Project

Environmentally-friendly and sustainable agriculture through sediment transport management at the basin level

Summary

Sugadaira Plateau supports urban consumption as one of Japan’s leading highland vegetable production areas. However, sediment runoff from agricultural land has damaged the Sugadaira Wetland ecosystem to the point that many rare animals and plants are now threatened with extinction. Furthermore, sediment deposited at the downstream Sugadaira Dam has impaired dam functions, including agricultural water supply to 3,800 basin farms, water supply to 25,000 people, and electricity supply to 2,700 households. Therefore, transitioning to environmentally-friendly plateau agriculture in light of sediment runoff is essential to the sustainability of the entire basin.

 

We will 1) conduct quantitative evaluation of the effects of sediment runoff reduction, such as dispersed settling basins, field embankments and permeable mulch materials as well as their societal costs. We will also 2) clarify the impact of sediment runoff on ecosystems, plants and animals as well as nutrient salt circulation, while also clarifying the effects of sediment runoff reduction measures. 3) Furthermore, by using social analysis to clarify the effectiveness and requirements of a system where dam operators and those befitting downstream pay for some of the costs of converting the upstream basin to environmentally-friendly agriculture, we aim to establish sediment transport management measures at the basin level.

 

 

 

Company

Mountain Science Center

Main member