The essence of the 'Yahagi River [Japan] method,' as seen in the Yahagi River basin environmental movement
2007
Takahashi, S.(Toyota Yahagi River Inst., Aichi (Japan))
Today there is a heightened awareness of our environment, rendering an exclusive focus on development no longer acceptable. People have started to demand development that is appropriate to each locality and to organize for the preservation of the natural environment, including our rivers. All over Japan, groups are springing up to protest reckless and unregulated development. In keeping with this trend, our River Law was revised in 1997, so that when river improvement projects are drafted, they will reflect the wishes of local community residents. 'The Yahagi River Method' is a river improvement method developed by local community residents from the 1960s through to the 1970s. With the current rise in environmental awareness, this method has achieved an excellent reputation. Although a number of attempts have been made to apply it to other environmental problems, none have produced satisfactory results. The objective of this study was to examine such extrapolated instances of failure and determine what missing factor might have accounted for such repeated failures. And so, I began by conducting a historical survey of the process by which this method was initially established together with its relation to the social context of that period. This eventually resulted in available insight into that the essence of the method, which was not an emphasis on strict rules or system surveillance, or protest movements. It was rather, the effort to build mutual understanding and promote consultation between the victims and perpetrators of environmental degradation. This led to the conclusion that the continued failure of this method was largely due to the fact that this crucial element of consultation was ignored and has only recently been re-emphasized.
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