat deposits. Today, mountain mires are covered bysedge, sedge-brown moss, dwarf shrub-sedge brown moss andsedgesphagnum plant communities.
Mountain mires act as natural filters, reservoirs, and sourcesof clean water as well as providing a significant contribution tobiodiversity. There is no doubt that mires have a critical role inthe carbon cycle, and hence, in the maintenance of biospherestability under conditions of increasing human impact. Mires asvital landscape features are critical for conserving and promoting biodiversity and are apparent especially in arid regions of
Altai, where they are natural refuges for hygrophilous plants,
animals and their communities. They differ from other ecosystems by the large variety of habitats they include. This habitat
diversity increases with the altitude and allows the existence of
not only characteristic mire plants (sphagnum mosses, cranberry, marsh cinquefoil Comarum palustre, buckbean Menyanthes trifoliata, etc.) and animals, but also a significant amount ofalpine and plain species (originating in steppe, tundra, forest).
Many of these species are rare, endangered, or vulnerable.
While a strategy of natural resource management and wise
use is developed for the Altai region, there should be special
attention given to mires and other wetlands. We hope that our
research of mires will help solve a number of problems ofscience and nature protection and will promote the performance by the Russian Federation of its international obligations, accepted in frameworks of the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands and the Convention on Biodiversity.
Undoubtedly, some of the Altai mountain mires deserve thestatus of wetlands of international importance as unique mires(peatlands, wetlands) of intra- continental mountain systems of
Asia. The results were obtained while fulfilling the government
order from the Ministry of Education and Science of the RussianFederation (Project No. 5.4004.2017/P) and by the grant of theRussian Foundation of Basic Research No 15-29-02599. The
results were obtained while fulfilling the government orders
from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (Projects No. 2142, No. 5.4004.2017/4.6)
Poster Session III 109

Habitat Restoration: Bringing Back the Brackish Water in Guandu Nature Park


Pin-Hsiu Lisa Chou, Tsai-Fu Yeh, Lan-Feng Fan, Hwey-Lian Hsieh

Wild Bird Society of Taipei

Guandu Nature Park is located in northern Taiwan along theTamsui River and it is within the tidal range from the rivermouth, hence the wetland contains a mosaic of brackish andfreshwater. The Park serves as a major stopover for migrating
birds along the East Asian Australian Flyway, and has been considered as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.
In the past, large stretches of agricultural fields dotted the landscape, but dramatic changes in the soil and water chemistry - aninflux of salinity in the water and overdraft of groundwater - rendering farming difficult in the area. Since then, agricultural
fields have largely been abandoned and some were replaced by
freshwater ponds, grasslands and rice paddy fields. This mosaicof habitats makes Guandu unique and a home to a variety oforganisms.
Over time, this once vibrant marsh has slowly converted
towards more of a grassland environment and the decline ofbirds (waterfowl and shorebirds) became noticeable. As a partof management, the Park schedules annual habitat restoration
projects, where mechanical removal of sedimentation buildup
and vegetation occurs. These projects hope to prevent succession from further progressing and restore the wetland backtowards a marsh. Yet, despite these efforts, bird numbers havecontinued to decline.
Past data suggests that this decline of bird numbers andbenthic organisms are related. In particular, the absence of
certain macroinvertebrates (particularly members of the Polychaeta family) may explain the decline of waterfowl and shorebirds within the Park. It is believed that one of the causes for the
decline is due to the levee located south of the Park, as it blocks
water flow and prevents biotic exchange between the wetland
within the Park and the Tamsui River. Park management began
to consider the possibility of reopening the sluice gates on thelevee to allow for brackish water to reenter. This would facilitate
exchange between environments (outside and inside of thePark), which would increase salinity and nutrients. Furthermore,
it would allow a temporary biological corridor to form. The Park
worked together with Taipei City to establish a new set of valve
system for the sluice gate, this would allow for brackish water toenter the Park during high tide periods.
Since 2016, the sluice gate has been opened twice a month fora period of four hours during high tide to allow for exchange.
The Park monitors both chemical and biological changes. Water
chemistry measured at the time of the opening of sluice gate
and at high tide, where changes in salinity from as low as 0.47
to as high as 31.34 were recorded. Biological changes such as inmacroinvertebrates in benthic samples, fish and birds were also
monitored. Notable changes after the opening of the sluice gate
were an increase in Polychaeta in the benthic samples, species
such as Laonome albicingillum, Neanthes glandicincta, andCapitella species. Other changes include, increase in the distribution of both shrimp and fish species commonly found in estuarine environments. Changes in bird numbers were not as
evident; however, several circumstances at the end of 2016 may
have affected bird numbers. It is possible that changes in bird
numbers will not be as quickly and continual monitoring will be
required.
The opening of sluice gates not only brings on positivechange to the wetlands within the Park, but is also bringing
hope that the overall habitat may be returning to a more suitable state for birds and other wildlife. The Park will continue tomonitor changes and adjust management practices according
to the changes observed.

Biodiversity of the Kampar
In 1989 the lakes within the Kampar Peninsula were listed in
the Directory of Asian Wetlands as important areas of peatswamp forest on Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, 20 over years later,these lakes are now gazetted as wildlife reserves, and the
Kampar Peninsula is now classified as an Important Bird Area
(IBA), Key Biodiversity Area and a Class II Tiger Conservation
Landscape.
The Kampar Peninsula covers 673,000 ha of peatswamp
forest, fibre plantations oil palm, rubber, and sago farms, and ispossibly the largest contiguous area of peatswamp forest
remaining on Sumatra. 235,000 ha of these wetlands aremanaged by the APRIL Group, and 130,000 ha of this are under
the Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER) Programme. Initiated by
APRIL in 2013, the RER Programme brings together private andcivil society groups, as well as government regulatory agencies,
in a landscape level approach to protect, assess, restore andmanage previously degraded peatland.
Since 2010 APRIL has been conducting inventories of thesewetlands, recording a total of 299 bird, 152 plant, 74 mammal,
107 amphibian and reptiles and 89 fish species.
Around 49 species are listed in the IUCN Redlist as threatened(CR, EN, VU). These inventories represent the first documentation of the biodiversity of the Kampar Peninsula, and is especially important in light of the current conservation status ofpeatlands on Sumatra.
Fourteen of the 299 bird species recorded are globally threatened. The survey revealed new distributional records for Bonaparte’s Nightjar and Black Partridge. Eight out of Sumatra’s ten
hornbills are known to occur. The Kampar Peninsula also supports peatswamp associated species such as the Hook-billed
Bulbul, Storm’s Stork and the White-winged Duck.
Seventeen of the 74 mammal species recorded are globally
110 Poster Session III

