LAND TRANSFORMATION AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES

Abstract

This symposium was the first attempt in the Association of Japanese Geographers to discuss the problems on large-scale land transformation and related environmental changes, which became not to be disregarded even in geomorphology. In 1980, the Working Group on the Man-Made Landforms and Land Transformation was organized in the Association for the promotion of systematic and comprehensive studies on such problems, which led us to organize this symposium. The following 10 papers were presented under 6 topics.
T. TAMURA, H. YAMAMOTO and S. YOSHIOKA: National summary of recent studies on large-scale land transformation.
A. MORIYAMA: Genetic approach to man-made landforms resulting from porcelain clay mining in the Seto Area.
S. TANAKA and T. OKIMURA: Land transformation due to urbanization in the Rokko Mountains, Kobe, Kinki Metropolitan Area.
T. YAMAKAWA: Land transformation attendant on urbanization in Western Kanagawa Prefecture.
S. HIGASHI: Role of forest management in the exploitation of mountainous environment.
T. TATEISHI: Coastal sand dunes historically inherited from planting for erosion control, a case of Shonai Sand Dunes.
M. KUSAKA: Implications of ancient land transformation in the olden provinces of Settsu, Kawachi and Izumi.
Y. AKAGI: Landforms resulting from iron sand mining in the Chugoku Mountains.
K. KATSURAGI: Changes of social environment affected by dehydration of paddy fields and construction of a new port in the Imizu Plain, Toyama Prefecture.
S. MEZAKI and K. KANEMURA: Land transformation and effects on sedimentation and coastal environment on Okinawa Island.
The discussions by commentators and audience were focused on the following subjects.
1. Accumulation and management of quantitative data. 2. Role of geographical approach to land transformation. 3. Classification and evaluation of man-made landforms. 4. Measures against accelerated or catastrophic phenomena.