Midori Ippai Project Activities
Biodiversity Conservation Initiative Organized by Osaka City
Participation in "Wetland Project_Creating Biotopes"
NTT Business Associe West Kansai Branch Osaka Office
Since the second half of FY2019, NTT Business Associe West Kansai Branch Osaka Office has been taking part in the "Wetland Project_Creating Biotopes" event organized by Osaka City with the aim of conserving biodiversity and learning about the ecosystem of living things such as organisms and plants as a good corporate citizen that contributes to the local community.
Biotope is a space that restores the ecosystem that was lost due to reasons such as industrial and urban development to enable living things that were originally inhabitants of the area to continue to inhabit naturally and remain active. It is a coined term that combines two Greek words, "bios" (meaning living things) and "topos" (meaning place). At Germany, which is famous for biotopes, this concept has garnered attention since the aggravation of environmental problems in the 1970s.
We first participated in the construction of biotopes at the trial digging for the purpose of stratum survey on October 5, 2019 inside the nature-based experience and observation park of Tsurumi Green Space Park. Five volunteer employees took part in the activity. Five rounds of biotope construction activities were conducted subsequently from November to February, where a total of 140 participants from both the public and private sectors, including employees of the Osaka Prefectural Government, employees and family members of NTT West Group as well as the general public, came together to engage in pit digging and side waterproofing work.
Works are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but all the volunteers are looking forward to resumption of the activity to achieve symbiosis with nature.
Voices of Participants
- Thoughts after Participating in "Wetland Project_Creating Biotopes"
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Tetsuo Uemura Frankly speaking, I had no idea at all what biotope is at the beginning. The concept sounded so unfamiliar to me that I only understood what it was after listening to the lecture on biotopes by the staff during the activity and briefing on the tasks to perform on the very day. I took part in the round of activity in January 2020 to remove unwanted roots of weeds and plants from the pit that was dug for building a pond, and to carry out waterproofing work to prevent water from seeping. White bentonite powder was sprinkled evenly around the pit for it to blend into the soil. While the task itself was not complicated, it was tiring as it involved rather heavy work. That said, the fatigue somehow felt good. While performing the task, it crossed my mind that it really takes painstaking efforts to restore an ecosystem to the original state after it has been disrupted. With the natural environment undergoing drastic changes, such as global warming, it really hit home to me that restoring nature is not an easy task indeed, and I felt keenly the need to focus my attention on the things around me in future in order to protect the environment. I wanted to continue taking part in the activity until the pond is filled with water and the ecosystem is restored, and it is a real pity that I could not see it through due to the outbreak of COVID-19. I would like to take part again if there is another round of the same project in future. |