Prayitno Goenarto1, Donny Gunaryadi2
Restoration Ecosystem Riau, 2Fauna Flora Internasional1threatened, including the critically endangered Sunda Pangolin,
Sumatran Tiger and Flat-headed Cat.
Additionally, 5 out of 6 cat species found on Sumatra wereobserved, with the exception of the Asiatic Golden Cat.
From the 22 amphibian and 85 reptile species, 10 are globallythreatened. The surveys also revealed new distributional
records for the recently described cryptic frog species Hylanarawa, and Hylarana parvaccola, both endemic to Sumatra.
Ten species of turtles were documented, seven of them globally threatened including the critically endangered Painted Terrapin. The the Estuarine Crocodile and the False Gharial werealso recorded
Eight of the 152 vascular plant species recorded are globallythreatened, with the critically endangered and peatswamp
endemics Shorea platycarpa and Vatica teysmanniana bothrecorded. Of the 152 species recorded, 112 were woody plants(trees), possessing large but shallow buttressed roots, adaptations to waterlogged environments. The remaining 40 plant
species include orchids and pitcher plants. Preliminary fishsurveys documented 89 species that are dependent upon
narrow and extreme conditions which include low pH and dissolved oxygen levels, but high tannin levels. A new species
Pectenocypris nigra and the world’s smallest fish Paedocypris
progenetica were notable discoveries.
In conclusion, the biodiversity surveys on the Kampar Peninsula reveal a vast and unique species composition within thispeatswamp forest environment. Future surveys are expected toreveal new discoveries and insights into this important andunderstudied ecosystem.

Status of White Winged Duck in Kampar peninsula

Muhammad Iqbal



Riau Ecosystem Restoration

The White-winged Duck (Asarcornis scutulata) is a tree-nesting duck ranging from Eastern India to the island of Sumatra,Indonesia. The Sumatran population is distinctive in appearance from the Northern mainland population with more whitecoloration on the head and wings. Some authors suggest theSumatran population should become a separate subspecies. Its
range on Sumatra has been drastically reduced over the last 30
years and the species today is listed globally as Endangered(EN). It is a protected species in Indonesia.
The Kampar Peninsula is one of the most important areas ofpeatland on Sumatra, covering some 673,000 ha of peatswamp
forest, fibre plantations, oil palm, rubber and sago farms. It is
possibly the largest contiguous area of peatswamp forest
remaining on Sumatra. A 235,000 ha area of these wetlands ismanaged by the APRIL Group, and 130,000 ha of this are under
the Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER) Programme.
Initiated by APRIL in 2013, the RER Programme brings together
private and civil society groups, as well as government regulatory agencies, in a landscape level approach to protect, assess,restore and manage previously degraded peatland.
Since the 1990s, the White-winged Duck has been a focus ofconservation efforts, and the Asia Wetland Bureau (AWB) Indonesia Programme conducted island-wide surveys in all suitable
habitats within existing and proposed protected areas on
Sumatra. There were no records of White-winged Duck in thewetlands of the Kampar Peninsula, which was already primarily
a production forest landscape. The closest protected area to the
Kampar Peninsula where the duck was observed was in Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve, south of the Kampar River.
Since the initial surveys by AWB, no additional surveys wereconducted in Sumatra until High Conservation Value Assessments began in 2005 with the development forest plantations in

Riau’s coastal peatlands. However, ecological and behavioural
research of White-winged duck on Sumatra was conducted inearly 2000 in Way Kambas National Park, the only detailed studyof its kind on this species ever done on Sumatra.
Since 2007, regular biodiversity inventory conducted by APRIL
shows the presence of White-winged Ducks within the Acacia
plantations of the Kampar Peninsula. The species has been
observed to make regular use of access canals in mature Acacia
plantations, where human activity is limited. These canals
provide long avenues of still water, overhanging branches,shade, and densely overgrown canal banks.
Observations of ducklings confirms that a breeding population of White-winged Ducks exists on the Kampar Peninsula.
Since 2014, RER restoration teams working on closing old
drainage canals left by past logging activities are recording theduck along these canals deep in the forest. The regular presenceof the ducks in Acacia plantations indicates its adaptability toland cover change and its ability to persist in an integrated production-conservation landscape.
Opportunistic hunting by local villagers is known to occur andmay be threatening the duck population. It is essential to increase
the awareness of fishing communities using the rivers andcanals where the duck is found, about the White-winged Duck’s
protected status, in order to ensure the duck’s future survival.

Big Business & Big Wetlands, Can They Thrive Together?


Lucita JasminAsia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL) - Riau Ecosystem Restoration

