October 21, 2021
Keio University is currently engaged in afforestation and silviculture activities in approximately 160 hectares of forest land, including forests owned by the university and forests under profit-sharing contracts with the national government. The "Gathering of People Who Love Forests," organized by the "Fukuzawa Woodlands Association," which was established in 2001 to support these activities, was held via Zoom webinar on Saturday, October 16, 2021. The event was held for the first time in two years, as it was canceled last fiscal year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At this 20th event, Tomoaki Nishihara, a Project Professor at the School of Symbiotic Science, Seisa University, and a conservation scientist at the international NGO WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society; headquartered in New York), gave a lecture.
Mr. Nishihara pointed out that while things like renewable energy and EVs are celebrated in developed countries, they also have negative aspects, such as deforestation and human rights violations. The lecture drew on Mr. Nishihara's expertise from his 30 years of involvement in nature conservation in the Republic of the Congo as a conservation scientist, and it prompted numerous questions from the participants.
Although this was the first time the event was held as a Zoom webinar, it was a meaningful lecture that demonstrated the high level of interest from the participants.