Hundreds of hectares of sand dunes and forests have been lost along coastal areas from Aomori to Chiba prefectures that were inundated by tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Hundreds of hectares of sand dunes and forests have been lost along coastal areas from Aomori to Chiba prefectures that were inundated by tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
According to an Environment Ministry survey released Nov. 12, about 1,300 hectares have disappeared since the March 11, 2011, disaster.
The ministry confirmed the loss of the sand dunes and the coastal forests by comparing aerial photos and satellite images taken after the tsunami with those taken before, and then conducting on-the-spot surveys.
Details of the survey will be announced at the 1st Asia Parks Congress to be held in Sendai from Nov. 13 to 17.
Some of the sand dunes and the forests have become wastelands as a result of the tsunami. Others have been repurposed as debris storage sites or for other uses, making it easier for non-native species to invade those areas.
The ministry also compared the areas with a map dating back about 100 years. Many of the areas in those days were tidal flats or swamps, and were later converted to rice fields through land reclamation. However, the 2011 tsunami turned them back into swamps again. Those areas include the Idagawaura district in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.
“We hope that the survey results will be utilized (as reference materials) when the people concerned consider how to use the land in the future,” said an official of the ministry.