The island of Sumatra has one of the largest areas of peatlands in Asia. Over the past 30 years, almost 80 per cent of thisarea has been deforested or degraded due to forest conversion,illegal logging, and land-clearing fires, drastically reducing themain ecological feature of these peatlands: peat swamp forests.
Oil palm estates, fibre plantations, and rubber plantations dominate the landscape today, the remaining forests are fragmented, and the original abundance of wildlife has been
dramatically reduced, threatening biodiversity conservation.
The 673,000 ha Kampar peninsula on the east coast of central
Sumatra has probably the largest area of contiguous peatswamp forest remaining on Sumatra, approximately 344,000
ha.The most prominent pulp and paper company on the Kampar
peninsula is the APRIL Group, managing some 60% of the peninsula as Acacia plantations (150,000 ha), High Conservation
Value Forest (96,000 ha), and Ecosystem Restoration concessions (130,000 ha) in Riau province, Indonesia.
Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) was established by Asia
Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) in 2013 and is
supported by APRIL’s US$ 100 million initial commitment toconservation and restoration. As a not-for-profit partnership
between business and civil society organizations s, RER’s ambitious goal is to protect and restore a very large tropical wetland
within a production forest landscape. It aims to manage thepeatswamp forest with diverse partners, secure sustainable
livelihoods for nearby communities, work closely with government regulators, and demonstrate an integrated landscapemodel where deforestation is halted, all land is allocated to a
responsible management authority, and secure financing isavailable from responsibly managed production areas toenhance biodiversity and protect natural capital.
The RER project forms part of a response to a 2004 pro-gramme launched by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment andForestry to restore 1.7 million hectares of Indonesia’s degradedproduction forest through awarding ecosystem restoration
licenses. RER now has the responsibility for managing four ecosystem restoration licenses on the Kampar peninsula for a
60-year period.
The RER project is implemented in collaboration with Fauna& Flora International, The Nature Conservancy, and the local
social NGO Bidara. Following what is called the production-protection model; APRIL’s fibre plantations form a buffering ringaround a large peat dome in the centre of the peninsula. APRILGroup has a unique 1-for-1 commitment of conserving a hectareof natural forest for every hectare of plantation developed. With
400,000 hectares under its protection, including the restoration
forests on Kampar Peninsula, APRIL is at 83 per cent of this goal.
The challenges for a large pulp & paper company to achieve
such a goal are discussed with respect to governance, community perceptions, land tenure issues in Indonesia, existing protected areas on the Kampar peninsula, and sustainable financing
of restoration initiatives in Asia.
Some insights are presented around the opportunities for big
business to make significant and long-lasting impacts on large
areas of important wetlands. The story of the Kampar peninsula
would not be worth telling if it did not involve, and depend
upon, big business commitments, building wide-ranging partnerships and ultimately, protecting landscape level wetlands.

Poster Session III 111

Wetland Conservation in the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site

Wing-Sun Chow

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, HKSAR Government

Background
The Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay area of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR), the People’s Republic of China,
was listed as a Wetland of International Importance (i.e. Ramsar
Site) under the Ramsar Convention on 4.9.1995. The Ramsar Sitecovers an area of approximately 1,500 ha of wetland habitats,including 300 ha of inter-tidal mudflat, 350ha of inter-tidal
mangals, 230 haof gei wai (traditional shrimp ponds), 400 ha offishponds and about 260 ha of marshes, rivers and channels.
The listing isaformalrecognition of the internationalimportanceof the area and helps promote public awareness of the site.
Ecological Importance
The Inner Deep Bay area regularly supports 50,000 – 80,000
wintering migratory birds, including ducks, gulls and terns,
ardeids and spoonbills, shorebirds, cormorant, rails and coots.
Over 400 species, including 49 species of globally threatened
and near- threatened species according to the IUCN Red List
have been recorded, e.g. the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Blackfaced Spoonbill, Nordmann’s Greenshank, and Saunders’ Gull.
The site is also among the network of sites along the East Asian- Australasian Flyway for migratory waterbirds, which helps topromote public awareness, training and information exchange
on migratory shorebirds and thus contribute to the long-term
conservation of the birdsand their habitats along the Flyway.
Conservation Management
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department(AFCD) of the HKSAR Government is the administrative authority of the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site. It formulates andimplements the Ramsar Site Management Plan (RSMP) which
provides a framework for the conservation management of theRamsar Site. The work includes law enforcement, ecologicalmonitoring, advising on the wise use of wetland for development proposals, as well as partnership with non-governmentalorganisations(NGO) to carry out habitat management, public
education and bird monitoring programme.

According to the RSMP, the Ramsar Site is divided into fourManagement Zones with different management objectivesbased on habitattype, ecologicalvalueand land use. The Core
Zone(consisting of the inter-tidal mudflat and mangals) and the
Biodiversity Management Zone (consisting of gei wai), are primarily designated as a Restricted Area under the Wild Animals
Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170), where access is restricted topermit holders only. The Biodiversity Management Zone covers
the Mai Po Nature Reserve (MPNR) which is managed by WWFHong Kong with advice and financial support from AFCD. The
Wise Use Zone and Private Land Zone mainly consist of commercial fishponds.
The traditional practice of pond drain-down in commercial
fishponds during harvest provides additional feeding opportunities to waterbirds in the Deep Bayarea. Since 2012, the Government’s Environment and Conservation Fund has provided
funding to the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society to collaborate
with the fishpond operators through Management Agreement
projects to encourage the operation of the fishponds in an ecologically sustainable manner by continuing the traditional
drain-down practice, while conducting a wide range of public
education activities to promote local aqua culture and biodiversity conservation in the Deep Bay area. The project has achieved
win-win between fisheries and bird conservation and set an
example of wise use of wetlands.
In 2016, the Government has formulated the first city-level
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP) for Hong Kong, tostep up biodiversity conservation and support sustainable
development in the next five years (2016-2021). One of the key
actions is to maintain and enhance the management of theRamsar Site for biodiversity conservation. Continuous effort
will also be put in scientific research, promotion of sustainablefisheries and Management Agreement projects.

The return of the smooth-coated otter to Singapore:
distribution, growth, public perception and conservation management
Sivasothi N., Meryl Theng, Max Khoo

Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore

Smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicilata) are a native
species of Singapore but with the rapid development of themodern city state, otters were absent from teh mainland in
1970's and 1980's. There have also been heightened efforts toclean waterways, establish protected areas and increase thegreen cover of the country (including urban greenery such as
streetscapes) from 35.7% to 46.5%.
In the late 1990’s, smooth-coated otters returned from southern Malaysia to establish residence in the protected north-western mangroves of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Highly
adaptable they spread along natural coastal habitats and also
occupied modified inland waterways and reservoirs. They now
number some 70 individuals in about 10 families. Primarily fisheaters, they are feeding on a less diverse but abundant diet of
mostly exotic cichlids which dominate urban waterways. In
mangroves, prawns are part of this piscivores’ diet.
Rivers in Singapore are mostly canalised outside of theirheadwaters in nature reserves. Designed primarily for dispersalof rainwater, there are few sloping banks or riparian vegetationneeded by otters. Despite this, smooth-coated otters haveadapted to semi-natural and artificial structures along waterways for resting and sprainting sites, and holts for overnight
rest and natal dens. Several territorial family groups of 10-13
individuals live in such spaces and consists of parents with up
to three litters of cubs.
When individuals or groups of otters seek out new territories,
they must survive urban barriers such as highways, roads andconstruction sites. Their movements are monitored by research112 Poster Session III

