Renewal of Memorandum of Understanding with the Japan Wild Bird Society on Habitat Conservation of Blakiston’s Fish Owl
~ Review the content according to the actual behavior of Blakiston’s Fish Owland strengthen the balance betweenbiodiversity conservationand timber production~
Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (head office : Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Toru Nozawa, hereinafter referred to as"the Company”) entered into an agreement with the Wild Bird Society of Japan (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Keisuke Ueda, hereinafter referred to as"Japan Wild Bird Society") in May 2015.the CompanyHokkaido's forest (approximately 1,986 hectares, Note 1)"and updated in February 2024.
Blakiston’s Fish Owl
(Image provided by the Wild Bird Society of Japan)
Blakiston’s Fish Owlis anational protected speciesand is listed as an endangered species I.A on the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment.
The forest, home to theBlakiston’s Fish Owl, one of the top animals in the food chain, is rich in biodiversity and is considered an area of great importance to protect the natural environment. the Company Since signing an agreement with the Wild Bird Society of Japan, an environmental NGO with a history of about 90 years, in October 2010 for the protection of wild birds, including Blakiston’s Fish Owl, we have been working together to conserve theBlakiston’s Fish Owlin several forests in the Company Hokkaido.
At the G7 summit in 2021, the Japanese government pledged to conserve more than 30% of the country's land as natural environmental areas by 2030, and to achieve this, it”is essential to balance corporate activities andbiodiversity conservationin forests owned by private companies, in addition to areas that are already protected such as national parks."
The forests covered this time obtained SGEC certification (Note 3) in 2005, and we are engaged in sustainable forest management that takes biodiversity into consideration while producing wood. The Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2015 stipulates specific standards forthe Companyoperations carried out by the Company around nesting trees with the aim of balancing habitatforestry operationsconservation and timber production of Blakiston’s Fish Owl. In June 2023, theBlakiston’s Fish Owlchicks hatched in the hives installed in the forest in question have safely fledged, and the results of the efforts are steadily appearing. Based on the accumulated data on the behavior ofBlakiston’s Fish Owlin the forest, this renewal of the memorandum aims to further strengthen the balance between biodiversity conservation and timber production by reviewing the conservation scope of Blakiston’s Fish Owl habit at to match the actual situation.
Under theSlogan "Shaping the Future with Trees®”, the Company will continue to contribute to the creation of a sustainable society by providing value that contributes to the realization of" Nature Positive (Note 4) "through biodiversity conservation and collaboration with stakeholders.
Note 1: From the perspective ofBlakiston’s Fish Owl protection, we do not disclose specific locations, place names, etc.
Note 2: TheBlakiston’s Fish Owlis one of the largest owls in the world with a total length of 70-80 cm. In Japan, it was once distributed throughout Hokkaido, but now only about 100 species have been confirmed in central and eastern Hokkaido.
Note 3: This is Japan's unique third-party forest certification system that corresponds to the characteristics of Japan's forest resources, and was established in 2003. （http://www.sgec-eco.org/index.html）
Note 4: Stop and reverse biodiversity loss in order to put nature on a recovery track.
(Attachment) Wild Bird Society of Japan Press Release "Strengthening Collaboration with Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd."