Consideration Process of Waste and Sewage Management in Oze

Abstract

Waste and sewage management is essential in protecting mountainous national parks. This study reveals key factors that arose in the consideration process regarding the waste and sewage management in Oze. In Oze, a “take your litter home” campaign was launched in 1972 to address the increasing amount of waste. The latest management policy was decided in 2001, which stated that waste incineration would no longer be permitted and that all waste must be transported from the area. Administrators, lodge concessionaires, and conservation groups each played a role in the decision for the anti-litter campaign; however, the 2001 policy was largely influenced by the countermeasures against dioxins. Sewage issues surfaced around 1970, and various fora were organized to discuss countermeasures; however, it took over two decades to reach the current policy to use septic tanks and discharge treated water into rivers. The conservation groups were excluded from this discussion due to their claim that all mountain lodges should be removed from the core area of Oze. A politically driven discussion group bridged the stakeholders and contributed in forming a consensus. Moreover, a shared sense of ownership as well as advocacy by the conservation groups was factors that propelled the discussion forward.