Stumps of the cut down trees

Human beings are presently faced with a serious deterioration of the global environment. This deterioration is demonstrated by such physical trends as the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and also through certain biological trends as forest decline and species becomeextinct. These physical trends and biological factors interact with each other in that organisms mediate the effects of most environmental processes around the globe. Thus, there is a growing consensus that the conservation of biodiversity is one of the key strategies to maintaining the global environment.
Against this backdrop, our university is planning to move to a new campus, which unavoidably will lead to the destruction of some of the existing landscape and vegetation, and could also cause a localized extinction of species. In order to resolve the dichotomy between construction and preservation, we have developed a series of biological conservation programs for the new campus area. Our project is extremely challenging in that we will endeavor to prevent any loss of forest area or species in the new campus area.

The 275 ha area of our new campus is composed of a variety of terrain, including abandoned farmland (41%), bamboo plantations (23%), conifer plantations (16%), native forest land (16%), and various others types of land (4%). Native forests (evergreen oak forests or mixed deciduous forests) and conifer plantations provide a habitat for various woodland plants and animals, all of which we aim to protect and preserve.
However, construction of the new campus is considered impossible without using hillsides now covered with native forests. And although existing vegetation will be preserved in 99 ha (36%), the loss of some wooded areas is inevitable unless the forests are reconstituted in outside of the 99ha. Accordingly, we developed a series of transplantation plans and procedures for forest trees and understory vegetation. First, the canopy trees will be transplanted to a hillside slope that was formerly used as an orchard. Second, the understory vegetations and saplings will be transplanted to man-made slopes. In both cases, the forest soil will be moved together with the trees and understory vegetation by power shovels specifically designed for tree transplantation. Through this "forest transplantation" program and the in situ preservation of native forests and conifer plantations, at least 32% of the new campus area will be wooded. In these forests, careful monitoring and conservation management programs will strive to preserve forest-dwelling mammals and birds, as well as the forest vegetation itself.

A power shovel specifically designed for tree transplantation is carrying a tall tree from a forest to a reforestration site in the conservation area.

Species diversity may be lost even if forest area is maintained, however. Rare species and species having specialized niches are especially prone to extinction. In order to preserve total species diversity, we have concentrated our conservation efforts on plants and aquatic animals that have restricted or no mobility. Toward that end, we carried out extensive transect studies along 12.5 km of ridges or streams, by cataloguing all plant species in 10m unit areas. As a result, we found 398 species, but found that approximately 1/3 of these species were restricted to five or fewer locations (i.e., 10m-units). If these rare species were found in construction areas, we transplanted the existing plants into conservation areas to prevent extinction of those species. In the case of some wetland species, blocks of wetland vegetation were transplanted with muddy soil with 1m of depth by using the power shovel described above. For preserving aquatic animals, particularly native salamanders, some small ponds were constructed with water supplied from a well by an electric motor with solar panel system. Eggs, juveniles and adults of salamanders captured in construction areas were moved to these ponds. Larger ponds were also constructed to preserve medaka fish, turtles, shrimp and other aquatic animals.

In addition to the university itself, citizen volunteers and students are also supportive of our conservation projects. One NGO, for example, is now carrying out monthly forest conservation activities in the new campus area and another citizen group is monitoring aquatic animals. Boys and girls from primary schools in the surrounding areas are also growing oak trees from acorns they collected. The resulting saplings will eventually be planted in the new campus to grow forests. Such volunteer activities on the part of local citizens and the younger generations will provide anextraordinary opportunity for our university to encourage the growth of consortia to resolve the dilemma of construction versus preservation.

A salamander found at the upper stream of Obaru river	Releasing salamanders into an artificial pond constructed to preserve aquatic animals
Cymbidium nipponicum, an endangered orchid found in a conserved forest. All plant species including this orchid is preserved in the new campus.