Attempts of biodiversity conservation in infrastructure reconstruction at coastal area in Miyagi Prefecture after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

<p>This report describes the progress of biodiversity conservation projects and initiatives in the reconstruction of coastal protection facilities after the Great East Japan Earthquake in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, as well as the research and evaluation conducted there. Biodiversity conservation projects and efforts in the reconstruction of coastal protection facilities in Miyagi Prefecture include the unconstruction or downsizing, setting back, laying coastal sand for seawalls, and the designating conservation areas without mounding or laying coastal sand on mounds for coastal protection forests. It is considered to be a characteristic of coastal protection facility reconstruction projects in Miyagi Prefecture that such diverse biodiversity conservation projects and efforts were carried out in many locations. In addition, many residents and NPOs are included in the requestors and proponents of biodiversity conservation (including sandy beach conservation). The involvement of many experts in various fields of expertise in biodiversity conservation projects and efforts, and the fact that there are locations where multiple biodiversity conservation projects and efforts were conducted are also considered to be characteristics of the projects in the prefecture. Since the effects of many of these biodiversity conservation projects and efforts have not been verified, there is an urgent need to investigate and verify the effects of them. Miyagi Prefecture has a wide variety of biodiversity conservation projects and efforts, and seems to be a suitable region for the verification and evaluation of various types of projects. In addition, since some of the projects were implemented in close proximity to each other, it is considered to be a valuable site for investigating synergistic effects of them or the effects of ensuring continuity between different environments.</p>