Mitsui Fudosan | Corporate Information | Pursuit of the Preservation of Biodiversity - Conservation and Utilization of Natural Environment -

The Mitsui Fudosan Group not only strives to preserve green space or the natural environment at the time of development but also properly maintains and manages the green space even after it is provided or gives assistance to that end. Furthermore, we conserve and utilize forests the Group owns and support activities to preserve forests through fund-raising and other measures.

At Shibaura Island, we are pouring effort into carrying out sustainable urban development mainly through the association for promotion of urban development in the Shibaura Island area, for which Mitsui Fudosan is the representative. We are also involved in various activities to preserve and utilize the natural environment together with NPOs based on Shibaura Island and the Shibaura Island Jichikai (community association).

Utilization of Crab Revetment

Biological survey at the tidal pool in which local residents participate

A crab revetment was introduced at the time of the redevelopment of Shibaura Island. The National Institute for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is conducting investigations and experiments on what may be done to allow as many living organisms to inhabit the area. A local elementary school is also using the area as a place for conducting extracurricular activities. Furthermore, with the cooperation of the association for promotion of urban development in the Shibaura Island area, a project named the Shibaura Island Project for Creating a Shelter for Marine Organisms is jointly being carried out by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Minato-ku, the National Institute for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and local citizens of the Ward. The goal of this project is to think about the habitat environment of marine organisms while enjoying actual interaction with the organisms. Investigations of the organisms and other activities are being carried out based on cooperation from local citizens of the Ward. In July 2009, local residents took part in an “Investigation by fishing gobies.”

Planar View of the Entire Shibaura Island

A Spot-Billed Duck Project

A family of spot-billed ducks and a man-made floating nest made for spot-billed ducks

Local residents participating in cleaning the resting place made for the ducks

After the redevelopment of Shibaura Island, spot-billed ducks, which lost their nesting places, could no longer be seen. Thus, a “Karugamo Project (spot-billed duck project)” (known as “Kamopuro”) was begun to bring back the ducks, triggered by a proposal given by Umijuku, Inc., which is an authorized NPO whose activities Mitsui Fudosan supports the activities . This Project is positioned as part of the activities of the “Minato-ku Bay Area Power-Up Project,” which is an organization in which local citizens participate under the direction of the Shibaura-Kounan region general branch office of Minato-ku, Tokyo. With the authorized NPO Umijuku, Inc. playing a central role, the world's first man-made floating nest for spot-billed ducks was made and installed at Shibaura West Canal, which is near Shibaura Island, in December 2007. During the breeding season of fiscal 2008, nine families with ducklings were observed. Furthermore, the breeding of ducks was observed during fiscal 2009 as well.
After installing the man-made floating nests, we are carrying out maintenance and inspections, including buoyancy adjustments, repairs and the replanting of grass. At the same time, members of the Shibaura Island Jichikai and the volunteer organization “Kamopuro” regularly clean the floating nests and resting places.

Comments by an Employee: We are Keeping Watch Over the Families of Spot-Billed Ducks

Hisashi Aoki
Planning Group, Residential Leasing Business Department, Accommodations Business Division
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

The redevelopment of this island was being envisioned long before it came to be called Shibaura Island. However, until the redevelopment was put into effect, this was an island of paradise located in the midst of an urban area, which served as the habitat of spot-billed ducks, crabs and other water plants and animals. Afterwards, due to redevelopment construction that continued for six years, spot-billed ducks were not seen. However, after it was changed into an “an island of water and green,” families of spot-billed ducks returned to the island. The community fostered by the residents of this island took a stand in the form of a community association and are watching over these families of spot-billed ducks that originated from this island.

A forest owned by the Group

Mitsui Fudosan Group owns and manages forests that spans over a total of 5,000 hectares, mainly in the northern area of Hokkaido Prefecture. Man-made forests made up of abies sachalinensis (a type of conifer), picea jezoensis (Jezo Spruce), larix leptolepsis (larches), etc. comprises more than 60% of the total forest area. We conduct proper maintenance and management by treatment such as cutting off vines, thinning the trees and systematic planting of new trees as necessary. At the same time, we sell some trees for use as wood. The other forests, which are equivalent to slightly less than 40% of the total forest area, are natural forests made up of quercus crispula, ulmus davidiana (Japanese elm), quercus myrsinifolia (an oak tree), etc. We try not to cut trees as much as possible and are watching it grow naturally.
In fiscal 2009, we are planning to use the wood produced after thinning trees in forests owned by the Group to manufacture tables to be used in conference rooms of the head office or for meetings in the reception area of Mitsui Fudosan. The utilization of wood produced after thinning trees will enable us to effectively utilize resources. We are also planning to utilize these to show employees that CO₂ can be stored for a long period of time in the form of wood.

Forest Utilization for Environmental Training and Forestation

Through the use of forests in Hokkaido that the Group owns, Mitsui Fudosan in October 2008 carried out environmental training for employees and forestation. Twenty-two employees took part and were first given training on the overview of the forests the Group owns, the relationship between forests and the global environment and how to plant trees. Following this training, they actually engaged in forestation activities.

Overview of Forestation Activities

Place: Futamata, Biei-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido
Types of trees planted: Larch
Number of trees planted: 800
Land area covered: 4,000m²

Engaging in forestation activities

Landscape after trees were planted

PARK GREEN TOUR

At Tokyo Midtown (Minato-ku, Tokyo), we implemented PARK GREEN TOURS for a limited period of time during the long holiday season in fiscal 2009. This was a town tour involving a walk through the vast greenery of Tokyo Midtown, and explanations of the design and background of the Midtown Garden, flowers and trees, as well as environmental conservation activities, including the use of rain water.

Mitsui Garden Hotels have been implementing the use of the “eco Garden Card” since March 2008 under the objectives of reducing waste and preservation of greenery. Under this system, when guests who did not use hotel amenities supplied in guest rooms drop the “eco Garden Card” in the collection box at the front desk, Mitsui Garden Hotels will make a donation to the environmental organization Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement-International (OISCA) on behalf of the customers. In fiscal 2008, we made a donation of approximately 700,000 yen.

Collection box for the “eco Garden Card”

An “eco Garden Card” attached to hotel amenities