Restoration activities for the "Banaue Rice Terraces" World Heritage Site (Philippines) to help preserve its multifaceted function

Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines), Inc.

Since 2012, our employees, local communities, the government, etc. have been working together to restore abandoned rice terraces in the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. To date, the total number of activity participants exceeds 2,000. In addition to carrying out activities such as land and terraced rice fields maintenance and restoration work, rice planting, and tree planting, we also provide environmental education to local students, including information on the importance of terraced rice fields and ecosystem considerations. In FY2023, approximately 280 people, including our employees, students, and local and government officials participated in activities such as weeding, maintenance, and restoration work on terraced rice fields covering an area of approximately 350 m² as well as rice planting and tree planting. Environmental education was provided to raise awareness, including education on proper waste separation and management of water, energy, chemicals, and hazardous waste. We will continue to work with local communities and governments to restore the Banaue Rice Terraces, which serve a number of functions, including "water retention," "flood control," and "ecosystem conservation."