Themes of the symposium
Tidal flats develop in the interface between land and sea, which is one of the most productive ecosystems on the earth, since ample nutrients and various materials are provided from both the land and sea. On the tidal flats, a variety of plants and animals occur abundantly, and we have exploited them as food resources and enjoyed their beauty. However, we do not yet fully understand the nature of the valuable and productive ecosystem, although we have recently modified the topography of the coastal areas with the tidal flats in large scale to develop our society. This symposium provides an opportunity to present the recent results of various biological and ecological studies on the tidal flats in Korea and Japan, to exchange and share the information from these studies, and improve our understanding of the ecosystem of the tidal flats.