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Biodiversity Initiatives
Climate change and energy issues are not our only concerns. We also pay close attention to biodiversity because of the impacts that business activities can have on vital natural resources. Tree-planting and water-recycling initiatives at our plants in the 1960s, and our Community Forest program launched in 1976 demonstrate the deep roots of our commitment to environmental conservation and living in harmony with local communities. In 2011, we created the Honda Biodiversity Guidelines as part of the contributions we strive to make to global environmental conservation, a goal set forth in our Honda Environment Statement.
Conservation know-how gained through Hello Woods
Restoring a valuable satoyama ecosystem near our operations
Hello Woods, located next to the Twin Ring Motegi speedway complex in Motegi machi in Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture, opened in 2000 as an environment for studying the intimate connections between people, nature, and mobility. We have made various efforts to restore this expansive, 460-hectare plot of satoyama ecosystem (see below) after decades of neglect. The site now has various facilities for teaching children about nature in a fun-oriented, outdoor setting.
Hello Woods activities
Satoyama are a unique type of ecosystem where sustainable human activities such as agriculture merge with the natural elements and living organisms that sustain them. As such, satoyama require humans to manage and maintain them. Through Hello Woods, we have been working to restore satoyama over the last decade through a systematic approach that includes harvesting and planting trees, clearing underbrush, and recultivating fallow land.
Originally, Motegi was an area rich in species diversity, as it possessed the unique weather characteristics of both southern and northern Japan. The Hello Woods initiative is restoring this rich ecosystem and even helping establish new connections between species. We will use the ecosystem conservation know-how we gain through this initiative to inform initiatives in other regions and strengthen ties with local communities.
Wildlife spotted at Hello Woods
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Large Japanese field mouse |
Japanese badger |
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Wild boar (Sus scrofa ) |
Japanese hare |
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Japanese squirrel |
Japanese giant flying squirrel |
Since fiscal 2009, Hello Woods has been a participant in Monitoring Sites 1000, a national ecosystem-monitoring project launched by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. As a fixed observation point for six of the nine survey categories (flora, birds, medium and large mammals, frogs, butterflies, and fireflies) Hello Woods submits survey reports for the community of Motegi-machi in Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture.
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Hello Woods is an experience-based nature-learning center set deep inside the lush forests of Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture (near the Twin Ring Motegi speedway). |
Collaborating with Communities
Biodiversity surveys at business sites in Japan
In 1964, Honda’s Sayama Factory (now Saitama Factory) started a tree-planting project to establish a buffer zone around its facilities. Our other factories in Japan followed suit in 1976 when we launched Community Forest initiatives to create green spaces.
Now, more than 30 years later, the areas around these buffer zones have changed dramatically, many giving way to new buildings and roads.
These changes led us to start conducting biodiversity surveys to assess how our existing Community Forests have been responding to changes in the surrounding environments. The first survey took place at the Suzuka Factory in 2007 and spread to other Honda business sites thereafter.
So far, we have confirmed that the lands protected by our Community Forests function as important habitats for local ecosystems as the areas around our business sites become more heavily urbanized. We can also look forward to these forests being used by factory visitors as a space for learning about the environment as one of the collaboration with local communities.
We will continue managing these Community Forests while taking into account survey findings and expert advice to keep these spaces functional over the long term.
Overview of Biodiversity Surveys in Japan
