Since 1990, MC has been operating the "Experimental Project in Tropical Forest Regeneration." As part of this project, MC held a tree-planting ecotour in Malaysia on November 19-23, 2009.

This time, 33 people participated including MC staff and their families from Japan, and employees of MC Group companies. During the tour, tree planting was conducted at two locations: inside the Gunung Apeng Forest Reserve on the island of Borneo and at the campus of the national agriculture university Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) near Kuala Lumpur.

The tree planting held in the Gunung Apeng Forest Reserve was conducted together with about 50 others made up of people connected with the Forest Department Sarawak and local Bidayuh indigenous people. Guided by the local people, everyone grouped up into pairs to plant the trees. The tree-planting method conducted here followed a line-up system whereby rain-forest trees (dipterocarpaceae) were planted in rows to form the primary trees amongst second-growth forest. Each person planted 10 to 20 trees. At the UPM campus, about 600 people participated in the tree planting, including employees and their families of Mitsubishi Corporation Kuala Lumpur Branch and students of UPM. A mixed-species dense-planting method called the Miyawaki Method was followed whereby 5,800 trees of 128 different species were planted.

Despite the difficult ground conditions at both locations due to it being the rainy season in Malaysia, the entire program was completed according to schedule and many participants came away with a wish to partake in future events and to come back and see how the trees they planted have grown.

Launched in 2005, MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project supports a wide variety of coral research through the joint efforts of industry, academia and public volunteers. The project is centered at three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles.

The Okinawa research and volunteer program for 2009 was held this September at the Sesoko Station Tropical Biosphere Research Center of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. Eleven volunteers, including seven MC staff, supported research activities that included collecting information on not only coral reefs, but also on various plants and other marine life. The data collected from the field was then recorded and analyzed back at the research station. Researchers also gave the volunteers lectures on various topics related to corals and as well as their individual research efforts.

The Midway Atoll program for 2009 was held from July 17th to the 31st. This year's participants consisted of five volunteers from MC subsidiaries and group companies in North America along with Dr. Potts of the University of California Santa Cruz and three of his graduate students. Volunteers were busy throughout the program helping the researchers with taking samples and surveying reef organisms, as well as setting up data collection equipment underwater.

The Seychelles program for 2009 is scheduled to take place from September 11 until the 25th.

LONDON (14th April 2009) - Following its annual meeting of Trustees on the 6th April, the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA) has announced a program of ﾂ｣350,000 in new grants, including a 2-year grant to FARM-Africa, an initial 1-year grant to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and support for the Zoological Society of London's new Animal Adventure Exhibit at London Zoo.

The 2009 funding programme also includes continued support to Bird Life International's "Spring Alive" project, to promote children's interest in nature and conservation through tracking the arrival of migrating birds in spring; to Concern Universal, for a project promoting the economic empowerment of small-scale agricultural producers in Guinea; to Fauna and Flora International, to promote environmental capacity building in Romania; to Peace Parks International, for sponsorship of natural resource management students at the Southern African Wildlife College; to the Regional Environmental Centre for Central & Eastern Europe, to improve education in conservation and biodiversity for local school children in Western Bulgaria; to Earthwatch Institute (Europe), including support of its annual events programme; to WaterAid, in support of three community organisations working to improve water supply and public sanitation and health in Maputo, Mozambique; and core funding to Botanic Gardens Conservation International for the 16th consecutive year.

Press Releases

(Japanese) https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/ja/pr/archive/2009/html/0000006712.html

MCFEA

(Japanese) https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/ja/csr/contribution/international/europe.html

(English) https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/gb/en/csr/mcfea.html

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has been implementing the "Global Coral Reef Conservation Project" since fiscal 2005.

MC contributes to the activities to conserve the coral reefs of the world for the future at three global locations, Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and Seychelles. The research and activities that have been carried out thus far at Okinawa have been compiled in an interim report. The report presents an analysis into the causes of coral bleaching based on data obtained by the project and provides concrete targets for future initiatives.

MC, as part of an industry, academia and general public partnership, which includes universities and environmental NGOs, is energetically continuing to promote the Global Coral Reef Conservation Project.

Mitsubishi Corporation Manila Branch presented material in a panel exhibit at the "Eco-products International Fair 2009," which was held in Pasay City, Manila, Philippines from March 19 to 22. MC Manila Branch also used the details of the panel exhibit and MC's Sustainability Report to showcase MC's efforts regarding environment-related businesses and CSR activities at an international conference that was held concurrently with the fair.

The Eco-products International Fair is an annual event held in cities in South East Asia that began in 2004 and is the biggest international environmental fair in Asia for environmentally-friendly products and services. This year's gathering was the fifth time the fair was held and it proved to be the largest ever with 128 companies and organizations from the Philippines and across the world participating and roughly 60,000 people visiting during the event.

