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https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/saving-forests-to-protect-coastal-ecosystems-japan-sets-historic-example/>
"KESENNUMA CITY, Japan — Forests cloak steep slopes descending from the
tree-covered peak of Oshima Island, while oyster farms dot the deep blue waters
of the strait below. On a far shore, houses cluster below the wooded slopes of
more steep hills. This verdant view makes it easy to fathom how this area
sparked a nationwide movement to conserve forests as a way to protect estuary
fisheries.
Still, Kesennuma is far from the only place in Japan where people appreciate
and cultivate healthy forests to contribute to healthy coastal waters. The
island nation — with its more than 30,000 kilometers (nearly 19,000 miles) of
coastline, nearly 100 major river systems, and two-thirds of its land covered
in trees — has long inspired various actors to protect onshore watersheds as a
way to preserve water quality in the bays and estuaries they feed into.
The government, for example, designates certain woodlands as “protection
forests” based on the ecosystem services they provide. Among the 17 categories
of protection forest, “fish forests” specifically highlight the relationship
between forests and coastal seas.
Japan’s commercial fishers, too, have played a leading role in raising
awareness of watershed importance. Beginning in the late 1980s, fishers in
Kesennuma and other locales began planting trees with the goal of safeguarding
their marine livelihoods.
Today, Japanese researchers are finding evidence of the benefits forests
provide for marine life, confirming the local knowledge fishers have garnered
over generations through firsthand experience. In 2021, researchers from
Hokkaido University and Kyoto University found that greater watershed forest
cover correlates to a higher number of vulnerable fish species in the watershed
estuaries studied.
But while it’s tempting to imagine forests as a silver bullet for preserving
marine ecosystems, experts point out that the interplay between Japan’s people,
forests and seas is complex, with results not necessarily aligning with the
simple environmental narratives people construct.
However, Japan’s historical forestry example, and its ongoing research into the
terrestrial-oceanic interface, could benefit the rest of the world — especially
as intensifying land-use change and worsening climate change-driven storms
increase agricultural and industrial pollution and soil erosion that can
degrade coastal fisheries."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
