Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport authorized 21 community-oriented riverside development projects on March 30, 2007.

The projects are grouped into five categories: three projects in river development, 12 in riverbank development, two in river refurbishment, three in riverside afforestation and one in disaster prevention.

The river development projects aim to create water parks that will attract local residents as places of recreation and relaxation. The riverbank development projects are to restore riverbanks to become learning places where children can have a nature-based experience. The river refurbishment projects are integrated with regional development to conserve and restore the natural environments of rivers and the surrounding areas. The riverside afforestation projects are to promote greening riverbanks by planting cherry trees. The disaster prevention project is designated to create a station that facilitates restoration activities in case of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes.

The local governments and the river administrators of the approved rivers are required to draw up specific plans within a year or two and prioritize implementation of the projects based on the plans.



Posted: 2007/09/12 03:12:59 PM
Japanese version

TAG Ecosystem , Government , Local government