ers, park managers, naturalists, nature photographers andmembers of the public who contribute records to the national
repository “Mammal Records,” and OtterWatch, a dedicatedFacebook page enabling photo submissions and information
sharing. Private What’s App chat groups of dedicated otter followers also provide good spatial information information toresearchers and managers.
Although urban otters live in proximity with people in the
narrow viable spaces adjacent to waterways, they have beenreasonably indifferent to or tolerant of people. The public areappreciative although there is some concern about their population number. To address various concerns and promote good
observer behaviours, an Otter Working Group comprised ofvarious government and non- government entities and individuals collaborate to produce advisories through physical signs,
engage with private property owners, conduct public outreachat otter sites and festivals, and provide support for news andsocial media sites, as well as documentary makers. This group
has also facilitated rescue of individuals, recovered dead otters,
and address concerns of the public and policy makers alike.
The smooth-coated otters’ close presence has resulted instudies of their diet, home range, activity pattern, reproduction,
aspects of behaviour, vocalisation and human-wildlife interaction. It is hoped that both the research and lessons from management since their return to Singapore will contribute toconservation efforts of otters in Asia.

The eſſect of benthos and fish habitat on the artificial tidal flat restration in urban canal areaKana Takeyama1, Katsuhiko Tanaka2, Kota Nakase1, Katsumi Ishibashi3, Hiroshi Kohno4

 1Penta-Ocean Construction Co.,Ltd., 2Tokai University, 3Ota City, 4Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

Omori Furusato no Hamabe Park is a policy that makes fulluse of the characteristics of the point of contact between theriver and the sea, and has the following four objectives as maintenance objectives. (1) Securing parks and green areas(2) Strengthen disaster prevention function in urban areas(3) Recovery of the point of contact between people and the sea(4) Improvement of water environment. The park is located deep
inner part of Tokyo Bay, and it consists of tidal flat area(1.0ha),
shallow water area(4.6ha) and sandy beach area(1.2ha). The
tidal flat was replaced and developed in Omori Hometown
Shore Project in august at 2002. And the sandy beach was developed at 2004. It is necessary to long-term study, manage andevaluate not only the geomorphic change but also the development and succession of fauna, thereby carrying out appropriate
evaluation and management.
In most cases, urban canal area is covered by upright seawalland dissolved oxygen concentration in the bottom layer is quite
low due to saline wedge and thermocline. In order to understand effect of natural restoration under severe environment inurban canal area, we have been monitoring change of benthos,fish, water quality and sediment since 2002, with universities
and research institutions. In addition, we also examined theseasonal occurrence pattern of fishes and water quality at small
tide pools in tidal flat to clarify the function of microtopography
as a biological habitat.
Result of water survey the canal area around the park wascovered by fresh water during summer, making the bottom
layer of the canal hypoxic and undesirable condition forbenthos. On the other hand, the bottom layer of artificial tidal
flat was not hypoxic mainly due to shallow water even in thesummer. Result of benthos survey, we could observe appear-

ance of polychaeta and bivalves throughout the year right after
the development of tidal flat, and there was seasonal variation.
However, we could not confirm appearance of benthos in thecanal area throughout the year. Result of fish survey lots ofjuvenile fishes of benthic fish such as Acanthogobius flavimanus
and Gymnogobius breunigii appeared in tidal flat and sandy
beach while the bottom layer of the canal area became hypoxic
from spring to summer. After autumn, the oxygen content in thebottom layer was also improved due to the improved oxygenation in the surrounding canal area, and it was speculated that
Acanthogobius flavimanus was moving to a deeper water area.
Moreover, after we developed microtopographic environment
such as tide pool in the tidal flat, those fishes which rely on tidepool, such as Pseudgobius masago appeared. These results
suggested that artificial tide pools have important ecological
function for fishes including rare species. And it is necessary todesign the tide pool of a variety for fishes.
This result indicates that role of shallow area such as tidal flatand sandy beach in canal is not only expanding habitat of creatures but also offering “evacuation area” for creature fromhypoxia during summer. Moreover, the result demonstrates
that rich fauna is composed by developing various types ofhabitat such as tidal flat, sandy beach, shallow area and microtopographic environment. It was suggested that tidal flats
created in the urban canal area function as habitat, evacuationsite and spawning sites for canal organisms and are important
places to maintain the biodiversity of the urban canal area.

High genetic diversity of Cottus pollux middle-egg type in Kyushu Island
and related river topographyKazuki Kanno, Norio OnikuraFishery Research Laboratory, Kyushu University

Cottus pollux (Japanese freshwater sculpin) is a unique freshwater sculpin endemic to Japan. It is widely distributed across
the Japanese archipelago where it preferentially inhabits cool,well-oxygenated and clear waters, such as gravel riffles inmountain streams (Ramsar wetland type classification M: permanent rivers/streams/creeks). Cottus pollux is considered
polytypic and includes three biological species, conveniently
named C. pollux large-egg (LE) type, C. pollux middle- egg (ME)type, and C. pollux small-egg (SE) type. These species are collectively called Cottus pollux complex. The three types of the C.
pollux are morphologically similar, but they can be distinguished based on the number of pectoral fin rays with LE individuals having 12–14 (mode 13), ME 13–16 (mode 15), and SE
15–17 (mode 16). In addition, studies have shown that the three
C. pollux types are genetically divergent, and that Cottus reinii
from Lake Biwa actually belongs to the SE group.
The population of C. pollux complex in Japan is thought to be
declining due to the presence of river barriers, such as dams
and weirs. In fact, both the SE and ME types have been designated as endangered (EN), and the LE types has been designated as near threatened (NT) according to the Red List
published by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment in 2015.
However, data on the distribution and genetic diversity of thisfish in Kyushu Island are sparse. Cottus pollux complex species
in Kyushu have sometimes been described as C. pollux ME andLE (Fukuoka Prefecture, 2014), simply C. pollux ME (Nagasaki
Prefecture, 2011), amphidromous and fluvial C. pollux (Saga
Prefecture, 2003), or C. pollux and C. reinii (Kumamoto Prefecture, 2014; Oita Prefecture, 2011). Therefore, the purpose of thepresent study was to better characterize the habitat, genetic,
and morphological diversity of C. pollux complex in Kyushu

