to "conservation of endangered wildlife."
Having been born and raised in Fukushima, which has an abundance of nature, I have been interested in living things since I was a child. From a desire of wanting to do research to protect endangered species, I entered the Faculty of Agriculture at university, and in graduate school I majored in ecology. At that time, an accident had occurred whereby White-tailed eagles, which had been designated as a national treasure, had collided with the blade of a wind turbine used for power generation.
A survey of about 40 wind turbines in Hokkaido over a period of one and a half years revealed that there were an estimated 100 or more birds colliding per year in those locations alone. In particular, it was found that the highest fatality rates occurred at the turbines on a costal cliff. While costal cliffs that generate updrafts are the frequent flight paths for birds of prey such as eagles, power generation efficiency in such locations is not always good. Promotion of renewable energy is essential for realizing a sustainable society, but if we blindly build power generation stations, this will adversely affect the ecosystem. I felt that collecting data and knowing the current situation would be the first steps toward achieving symbiosis between people and wildlife.
I began to think about my career options, should I get a job or go on to a doctoral course. Upon the recommendation of a senior who would later become the supervisor of the laboratory to which I belonged, I entered Takenaka Corporation in 2009. I had never imagined that I would work for a construction company, but I decided to join the company because I had studied ecology and thought that there were things needed that I could do.
White-tailed eagle
which uses air to prevent pigeons and crows
from perching on buildings.
After one year of new employee training had passed, I was assigned to the Technical Research & Development institute. Initially I had planned to be involved in technological development of "Insect prevention engineering" that keeps pests out of food factories.
While supporting a project as a researcher, I learned that there was much need to prevent pigeon and crow droppings at condominiums and office buildings. To address this issue, we developed a technology, "TORINIX," which prevented pigeons and crows from trying to perch on the outer periphery of roofs by surprising them with air. Spikes, which could be aesthetically unpleasant or injure birds, were unnecessary. Our company strength lies in providing concrete solutions that go beyond mere consulting.
Examples of Spike Use
Example of TORINIX installation and operating image
and providing numerical support for proposals
While supporting a project around 2013, I felt that there was a potential need to incorporate the concept of biodiversity into a green space plan. Thereupon, we also started on research to attract birds to green areas around the site. In order to make green areas that were used by a variety of birds, it is necessary to prepare a habitat suitable for the target species. This was not just securing a green area, but rather it included selecting trees that would produce fruit for the birds to feed on and building in a layered structure of trees and shrubs.
At that time, there was little quantitative knowledge about urban birds, so, we spent three years surveying bird species and populations at 25 green places in the 23 wards of Tokyo. We then proposed green space plans for various projects on a numerical basis using "flight prediction models," which had been built by statistically analyzing the data that we had acquired.
Nowadays when attention is being focused on SDGs (*1) and ESG investment (*2), I feel that our customers are increasingly demanding efforts to preserve biodiversity.
*1 Abbreviation for "Sustainable Development Goals," which were adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015.
*2 Investing in companies with active initiatives toward the "environment," "society," and "governance."
An example of a flight prediction model (the darker the green areas, the greater the potential for attracting species.)
Survey situation
In 2019, we performed demonstrations to increase the accuracy of "flight prediction models" with "SHI-RA-BE forest," which was created by the Takenaka Technical Research & Development Institute. Based on "flight prediction models," we selected target species from birds observed in surrounding areas, which would likely be attracted, decided which tree species they liked, and made a stream that would be suitable for their bathing. Targeted species, such as Varied tits, Long-tailed tits, and Grey wagtails, which live at mountain streams, were observed in. I sometimes see Kingfishers, which are said to be "flying jewels" because of their beauty, and since we set up earthen slopes for nests, we are hoping that they will breed.
We are currently aiming to obtain green zone certification for "SHI-RA-BE forest". In addition to supporting our customers in obtaining certification, we hope that this will be an opportunity for more people to learn about "SHI-RA-BE forest."
Panoramic view of "SHI-RA-BE forest"
Birds that have been observed in with "SHI-RA-BE forest"
My goal is to contribute to prolific urban creation through green spaces for architecture and landscapes where people and wildlife can coexist. I think that we can feel the change of the four seasons with the buds of trees, autumn leaves and songs of birds and insects, that familiar nature can be a catalyst for conversation, and that there is also the aspect of enriching QOL (quality of life).
As a corporate ecologist, I would like to support the creation of environments where people and wildlife can maintain an appropriate distance from each other while there are cities where people can feel close to nature.
In addition to setting a goal of achieving carbon neutral in our business activities by 2050, our company is contributing to the realization of a decarbonized society with wide range of initiatives such as wooden structures and buildings, resource recycling, waste reduction, consideration for biodiversity as well as promotion of energy-saving and zero-energy buildings.
where people and wildlife can coexist.