Challenges at River-basin Level in Mother Lake 21 Plan (Lake Biwa Comprehensive Conservation Plan)

Abstract

In the Lake Biwa watershed as one of marginal regions of metropolitan area, the land-use transformation and the deterioration of water quality resulted mostly from the implementation of rapid urbanization in addition to a variety of regional developments plans such as the Lake Biwa Comprehensive Development Plan (LBCDP, 1972(LBCDP, -1997. During the last phase of the LBCDP, the government of Shiga Prefecture began to consider how to ensure the comprehensive conservation of the lake for future generations. Therefore the "Lake Biwa Comprehensive Conservation Plan (LBCCP, Mother Lake 21 Plan)" was started in March 2000. The LBCCP aims at turning Lake Biwa into a model for lake conservation in the 21 st century by pursuing a broad spectrum of activities to maintain water quality and to preserve the natural environment and scenic landscape. The purpose of this study is to introduce our challenges to environmental conservation at the river-basin level in LBCCP.