The riparian areas of USA, Japan and Europe have already settled as an ideal place of coexistence with people and nature. Regardless of intact natural areas, once damaged waterside forests have successfully restored to serve as a cozy resting place for the locals
Riparian Forest and Riparian Area
Today, the riparian area sheathed with vegetation could be of nature. On the other hand, some places result from engineering approach with purpose of soil stabilization or restoration. Namely, it can be said that riparian forest is the most important ‘bio-filter’ protecting surrounding natural environment from not only excessive erosion and sedimentation but also contaminated outflows. Additionally, it forms shade inside to control the waterside ecosphere’s temperature which eventually help to provide the optimal environmental ground for aquatic creatures, as well as letting plants’ root prevent from soil erosion and play a role of strengthening natural embankments. Together with open riverside areas, the riparian forest positioned close to human civilization is becoming a precious area for comfortable rest and recreation for people as resource of amenity and recreation. Many countries are striving to restore their riparian forests damaged, during the past industrialization era, into friendly coexistent areas among human and natural creatures.
Riparian forests of the world, its present condition and utilization
JAPAN - Restored riparian forests take key role of aquatic environment protection and circulation
The Arakawa is the river flows from Jichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan into Tokyo Bay. While its upper region has preserved habitats for wild species with biotope for restoration and ecopark, the middle region of the river is equipped with protective riverside buffer zone from flood, so it comes to mitigate latent threat out of inundation, with being utilized for picnic and recreational activities like baseball, golf and so forth. The Shibetsu River (Shibetsu Gawa) in Hokkaido Island of Japan has gone through indiscriminate development during 1970’s industrialization so that its almost meandering curves were shoveled to be of straight line. And out of the loss of flood plain, the original form and value of riparian forest were considerably sullied. Hence it had resulted in tangible loss of fishery resources. In that situation, under the cooperation with Ministry of National Land and Transportation, the residents pushed forward ambitious plan of river restoration, with aiming to restore the river which can hold viability and natural dispersion of fishes. Through the process, it proved that restored riparian forest came to take considerable roles in flow control, creation of biotopes, protection for aquatic environment and socio-ecological circulation.
Europe - London Wetland Centre in the Thames, the worldly successful model
The London Wetland Center (total 40 ha) which is located on the Queen Elizabeth Street along the Thames in London is a phenomenal success story among riparian vegetation belts created in urban area in the aspect of biodiversity, preservation and enhancement. This center had its ground breaking in 1994 and completed to open in 2000 by WWT (The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) founded by Sir Peter Markham Scott, a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter and sportsman, with benevolent fund and redemption of development profit. As a pacesetting civilian organization in wetland preservation, WWT runs specialized wetland center nine locations of the country. It is highly praised as a model for implementing the sustainability of public value.
The London Wetland Center was once a floodplain and there was an artificial reservoir to supply tap water to the west area of London. The city decided to remove the concrete embankment and revetment structures to transform into present wetland ecosystem. There are many biotic habitats like diverse scaled marshes, lakes, reed fields, seasonal alluvion and swamp forests, with the themes of 30 worldwide wetland ecosystems. Additionally, it is created in the concept of bio-network so that migratory birds and other creatures depending on wetland could live in.
USA -the Willamette River where beautiful primeval forests have been kept
In the vast Northern American continent, formed with various climate zones, especially the western area fronting the Pacific Ocean combines a Mediterranean climate. The vegetation of its inland ecosystem, fed by prolific rainfall and moderate temperature, has a characteristic scenic view with coniferous trees of giant sequoia, Douglas fir, hemlock as well as deciduous broad-leaved trees of oak and maple. However, the climate condition with the summer of dry heat and the winter of humid and low temperature have brought fertile forest vegetation, on the other hand, it also have been a factor restricting people’s coming and going for so long. The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and Cascade Range to form a confluence with main stream in Portland city. The alluvion area of the Willamette opened western frontier era thanks to its fertile prolificacy of the soil condition. And some sectors were designated as National Natural Landmark with outstanding scenic view, and later, they were added as one of the Ten American Heritage River. The natural sceneries, however, were resulted from characteristic climate environment and its abundant water resources; on the other hand, this superb natural landscape was a fatal restriction factor for the Native Americans. That is, during summer, the crop growth duration, it is needed sufficient water supply. But, the climate condition of reality shows severe drought in summer and devastating flood in rainy winter. Since it had been recurrent catastrophic disaster, they had presumably difficulties in establishing firm agricultural civilization.
Today’s middle and lower areas of the Willamette is mainly embankment and straightened waterways, and waterside areas also almost consist of farmland or pasture land and urbanized land use. Partially, nevertheless, riparian forests remain in continuity along the riverside area in the shape of natural embankment in around area adjacent to lake or marsh. The past period of western pioneer, the Willamette was a key line of commodity delivery and traffic. But because of difficulties out of meandering streams, the need for improvement was inevitable. After mid-20 century, construction of dams on tributaries, straightening of the waterways and enhancement on revetments were implemented in full scale. This led to the ecological problems concerning breeding migration of salmons and water pollution on tributaries near Portland city. Meanwhile, the upper and middle area of the river still preserves natural state intact with abundant forests as riparian buffer zones. Those riparian forests function as not only cardinal passage to wildlife animals and plants but also pleasant recreation area for people.
Riparian area is the ideal environment which can satisfy all spectrums of creatures
Under the paradigm of sustainable green growth in 21C, riparian areas are becoming the core value of future competitiveness as integrated amenity resource affinitive with human’s life. As a cradle of world civilizations, rivers and its surrounding riparian area have been mutual resource for nature and human. On the other hand, they were the place of struggle for surviving.
Plants and its society, called as vegetation, are the fundamental of the system which raise creatures of the planet. Riparian area is the most optimal environment for vegetation’s prosperity. Additionally, since it is ideal environment with desirable positioning for aquatic vegetation, so it could satisfy vast range of creatures on the planet.
With considering the substantiality of global environment and human civilization with diversified perspectives of globalization, there are increasingly strong needs for cross-linked cooperation and win-win strategy among individuals, communities, and nations. Moreover, it is needed that coexistence and integration between the civilization values based upon history and culture, and natural vegetation value based on biodiversity. Through the riparian forest, the reality of living creature, we hope that it could greet next green prosperity in civilization enfolding nature.