Island.
Specimens were collected from 30 rivers in 20 river systems
in Kyushu. Based on the number of pectoral fin rays, sculpins
were divided into two types: modes 13 (M13) and mode 15(M15). M13 sculpins were distributed in upstream areas of large
river systems, while M15 individuals were distributed in downstream areas of small systems. Mitochondrial DNA analysis
showed that both types were in fact C. pollux ME. These findings indicated that C. pollux inhabiting Kyushu Island belongs
to one single genetic group (ME) which can be divided in two
groups according to morphological and distributional traits(fluvial M13, amphidromous M15). A more detailed genetic
analysis showed that the fluvial M13 group was in fact heterogeneous, with genetic differences detected in specimens fromdifferent rivers, whereas the amphidromous M15 group was
genetically homogenous. In addition, large differs wereobserved in terms of genetic diversity within the M13 groupbetween rivers. Next, we used two generalized linear models(GLM) to examine the relationship between river topographyand (1) M13 distribution, or (2) population genetic diversity. The
dependent variables were presence/absence and number of
haplotypes, respectively; while predictor variables included
topographical data collected by GIS, such as a mean gradient,percentage of metamorphic rocks, upper stream catchment
scales, and area of river systems. The distribution model
selected variables on habitat quality in a present condition,
while the genetic model selected variables on habitat quality ina long-term perspective.

Poster Session III 113

A Study on the Present Condition and Transition of Habitats
of Freshwater Mussels in the Kikuchi River


Kengo Saito1, Hironori Hayashi1, Hiroyuki Otubo2, Yukihiro Shimatani1

Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 2Nippon Koei Co. Ltd.

1

Unionoida mussels are the considered to be an important
Keystone species in the floodplain environment because they
are symbiotic with other species. Acheilognathus lay an egg toUnionoida mussels. On the other hand, glochidium birthedfrom Unionoida mussels adhere to host fish such as Rhinogobius
and extend their habitats.
However, the flood plain environment is deteriorating due tofarmland consolidation and disappearance of the wand. As aresult, Unionoida mussels are threatened with extinction, conservation and restoration of their habitats is an urgent task forriver environment. In this study, we tried to clarify the distribution of Unionoida mussels and the habitat restriction factors in
the middle part of the Kikuchi River, with the aim of obtaining
knowledge contributing to conservation and restoration of thehabitat of Unionoida mussels.
The distribution of the Unionoida species were surveyed at
371 points in Kikuchi River. The amount of effort in the survey
was 3 people × 10 minutes for each survey site. The type andindividual value of the captured Unionoida mussels wererecorded. In addition, the physical environment such as flow
velocity, water depth was measured.
The captured Unionoida mussels were released to the original point. As a result, 2416 individuals of seven species (Unio
douglasiae nipponensis, Pronodularia japanensis, Inversiunio
yanagawensis, Lanceolaria grayana, Obovalis omiensis, Anodonta japonica, Anodonta lauta) were discovered at 94 sites in
Kikuchi River. In the Yamaga basin (Kikuchi River), it was
revealed that the distribution of the Unionoida mussels were
extremely limited. On the other hand, it became clear that there

are hot spots where many individuals live intensively. The
reason why the hot spot existed is thought to be due to the slow
gradient, bed material easily accumulates, the flow velocity
slows down, and it is located around the village and there is no
major renovation from long ago. Statistical analysis by GLM
revealed that moderate flow velocity, depth of water and bed
material were important factors for the stable distribution ofUnionoida mussels.
In the Yamaga basin, it became clear that physical environment of irrigation channel is drastically changing by channelrenovation work using concrete structures. Specifically, a
remarkable increase in flow and a decrease of water depth arecaused. By calculating the flow velocity at the time of water
increase at Yamaga basin, it was revealed that there were somepoints where the habitat of Unionoida species coincided withthe point where the increase in flow velocity is small. The GLM
analysis was performed again in addition to the flow velocity at
the time of water increase, it was revealed that the flow velocity
at the time of water increase became a more important factor. It
was suggested that there is a relation between the flow velocity
at the time of water increase and the distribution of the Unionoida mussels. The flow velocity at the time of water increase ismainly the flow velocity of the waterway in the agricultural
season. When the flow velocity is fast at the time of water
increase, Unionoida mussels also flow together. It shows thatsuitable environment for Unionoida mussels are being lost by
on going channel renovation works. It is important to conserve
the hot spots and to conduct an action toward restoration ofdeteriorated environmental.

Analyses and counter measures on the severe damages to the ecosystem of the Awase Tideland areaof Okinawa Island, southwest Japan by a dredging and reclamation project
Awase Tideland is located in the east coast of Okinawa City,
Okinawa Island, south west Japan. Awase Tideland area has 112
ha sea grass / seaweed bed and 265 ha tidal flat and adjacentshallow sea area, floors of which are made of various sediments
such as mud, sand and coral gravel. There are also coral reefs
among the tideland. The numbers of shellfish species, sea grass
species, RDB species, new species and the population of a
migratory bird Pluvialis fulva in winter are the highest among
the tidelands in Japan.
Awase Tideland area is, no doubt, one of the hotspots of biodiversity in Japan, however, where Japanese government andOkinawa prefectural government are performing island reclamation and harbor dredging works. Local residents, NGO activists
and scientists organized Save-Awasetideland Network and madeoriginal researches on the impacts against the wetland ecosystem, local economy and public finance by the project, and on theestimated natural disasters on the reclaimed island. The results
showed the dredging and reclamation project would have negative effects on both human society and natural ecosystem. Elevennew species of sea animals and plants have been also discoveredand described since the reclamation began.
They made a lawsuit claiming claiming local governments
not to use tax money to the projectand the court affirmed
injunction of budgeting in 2009. The national and prefectural
governments made a minor change in the reclamation plan andrestarted the project. Now the 2nd lawsuit is on trial.
The reclaimed island with 95 ha area is now appearing at thecenter of Awase Tideland and the surrounding shallow sea area.
Changes as follows are observed in Awase Tideland area after theappearance of the island, none of which are expected in the environmental impact assessment report made by the government:[1] The coral colonies of a branch coral species Acropora asperain the tideland area are in the crisis of distinction.
114 Poster Session III

