Keio University Joins the 30by30 Alliance | Tomohiro Ichinose, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
2023.05.16
Although it was over a year and a half ago, in the December 2021 Dean's Diary , I introduced "30by30." As I explained in that Dean's Diary, it is read "Thirty by Thirty," and it is an initiative to protect at least 30% of the Earth's land and sea areas as nature conservation areas by 2030. After significant delays, it was formally adopted as an international target at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held last December. To achieve this 30by30 goal, the Ministry of the Environment launched the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity" in April 2022. It is often called the 30by30 Alliance. It is a voluntary coalition to effectively advance the various measures included in the roadmap to achieve 30by30. With the Ministry of the Environment and 20 other organizations as core members, 227 companies, 37 municipalities, 132 NPOs and other organizations, and 47 individuals have joined (as of May 11, 2023). Keio University applied for registration on May 2 and is already listed in the list of participating organizations .
From the perspective of universities, eight universities have already joined, with private universities including International Christian University, Kyoto Sangyo University, and the University of Human Environments. While we were not among the first to join, we have become the first member as an educational corporation that encompasses everything from elementary school to graduate school. Keio University has lush green university campuses like SFC and Hiyoshi Campus, but it also possesses natural environments on the grounds of its affiliated schools, such as Shiki Senior High School. Furthermore, and it is not widely known even internally, Keio University owns school forests, which it calls "Keio Forests," in various locations across Japan. These take various forms, including direct land ownership, profit-sharing agreements, and the use of forests owned by Keio University alumni, and their total area amounts to approximately 162 hectares. About 40% of this area is the Shizugawa Forest, located in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture. Triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Keio University-Minamisanriku Project has been underway since 2011. Although activities were suspended in 2019, it will be restarted in fiscal year 2023 as the Minasan Mirai Project .
The 30by30 Alliance requires its members to contribute to the achievement of the 30by30 goal. As for Keio University, we have always maintained the natural environment on our properties, including our campuses, but from now on, we will conduct biodiversity monitoring and practice evidence-based nature conservation. In addition, the educational and research activities in each department can support the expansion of protected areas and the promotion of effective conservation. These activities will significantly contribute to achieving the "nature positive" goal I introduced in last December's Dean's Diary .