Ministry of Environment to Start Monitoring 1000 Sites

As a project designed to promote monitoring of important ecosystems, Japan's Ministry of the Environment has decided to select about 1,000 monitoring sites nationwide during the next five years for a long-term survey. The project budget for this fiscal year is about 400 million yen (about U.S. $3.4 million).

The 1000 Monitoring Sites project is one of the main themes in Japan's new National Biodiversity Strategy, revised in 2002. The project aims to collect high quality data in order to develop strategic conservation measures. Towards this aim, the Ministry will attempt to assess at an early stage the qualitative and quantitative damage to the natural environment caused by development, poor management, invasive species, and so on.

The monitoring sites will include ecosystems considered important for biodiversity conservation, such as nearly untouched natural forests, tidal flats and seaweed beds, as well as ecosystems perceived to be relatively impacted by human activities, such as urban parks. The Ministry intends to develop careful monitoring survey methods, and establish a system to collect data in cooperation with local experts, non-governmental organizations and others.

The MOE has also regularly carried out National Surveys on the Natural Environment every five years or so since 1973, in order to gather basic information on natural terrestrial, inland-water, and marine ecosystems across the country. The new survey will provide an additional high-quality scientific database for each type of ecosystem.

http://www.biodic.go.jp/cbd/outline/rev-unedited.pdf

Posted: 2003/06/25 09:39:38 AM
Japanese version