Jinen Kita1, Seiji Maekawa2, Norikazu Kameyama3

Okinawa Godo Law Office, 2Save-Awasetideland Network, 3University of the Ryukyus

1[2] Seawater repeatedly becomes muddy.
[3] A sandbank, which has long been a breeding site for a tern
Sterna albifrons, became completely inundated during hightide, and then it’s ground level fluctuates.
[4] Algae increase explosively, Ulva clathrata and another green
alga species in 2017 and a brown alga Hydroclathrus clathratus in 2016, which respectively resulted in the huge death ofshellfish including RDB species. Explosive increase in algae
and subsequent shellfish death has also occurred in the
Wajiro Tideland, Fukuoka, which also has a reclaimed island.
Such phenomena suggest the accelerating degradation ofenvironmental conditions in Awase Tideland. Okinawa prefectural government stated Save-Awasetideland Network that
Awase Tideland would be designated as prefectural wildlife
refuge by the autumn 2017, and then as national wildlife refuge.
Okinawa prefectural government clearly has the policy to makeAwase Tideland registered to Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
The dredging and reclamation project in Awase Tideland area
may be a severely damaging factor to the protection of thewetland ecosystem there as well as the sustainability of thelocal economy and public finance, as mentioned above. Therefore, the national and prefectural governments are required toalter the dredging and reclamation project policy and to realize
the conservation and wise use of wetland environment in Awase
Tideland area, which meets Ramsar Convention.
The activities for the protection of Awase Tideland, including
two lawsuits, also revealed that the enough involvement of local
residents, NGO specialists and scientists to the policy making
and administration process by the local/national governments
would be the better solution for the protection, restoration andwise use of local natural resources including tideland ecosystem. Japanese legislation is inadequate from this point of view.

The eſſects of river modiſication to the spawning habitat of Ice Goby (Leucopsarion petersii)


Hiroki Iyooka

Fukuoka University

As the result of the flood on July 2009, Hii River modification
began in 2010 and completed in 2015. In this modification,
nature oriented methods such as the slide down dredging which
does not change the cross profile and gradient of the river,removal and decentralization of the weirs and returning coarse
sediment components to the riverbed after the dredging wereadapted. Though some reports showed the positive effects tofish habitats such as more fishes migrated to the upstream
through the modified area, the effects of this modification was
not assessed enough especially in the downstream and estuarine area. In this study, we focused on the Ice Goby (Leucopsarion petersii) which specifically uses the cobble environment of
the upper brackish area as its spawning habitat. The effects of
the river modification to the spawning habitat for the Ice Goby
were investigated.
Field works were carried out on middle to end of April from2011 to 2016 at the Hii river estuary (1.8km to 4.6km from theriver mouth). Numbers of the batches of the eggs, sediment
components, salinity and water velocity were recorded at eachstation.
According to the result of the field work on 2011, a lot of eggs
were found in the range of 2.2km to 3.0km from the river mouth.
Early stage of the river modification seemed to have little effecton Ice Goby’s spawning habitat. During 2012 to 2015; the center
stage of the river modification, almost no eggs were found at theinvestigated area. Due to the slide down dredging and weirremoval of 3.3km (the past upstream end of the brackish area),
the tidal effect reached to the 3.6km. However the upstream endof the spawning area reached to the 4.2km. The most remarkable
spawning area moved from 2.2km to 2.9km after the river modification. And the spawning area became smaller and localized.
This might be related to the change of the sediment components
and riverbed salinity. Because of the turbid water formed turbidity maximum around the upstream of the brackish area, accumulation of the finer sediment caused negative impact directly tothe spawning habitat. Returned coarse gravels worked as aspawning substrate on the upstream side of the brackish area.
However the returned coarse gravels of the middle brackish area
had been buried by the sand after several small floods and they
did not worked as the spawning substrate.In the upstream area,
the slide down dredging would not change tractive force due tothe cross-sectional area and river gradient would not change. In
the estuarine area, so as the cross-sectional area would increase
due to tidal conditions even though the slide down dredging
were adapted, tractive force would be reduced and sediment
components tend to become finer.
In this river modification, though many adapted nature oriented methods achieved intended effects especially upstream
area, some did not especially in the brackish area. Though thetidal effects make the physical environment more complex, wehave to examine how the salinity and tractive force change inthe river estuary and decide where to restore fish habitats.

The influence of agricultural activities on water chemistry and aquatic biota
in the freshwater springs of Uchinada Dune, Japan

Masao Nagasaka1, Morihiro Takano2, Haruo Fukuhara3, Hisashi Takahashi3Kanazawa seiryo University, 2National Institute of Technology, Ishikawa College, 3Kahokugata Lake Institute1

Uchinada Dune is one of the largest coastal dunes in Japan. It
is located in a catchment area of Lake Kahokugata in Ishikawa
prefecture. It has a length of 20 km, a width of 1.5 - 2.0 km and amaximum height of 61.3 m. Some freshwater springs are naturally occurring at the foot of the dune.
Although the local inhabitants used to use both the springwater and the shallow groundwater for their daily life, they
stopped using the spring water recently. On the other hand, thefarmland and residential land have been constructed on thedune since 1950’s. Pump facilities were also built at the coast of
Lake Kahokugata to irrigate the farmland on the dune. For thesereasons, it is supposed that the water quality of the springs getworse. The purpose of this study is to document the present
state of the springs and to find out the way to conserve them.
Chemical properties of water, aquatic biota in the springs, thedistribution of the farmland on the dune and the variety of crops
at the farmland were surveyed from 2015 to 2016. The endangered plants and animals were not found in the springs at thissurvey. A total of 55 species of plant was found in the springs.
The dominant plants were Carex dispalata, Calamagrostis epigeios, Persicaria thunbergii, Oenanthe javanica and Iris pseudacorus. All of them are common hygrophyte. The aquatic fauna of
the springs was composed of 22 species. It was dominated bycrustaceans, insects and molluscans. As for crustaceans, Gnorimosphaeroma naktongense and Jesogammarus hokurikuensis
were found. These are the species typically seen in the springaround the coastal area. The main crops of the farmland on thedune were watermelon, sweet potato, vegetables and Chinese
white radish. Chinese white radish was planted in the autumn
season, following the harvest of watermelon. Annual utilization
rate of the farmland (the ratio of cultivated farmland to all of

farmland including a fallow) was 95%. Annual amount of fertilizer application for each crop was estimated using a cultivation
techniques manual for farmers. The average of nitrogen application of the farmland is 166.8 kg ha-1 year-1. It was reported thatover 300 kg ha-1 year-1 of nitrogen was applied in other costal
dune farmlands in Japan. The amount of nitrogen application to
the farmland in Uchinada Dune is smaller than the other farmland on dune in Japan.
However, high concentration of total nitrogen ranging from
2.7-7.2 mg l-1 was observed at the spring which is located in thenortheast foot of the dune. On the contrary, low concentrationof total nitrogen ranging from 0.4-4.9 mg l-1 was observed at the
spring which is located in the southwest foot of the dune. The
catchment area of the spring located at the northeast foot of thedune is mainly occupied by the farmland. On the other hand,
there is little farmland in the catchment area of the spring at thesouthwest foot of the dune. The water quality of the springs
would be affected negatively due to the application of fertilizers.
Appropriate fertilizer management is required to reduce nitrogenleaching from the farmland.

