New City Regulation: Compensate Damage to Environment by Restoration Elsewhere

The city council of Shiki in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, passed a nature restoration ordinance that obligates developers to compensate for environmental destruction. With the ordinance taking effect on October 1, 2001, Shiki City became the first municipality in Japan to implement such environmental restoration measures.

Under the terms of this ordinance, environmental damage should be avoided or minimized in all municipal public works projects when adverse impacts on nature can be foreseen. The ordinance further requires that developers compensate for unavoidable damage to nature, if any, by restoring the equivalent natural functions and values on an alternate site.

The city government also calls for the cooperation of citizens and private construction companies in promoting natural conservation and restoration.



Posted: 2002/11/13 05:18:03 AM
Japanese version