Community-based biodiversity conservation activities at beaches and rivers

Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation Imabari Complex

Together with the residents' association, local residents, the nature conservation division of Ehime Prefecture, the Biodiversity Center of Ehime Prefecture, the environmental policy division and the parks greenery division of Imabari City, NPOs, and plant and animal experts, we conduct land maintenance activities at Imabari City's Odagahama Beach four times a year. Linaria japonica (Japanese toadflax), an endangered species that is listed on the prefecture's Red List, grows along the coast, and every spring and fall, neighboring elementary school students are invited to visit the area to observe the plants and animals as part of their classroom studies. In addition to observing the ecology of plants and animals, local observation sessions include explanations of the marine plastics issue, beach debris research, and cleanup activities. These activities have expanded to include the Ministry of Environment, neighboring companies, and high school students, and in 2023, we held environmental study sessions for Odagahama residents and visiting classes at neighboring elementary schools. As a result of these activities, Odagahama Beach was certified as one of Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites by the Ministry of the Environment in October 2023, then  registered in the World Database on OECMs in August 2024 as an internationally important area for biodiversity conservation. Alongside activities at Odagahama Beach, observation sessions are held for neighboring elementary school students at the city's Karakohama Beach, where Scutellaria strigillosa, an endangered species listed on the prefecture's Red List, etc. grow, as well as at the mouth of the Shinabe River in Onishi town, where hirohamatsuna, an endangered species listed on the Ministry of Environment's Red List, etc. grow. We will continue to carry out biodiversity conservation activities that are rooted in the local community.

• Odagahama Beach, where Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation's Imabari Operations is conducting conservation activities in cooperation with the local community, has been registered in the World Database on OECMs (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures)
• Consideration of ecosystems (Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation) (Japanese only)