Poster Session III 115

New ſish fauna inventory and survey techniques for marine protected area planning:
Environmental DNA metabarcoding

Mitsuhiro Aizu1, Satoquo Seino2, Tetsuya Sado3, Masaki Miya3

Research Institute of Environment for Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University,
Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 3Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba
1

2

A Marine Protected Area (MPA) can be an effective tool for theconservation and sustainable use of marine and estuary biodiversity. In the Japanese legal system, coastal Ramsar sites are
regarded as MPAs. A local government has promoted the establishment of MPAs along the coast of Tsushima Island in Nagasaki
Prefecture, in response to declining fish catches and the loss ofseaweed forests. These areas once had several fine fishinggrounds and seaweed forests. The disappearance of seaweed
advanced gradually from the south, but reached Waniura Bay inthe northern part of the island in 2016. Data on fauna such as fishand zooplankton are necessary to establish and promote MPA
designation. Inventory surveys have been implemented atseveral sites. Previous surveys were conducted not only for scientific purposes but also for environmental assessments. In thecase of some environmental assessments, essential data on ecosystems was not collected because the main purpose was fordevelopment approvals. The lack of adequate data could result inecosystem damage by enabling destructive developments. Conventional methods of inventory surveys also involve long time
periods, incur significant costs, and require taxonomic expertise.
They are based mainly on literature searches and external morphology, the latter requiring a high degree of specialization.
Samples for morphological analysis are typically collected fromfield surveys by cast nets, scoop nets, and other tools. Fishcatches are also used to reveal information on coastal and offshore fish fauna.
However, with these sampling methods it is difficult to collectsmall fishes, so the results may not accurately reflect ecosystem
conditions. New inventory methods are needed to accurately

describe the ecosystems and limit the loss of important environments. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding can be usefulhere. The technique can reveal whole communities from DNA inwater samples, can conduct analyses quickly, and require no taxonomic knowledge. Expertise is only required for DNA extractionin the laboratory; almost anyone can collect the eDNA samples
from water after receiving basic training. In this study, we applied
this technique to an inventory survey to assess the fish faunaalong the coast of Waniura Bay. Water samples were collected inAugust 2016, and total DNA was extracted and metabarcoding
was conducted using MiFish primer in MiSeq sequencing in September 2016 at the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba.
Compared with the 379 species identified in previous studies
based on conventional methods in a larger area, this study identified over 70 species from the water samples taken from a small
area. The banded blue sprat (Spratelloides gracilis) was the mostcounted species, and this could be explained by a shoal of thesefish staying around the sampling area, and also by the area
having a sandy bottom (the species favors that environment).
This study showed the utility of eDNA metabarcoding for inventory surveys, and the environmental conditions could also be
postulated based on fish fauna data. This technique could complement conventional methods and be applied for inventory
surveys in other areas to reveal detailed information aboutmarine and estuary ecosystems. Monitoring based on eDNA
metabarcoding can be used to quickly reveal changes in ecosystems. Our study demonstrated the potential benefits of these
new techniques, including contributions to establish and effectively manage MPAs.

Corn and Cameras: Wildlife Management Issues in Restoring
the Migration of Red- Crowned Cranes in Hokkaido, Japan

Takehiro Watanabe, Takeshi ItoSophia University

The conservation history of Kushiro Wetland, in Eastern Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is entwined with the historyof protecting the red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis). Oncethought to be domestically extinct, this charismatic bird has
experienced a healthy increase in numbers due to early national-level protection of this species and its habitat, support fromlocal communities, and the prohibitive cost of wetland drainage.
The conservation program of this species is regarded as a successful case of community-based initiative and had contributed
to the protection of Kushiro Wetland, Japan’s first Ramsar site.
The cranes, however, face challenges brought on by thissuccess. The winter feed program has caused a dependency on
and familiarity with humans, resulting in traffic accidents anddamage to farms. In particular, the crane damage to dairy cows
is substantial and has been a major regional issue. Also fuelingthe farmers’ frustration is the increase in the number of tourists
and birdwatching enthusiasts, sparked by the crane’s iconic
status and investment in transportation infrastructure that has
made traveling easier. Moreover, the overcrowding at feedingstations has led to international concerns about bird influenza
and other diseases.
One goal in Japan’s red-crowned crane conservation is therestoration of its original migratory behavior. For conservationists, the ultimate goal would be to restore the migratory patterns so that they visit wetlands in the central and southern
portions the Japanese archipelago. But what happens when thisbird species, begins to winter in other communities that may beless forgiving to the damage they cause? Would the birds beable to survive wetlands with less protection and feed?
This paper identifies the social obstacles facing efforts torestore the migratory pattern of this crane species, by examin116 Poster Session III

ing the relationship with stakeholders in on-going conservation
efforts in Hokkaido. Local farmers and fish hatcheries are
dealing with damage to their livestocks and salmon fries,
respectively. Especially problematic is the cranes’ wintertime
dependency on dent corn, which is also used as feed for dairy
cows. The tourism industry is also encouraged to limit humancontact with the cranes by educating photographers who
disturb crane habitat and propagation. Moreover, the cranes
themselves must be re-trained in human-based environments.
Currently, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, with thesupport of scientists and civic groups, is implementing a feed
reduction program, in order to encourage the dispersion of thebird population. Some cities are currently receiving cranes(Mukawa City) or planning to reconstruct wetlands as crane
habitat (Naganuma City). Yet it is becoming evident that providing wetland habitat will be insufficient, as wildlife-human conflicts are predicted. This effort must also grapple with how tomanage the ecological and social links between wetlands ofdifferent levels and styles of wildlife management. This linking
of wetlands via birds, a key guiding principle of the Ramsar
Convention, may also require distant human communities toshare information and coordinate programs with local managers who are at the frontline of the conservation efforts.
The conservation efforts for the red-crowned cranes in
Eastern Hokkaido exhibits a wider problem for wetland restoration as it highlights the continuing problem with Japan’s landuse policy. Problems of human-animal conflict, a major issue inwildlife management programs worldwide, will be addressed.
The presentation will explore the question of whether theconcept of “wise use” can be expanded to wildlife as a beneficiary of wetlands.

