GREAT FOREST WALL PROJECT Japan

February 2016

1 KEY INFORMATION

Climate mitigation PROJECT TYPE 5

Ecosystem regeneration, protective forest 4 Biodiversity Self-sufficiency 3 LOCAL PARTNER 2 The Great Forest Wall Project 1

PARTICIPANTS Regeneration of ecosystems 0 Culture

Local communities affected by the 2011 tsunami in northeast cost of Japan: inhabitants, local authorities, schools...

MAIN THEMES Climate adaptation Community empowerment

- Restore natural forests and damaged ecosystems Economic development

- Protect residents MAIN SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS - Empower communities

- Build on Japanese cultural traditions

STATUS FEBRUARY 2016

Project design

2 2 LOCATION Northeast coast of Japan, To h o k u r e g i o n

Along the northeastern coast of Japan affected by the Great Northeast Japan Earthquake, the Great Forest Wall Creation of a lifeguarding Project will build a five-meter-high forest from Aomori embankment from soil and debris prefecture to Fukushima created by the earthquake. prefecture Then, along with volunteers and local residents, they will plant evergreen broadleaf trees that are indigenous to the area to create a “lifeguarding forest of tide embankment.”

The plan is to plant 90 million trees and extend the Great Forest Wall for 300 kilometers.

3 3 CONTEXT Necessity to integrate the needs of the coastal environment in rebuilding strategies

Until 11 March 2011, Japan had the biggest concrete breakwaters in the world, but they were shattered by the tsunami and proved inadequate to protect the coastal residents.

Also inadequate turned to be the non- indigenous pine forests that were established hundreds of years ago as a windbreak.

Environmentalists are calling for a more thorough evaluation of what will best protect residents and maintain the ecosystems that provide a livelihood to the region.

Natural forests and tidal flats are a better protection in many areas than concrete barriers and single species forests. . The cost of building new massive concrete breakwater will be enormous, consume many resources, and require regular maintenance while blocking the natural intertidal zones and causing havoc with the complex ecosystems in the area. Instead, the Great Forest Wall Project advocates for a living ecology of woodland that can last thousands of years.

4 4 OBJECTIVES Creating life saving forests

- Depollute and restore local damaged ecosystems by the tsunami

- Create a natural forest by closely planting together different types of trees of the L A N D potential natural vegetation of the land, based on the Miyawaki Method REGENERATION - Fertilize the ocean and rivers: minerals produced in the forest run into the ocean through rivers and groundwater, and nurture various forms of aquatic life

- Create a rich ecological resource for the natural ecosystem and recreation opportunities

- Use sustainable forests as a buffer against any future tsunami (it is expected that PROTECTION the tree seawall will cut the power of tsunamis by 50% and reduce undertow dangers)

- Create a very intense but also sustainable form of land-use following traditional Shinto beliefs and customs, that focus above all on harmony with Nature and C O M M U N I T Y within the community

- Support grass roots initiatives and social mobilization to rekindle possibility, pro- activity, and socio-economic development

5 5 LOCAL PARTNER T h e G r e a t F o r e s t W a l l P r o j e c t

The Great Forest Wall Project is a Japanese Foundation founded as a response to the Tohoku Earthquake of 11 March 2011.

The President is Morihiro Hosokawa, former Prime Minister of Japan.

The Vice-President is Dr. Akira Miyawaki, a vegetation ecologist, professor emeritus of Yokohama National University. He is active worldwide as a specialist in the restoration of natural vegetation on degraded land.

Former Prime Minister Morihiro Akira Miyawaki, botanist and expert in Hosokawa, President of The Great plant ecology, Vice-President of the Forest Wall Project. Great Forest Wall Project.

6 6 PLANTED SPECIES

Dr. Miyawaki promotes forest regeneration using the local potential natural vegetation.

Planted trees are a combination of species local to the region, such as Castanopsis, Machilus, Persea and evergreen oak.

Following Dr. Miyawaki’s method, tree seedlings are planted very dense (3 trees / m2) and mixed. This results in creating forests of tall and medium high trees as found in natural forest systems, which will reinforce diversity and resistance.

The soil of the newly planted trees are covered by rice straw that serve as moisture for the trees (fixed with rope in order to prevent that the wind will take the straw). Castanopsis

7 PLANTATION MODEL

In most coastal areas affected by the 2011 tsunami, debris have been transported to other communities for processing. In the plantation site of Accorhotels, the mayor and the community decided to use the tsunami debris to build hills and embankments.

Trees are planted on small hills that serve as evacuation points in the event of natural disasters. The hills are around 8 meters high and are connected by embankments with an height of 5 to 6 meters. The embankments are also planted with trees.

The plantation site in Iwanuma-shi is situated in former rice-paddies.

Diversification of tree species is a keyword in the project area. An artificial forest of pine trees proved to be inadequate to withstand the power of the waves that came from the tsunami.

8 The "Great Forest Wall Project" is an effort to protect lives from future tsunamis by mixing disaster debris with soil to form an embankment along the Tohoku coastline and planting various types of native trees along its top. 9 The planted trees will strike root deep in the ground for about four to six meters, and in 15 to 20 years, they will grow into a 10 reliable forest that acts as a buffer against a possible tsunami attack.

With roots that grow deep in the ground, natural forests are resistant to severe environmental conditions like rain and wind. Embankments have been created and trees are being planted during volunteer events called “Planting Festivals” that feature 11 immense support from companies, colleges, schools both locally and from far away. The actual techniques and models have been applied by Professor Akira Miyawaki in a variety of locations both in Japan and overseas. He has pioneered the use of embankments and trees to protect communities while adding natural resources to an area12 instead of taking them away. Weeding and other human support for tree growth are required only for the first three years after planting. Thereafter, forest 13 management is left to nature. Thousands of saplings have already been planted since 2011, but the tree seawall will require many more if it is going to regenerate the Tohoku forests strongly enough to withstand another tsunami. 14 Volunteers come from all over Japan. The motives are always varied and intense, but building the forest wall is an opportunity 15 for everybody to come together as a community, with a common concern for the future. The project serves as an example case for the local and national government and therefore demonstrates the importance of planting trees to reduce the effects of natural disasters, which are instigated by climate change. 16 "Forests are life itself. Humans have survived until today supported by forests. The life for surviving tomorrow begins with 17 creating true 'forests of life' by planting trees today.“, says Dr. Akira Miyawaki Planting tree seawalls is of course more than a pragmatic, sensible return to nature. It is also a way of recovering spiritually. 18 19