Global Coral Reef Conservation Project Activities
To restore beautiful coral reefs
Aiming to conserve the coral reefs of countries around the world, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has been undertaking the "Global Coral Reef Conservation Project" (the Project) since fiscal 2005. MC provides not only financial assistance for research, but also recruiting volunteers from inside and outside MC. Moreover, through participating in investigative research activities, MC is conducting a program that deepens people's understanding of environmental issues.
The Project is developing research, pursuing many different angles, for coral reef conservation and the main research of the project centers on three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles. In Japan, the Project is headed up by Professor Yoshimi Suzuki from Shizuoka University's Graduate School of Science and Technology, who is one of the country's foremost authorities on coral research. The Project's research taking place in Japan focuses on the bleaching phenomenon and is conducted at Sesoko Station, which is operated by the University of the Ryukyus in Motobu, Okinawa.
In fiscal 2006, research began at both the Marine Protected Area of the United State's Midway Atoll and at the many-island nation of the Republic of Seychelles located in the Indian Ocean. Similar to in Japan, MC's role is working with a group of volunteers recruited from both inside and outside the MC organization to support research activities.
2008 has been hailed by many as the international year of the reef. Informational and conservational activities are being conducted word-wide in various countries. Through the activities of the Project's three locations in different parts of the world that MC has been involved in, various successful outcomes are beginning to be achieved under different environments and conditions. MC is not only announcing and publishing these outcomes at academic conferences and in academic papers, but also disseminating this information to the public at large by holding seminars, and would like to continue to be active in coral reef conservation around the world.
Research bases for the Global Coral Reef Conservation Project
Okinawa
Okinawa is where Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) started its research of coral reefs in 2005. Professor Yoshimi Suzuki of Shizuoka University leads this project, which is a partnership between Shizuoka University, University of the Ryukyus and Earthwatch Japan (an international environmental NGO), to elucidate the causes and mechanism of the coral bleaching phenomenon, to conserve reef health, and to establish and disseminate scientific recovery methods. MC partakes in a program by which 10 volunteers are dispatched twice a year. The volunteers, half from MC and half from outside MC, take part in time-consuming manual tasks such as the sampling of ocean water, the studying of underwater topography, and the collecting of coral samples.
Aiming to conserve reef health, MC partakes in a program by which volunteers from inside and outside MC are dispatched twice a year.
Details of the Okinawa Site:
| Project Partners: |
Shizuoka University University of the Ryukyus Earthwatch Japan |
|---|---|
| Project Leader: | Professor Yoshimi Suzuki, Shizuoka University |
| Project Site: | Okinawa |
| Research Focus: | Research into the causes of coral bleaching, methods of conservation and promotion of reef health and the establishment and dissemination of scientific recovery methods. |
Midway
Dr. Donald Potts of the University of California, Santa Cruz Campus leads this project at a coral reef that has been virtually untouched by past human activity to provide a comprehensive study of how coral is impacted physically, chemically and biologically through global and local climate change.
The beautiful nature of Midway Atoll still remains intact. Research is continuing into how coral is impacted by climatic changes and water acidification.
Details of the Midway Site:
| Project Partners: | University of California, Santa Cruz |
|---|---|
| Project Leader: | Dr Donald Potts, University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Collaborator: | Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (MANWR) |
| Project Site: | Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) |
| Research Focus: | An integrated research program on the consequences (physical, chemical and biological) of climate change on coral reefs, and their implications for management of reefs. |
Seychelles
There are about 300 to 350 species of coral in the Indian Ocean surrounding the Republic of Seychelles. In 1998, it was reported that 90% of coral found in the Seychelles had perished due to rising ocean temperatures resulting from an El Nino event.
Dr. David Smith of the University of Essex (UK) leads a partnership between MC, the University of Essex, Seychelles Centre for Marine Research and Technology - Marine Parks Authority and Earthwatch Europe to examine the ecology of the varied reef environments of Curieuse Island and to determine how the reefs respond to environmental stress.