The environmental conservation in Yatsu wildlife protection area

Kiwamu Kawaguchi1, Sohei Ikeda1, Shuji Kanda1, Aya Genseki2, Yoshihiro Natori3

Yatsu Higata (Yatsu Tidal Flat) is a muddy/sandy tidal flat withthe area of 40 hectares located at 2 kilometer inland of Tokyo Bay.
Two canals with 6 meter width connect Yatsu Higata with Tokyo
Bay, and the sea water comes in and flows out through thecanals along with the ebb and flow of the sea. Because of thevarious and large number of migratory shorebirds and waterfowls hosted by Yatsu Higata, it was designated as an official siteof Ramsar Convention in 1993.
More than 110 species of birds are able to be observed in ayear including about 70 shorebird and waterfowl species. Since
Yatsu Higata is a major stopover for migratory birds, we canobserve large number of shorebird corresponding to 10% of
entire shorebirds coming to Japan.
In addition to the bird species, Yatsu Higata hosts many kindsof aquatic creatures such as fishes, worms, crabs, bivalves andso on. Abundance of the benthic species makes Yatsu Higata
good place for feeding and resting for migratory birds.
The Ministry of Environment designated Yatsu Higata as awildlife protection area aiming to protect the environment forbirds. Number of shorebirds migrating to Japan is decreasing
recently. Comparing to 1993 when Yatsu Higata was designatedas an official site of Ramsar Site Convention, the numbers ofshorebirds decreased to be 1/4.The Ministry of Environment
started conservation project in 2010 to improve habitat conditionof Yatsu Higata to restore the number of the migrate birds.
The feature of this conservation project's approach is thatbased on scientific data, the project was carried out with emphasis on the current status grasping –> factor analysis –> countermeasure examination –> effectiveness verification flow. Also, inorder to deal with the uncertainty of countermeasures, we carefully examined the adequacy of countermeasures based on
small-scale demonstration tests. Furthermore, in order to

IDEA Consultants, 2Ministry of The Environment, 3Wetlands International Japan1

promote efforts, it is necessary to obtain understanding andcooperation not only by the business operator, the Ministry of
the Environment, but also related organizations in the area, residents, etc., in order to form consensus and share information
with the region , Opening a website, holding local briefing sessions and events, and building monitoring systems that local
residents can participate.
As a result of these efforts, by the year 2014, we confirmed thechange of benthic organisms by improving bottom sediments,
the effect of removal of sediments in rivers connecting tidelandand sea, etc. for improving the habitats of waterfowl species ,And devised an effective countermeasure method. In addition,by raising the ground and installing piles at the sedimentary
spot of Aosha, the frequency of spoilage odor was reduced toabout 1/6 of that of the comparison area, and the living environment of the surrounding residents was improved. Approximately
9,000 people visited the website, about 260 people participated,
6 events, stated about 500 people participated, about 50 participants to participate in the citizen participation monitoring Thereare 320 postings since then, many local residents are interested
in Yatsu Higata, and participation and cooperation in conservation project efforts are obtained.

Sustainable Forest Management for Soil and Water Resourse under SGEC Certification
Yuuko Iizuka



Sumitomo Forestry Co. Ltd.

Sumitomo Forestry can trace its beginnings to the use of wood
harvesting operations in neighboring forests to fortify the Besshi
Copper Mine opened in Ehime Prefecture in 1691. Timber was
crucial for the mining operation, as it was needed in construction,
for the mine posts, and for the fuelwood to refine copper.
However, by the end of the 19th century, the forests around theBesshi Copper Mine were facing severe degradation due to long
periods of excessive harvesting and smoke pollution. The thenprincipal of the mine, Teigo Iba, believed that “allowing this land
to be degraded while moving forward with business made possible by its fruits runs counter to the proper course of our relationship with nature. We must return all the mountains of Besshi totheir verdant state.” With this belief, he launched the Great
Reforestation Plan in 1894 to restore the forests that had beenlost. Through a process of trial and error, and by implementing
large-scale planting efforts of up to more than one million trees
per year, the mountains were eventually returned to a state ofrich greenery. It is the sustainable forest management based on
this spirit of repaying what has been reaped from the land thatserves as the starting point for Sumitomo Forestry’s businessactivities and for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.
Currently, Sumitomo Forestry owns forests in Hokkaido,
Shikoku, Wakayama and Kyushu, corresponding to a total area ofover 46,000 hectares, or about 1/900 of the land area of Japan.
These company-owned forest is managed based on this principleof sustainable forest with the cycle of planting and carefully cultivating trees before harvesting them, according to the forest management plan established by the Company every five years. They
are also 100% certified under SGEC (Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council).
The SGEC certification requires forest management with sevencriteria that include preservation of biodiversity and the conser-

vation and maintenance of soil and water resources. While
Sumitomo Forestry has gobs of expertise in forest managementwith its long history of experience, acquiring the third party certification is a way to show its commitment to sustainability andhigh quality of operation to the interested stakeholders. Prior toacquiring the SGEC certification in 2006, the Company created an
operation manual for the riparian forest and set the policy to conserve 15m wide area alongside rivers. By adding this riparian
information to our proprietary Forestry Management Data
Mapping System, which amalgamates tree species, ages andother information with map data, it can secure forestry operation
in a sustainable manner.
Production of timber has been the major focus of the forest
management. However, Sumitomo Forestry strives to expand
the functions and roles of forest, such as water resource cultivation and landslide prevention, through its sustainable forest
management. We also wish to provide opportunities for stakeholders to understand the close link with forests and wetland as
one of water resources.

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