Abstract
Watarease-yusuichi, a man-made retarding basin, which has functioned as a flood control for about 100 years, entered a new phase in 2012 as a registered site under the Ramsar Convention. Through diversification of wetland use, despite the complexity of the root of the Convention’s “wise use,” Watarase-yusuichi represents a unique perspective on sustainable development so that wetlands can continue creating new value for human society. The emerging ecological function as the habitat for endangered fauna and flora exemplifies not only the universal paradigm shift in human involvement in the wetland’s use, but also the importance of the integration of stakeholders regarding the issues of wetland management as IRBM (the Integrated River Basin Management), which gives us more holistic perspective on a participatory and comprehensive approach to planning and management. Regarding the integration of stakeholders, despite the significant differences in original ideas on wetland management, it should be noted that five major types of stakeholders, including the local and scholarly communities, collaborated to device a future plan for Watarase-yusuichi through lengthy discussions. The several challenges remain in terms of “wise use” even after the successful designation under the Ramsar Convention. One of the difficulties is how to share a common goal or incentive among groups with different interests. Taking the advantage of wetland’s characteristics distinguished from other water-related facilities such as a multi-purpose dam reservoir, regular and innovative action should be taken, such as information dispatch from individuals.
Highlights
Watarase-yusuichi, that is, the Watarase Retarding Basin, which is a man-made 3,300-hectare wetland located almost in the center of the Kanto Plains, serves as the vital point for flood control of the Tone River System
This paper focuses on the conceptual framework for “wise use” of wetlands in the case of Watarase-yusuichi, examines “wise use” from the perspective of the integration of stakeholders, and analyzes the future possibility to contribute to creating wetland value in comparison with a different type of man-made water infrastructure, the Miyagase Dam, a multi-purpose dam reservoir located on the Kanto Plains
The first is the universal paradigm shift in human involvement in the wetland’s use, which is presented by the complex roots of “wise use” under the Ramsar Convention (Sugiura, 2018a), and the second is the integration of stakeholders on the issue of wetland management (Sugiura, 2018b)
Summary
Watarase-yusuichi, that is, the Watarase Retarding Basin, which is a man-made 3,300-hectare wetland located almost in the center of the Kanto Plains, serves as the vital point for flood control of the Tone River System. Despite the dark side of the development history underlying the water work project, due to the pattern of submerged land being untouched, the retarding basin has come to have an ecological function. This function eventually resulted in its designation as a registered wetland under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 2012, especially as Waterfowl Habitat (hereinafter the Ramsar Convention). This paper focuses on the conceptual framework for “wise use” of wetlands in the case of Watarase-yusuichi, examines “wise use” from the perspective of the integration of stakeholders, and analyzes the future possibility to contribute to creating wetland value in comparison with a different type of man-made water infrastructure, the Miyagase Dam, a multi-purpose dam reservoir located on the Kanto Plains
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