To enhance the environmental values of Tokyo Bay – a proposition for integrated coastal zone management

The environmental value of Tokyo Bay has substantially deteriorated in the absence of sound management. Focused coastal zone management, in conjunction with rigorous conservation policy, is necessary to avoid further degradation of the Tokyo Bay environment and to balance conflicting values and interests in the bay. It is recommended that this coastal management be integrated and brought under a single authority in order to alleviate friction among diverse departmental entities and to ensure inclusion of the entire coastal zone. This management system requires legal statutes be put in place to regulate all activities affecting the bay environment, and for this, citizens participation, including smooth access to information on the bay environment, is a prerequisite. It is suggested that quantitative financial projections for environmental policies may prove a useful tool for illuminating the value of these measures in designing management programs, and as a model, a case study is provided describing organic contamination of the bay and discussing costs, effects, and benefits associated with improving water quality.