The 50th "Marunouchi Citizens' Environment Forum" was held on March 3, 2009, at MC's Marunouchi Office. This forum has been held jointly by Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. and Japan Airlines since 1993 for the purpose of raising awareness of environmental issues and is open to the public.

On this occasion around 280 people were in attendance to mark the 50th time the forum has been held.

As concerns about global warming and energy shortages continue to grow, solar energy is now attracting widespread attention in Europe and around the world as a promising next-generation energy source. MC is now actively developing its solar power business.

MC launched operations of photovoltaic (PV) power generation facilities installed atop the MC's Marunouchi Office. The facilities will produce approximately 10,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. This is roughly equivalent to half of the electricity used to power fluorescent lights on the 4th floor, where the office's meeting rooms for visitors are concentrated. A monitor displaying information about the state of power production has been installed in the lobby in an effort to inform visitors about MC's environmental business.

MC has granted a fund to establish a solar power system to a project called Tenchi-no-mori, which is being implemented on land at the back of Ibusuki Shrine by non-profit organization The Group Effort to Revitalize Jomon Forest. The aforementioned group is based in the city of Ibusuki in Kagoshima Prefecture and is actively revitalizing rich nature through such efforts as survey-work and conservation of ancient trees. For two years it has been establishing a biotope in land at the back of Ibusuki Shrine, and now it has decided to use a solar power system to serve the motive energy needs of an experiential rice paddy, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions and promoting the creation of better forest environments.

Tenchi-no-mori is located in a mostly-broad-leaf woodland where there is a proliferation of wildlife including various birds, killifish, and insects such as the Luciola cruciata (firefly). There is an observation hut for nature watching and walking track, which are used by the local community for a relaxing forest experience. The purpose of the experiential rice paddy is to give local children the rewarding experience of planting and harvesting rice, and then eating rice-balls that they make from their own harvest. Future plans for Tenchi-no-mori include it being a place of forest environment education for local elementary-school students and their siblings and parents.

A tour of Borneo and the Malay Peninsula was conducted from November 22-27 in an effort to promote awareness about Mitsubishi Corporation's Tropical Forest Regeneration Experimental Project, which was launched in 1990. Approximately 40 people participated, including Mitsubishi Corporation staff, their families and employees of Mitsubishi Corporation Group companies. In addition to participating in tree planting events at three sites, tour members also went trekking in a national park and joined in exchanges with local residents. Participants came away with a new appreciation of the importance of tropical rainforests and the global environment as a whole.

Launched in 2005, MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project supports a wide variety of coral research through the joint efforts of industry, academia and public volunteers. The project is centered at three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles.

The second research and volunteer program for 2008 was held this September at the Sesoko Station Tropical Biosphere Research Center of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa.

Ten volunteers, including five MC staff, supported research activities that included collecting information on not only coral reefs, but also on various plants and other marine life. The data collected from the field was then recorded and analyzed back at the research station. Researchers also gave the volunteers lectures on various topics related to corals and as well as their individual research efforts..

The Midway Atoll program held from August 15th to the 29th consisted of 4 volunteers from MC subsidiaries and group companies in North America along with Dr. Potts of the University of California Santa Cruz and two of his graduate students. The 4 volunteers helped the researchers with various tasks, including some that followed up on work done by previous MC volunteers.

The Seychelles program held from August 14th to the 28th consisted of 11 members including volunteers from the UK, Poland and Madagascar. Volunteers helped the researchers collect and analyze data in order to find ways to help protect the corals from sudden rises in sea temperature brought on by climate change.

Launched in 2005, MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project supports a wide variety of coral research through the joint efforts of industry, academia and public volunteers. The project is centered at three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles.

The project in Okinawa, led by Professor Yoshimi Suzuki of Shizuoka University, is a partnership among Shizuoka University, the University of the Ryukyus and Earthwatch Japan (an international environmental NGO). Research is now underway on the causes and mechanism of coral bleaching*, as researchers continue to work towards their ultimate objective of establishing and disseminating scientific recovery methods.

The first research and volunteer program for 2008 was held this May at the Sesoko Experimental Site of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. Nine volunteers, including five MC staff, supported research activities by collecting samples of seawater and sediment as well as recording and analyzing ocean data. Researchers also gave the volunteers a lecture about corals. A second volunteer program in Okinawa is scheduled for autumn.

*1Coral bleaching occurs when the zooxanthellae that live inside the corals vacate the corals due to environmental stress, such as changes in ocean temperature, causing the color of the coral to fade to white. In such cases, the coral will likely die out unless the zooxanthellae return.