A series of long term field studies and laboratory style experiments are being used to identify the key drivers of environmental change and the results from the study will inform conservation strategies in the Curieuse Island Marine Park and beyond.
Details of the Seychelles Site:
| Project Partners: | Earthwatch Europe, University of Essex (UK)/Coral Reef Research Unit, Cambridge University and Seychelles Centre for Marine Research and Technology - Marine Parks Authority |
|---|---|
| Project Leader: | Dr. David Smith, University of Essex (UK) |
| Project Site: | Curieuse Island, Republic of Seychelles Research has also been conducted on Desroches Island (2006) and Silhouette Island (2007) |
| Research Focus: | The diversity of reef associated habitats, observation and data collection on the current condition of the reefs surrounding Curieuse Island |
Activities to date
April 2005
- On April 19, A joint press release was issued by Mitsubishi Corporation, Shizuoka University and Earthwatch Japan, which was picked up by various Japanese media sources, including the Nikkei Shimbun.
August 2005
- On August 4, A commemorative forum to mark the start of the Okinawa project was held in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture
- During August 4 to 8, The first research program with volunteer participation is organized in Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture.
March 2006
- On March 3, A symposium, open to the public, is held in Tokyo to report on the progress of the project.
July 2006
- During July 13 to 17, MC led the Okinawa research and volunteer program
October 2006
- During October 19 to 21, MC held an exhibition for the Project at "Messe Nagoya 2006 Eco-Industrial Trade Fair" (Hosted by the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce & Industory).
March 2007
- On March 16, MC held its Fiscal 2006 Activities Report Meeting at Mitsubishi Corporation Marunouchi Office. Under the theme of "Crisis of our world's coral reefs and their conservation—What can we do?" MC welcomed the project leaders of each location (Japan project leader Professor Yoshimi Suzuki of Shizuoka University; U.S. project leader Dr. Donald Potts of the University of California, Santa Cruz Campus; European and African project leader Dr. David Smith of the University of Essex) project partner (Mr. Namba, Chairman of NPO Earthwatch Japan) and special guest (Professor Tsuchiya of the University of the Ryukyus), and hosted a presentation and discussion on research activities.
- On March 28, MC gave a presentation on the Project at the kickoff meeting of "2008 International Year of the Reef" of which the Ministry of Environment, Japan is a sponsor.
April 2007
- On April 6, MC introduced the Project at the presentation meeting of "2008 International Year of the Reef" of which the Ministry of Environment, Japan is a sponsor.
May 2007
- During May 17 to 21, MC held the first Okinawa research and volunteer program for 2007. Mitsubishi Corporation volunteers and Community volunteers recruited via Earthwatch Japan supported research activities at the Sesoko Experimental Site of the University of the Ryukyus and at Sesoko Beach.
July 2007
- During July 3 to 17 at Seychelles and during July 6 to 20 at Midway, MC partook in research activities. Volunteers from the local affiliates of MC or business investment companies took part.
September 2007
- During September 30 to October 4, MC held the second Okinawa research and volunteer program for 2007. Mitsubishi Corporation volunteers and Community volunteers recruited via Earthwatch Japan supported research activities.
March 2008
- On March 13, MC held special lectures on the Project at Aoyama Municipal Junior High School, Minato-ku, Tokyo. The lectures were given by Professor Suzuki of Shizuoka University and Mr. Ikuo Nakamura, marine photographer and in charge of MC's PR and advertising photography. The lecture was attended by 43 students.
May 2008
- During May 8 to 12, MC held the first Okinawa research and volunteer program for 2008. Mitsubishi Corporation volunteers and Community volunteers recruited via Earthwatch Japan supported research activities at the Sesoko Experimental Site of the University of the Ryukyus and at Sesoko Beach.
August 2008
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MC and MC Group employees participated as volunteers in both the Seychelles and Midway Atoll research programs from August 14th to the 28th and August 15th to the 29th respectively.
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