Isahaya Bay, Japan

Isahaya Bay, Japan

An important stopover site, Isahaya Bay, near Nagasaki in Japan, was converted from tidal flats to agricultural land by constructing a long sea wall across the bay, the straight line seen in this satellite view. One of the richest wetland ecosystems in the world, this was a feeding site for tens of thousands of migratory birds, including many en route to New Zealand. Despite protests, 3,000 hectares of productive wetland was closed off in 1997, a year before this photograph was taken. Court action halted the completion of the project for a number of years.