INPEX CORPORATION (INPEX) announced that the Kitsunedaira Donguri-no-Mori Project, a biodiversity conservation program it carries out in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture through its wholly owned subsidiary INPEX JAPAN, was selected as a Biodiversity Preservation Site under the Act on Promoting Activities to Enhance Regional Biodiversity. INPEX JAPAN and INPEX also joined the 30by30 Alliance to achieve 30by30, a nature positive goal of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity by 2030.
Kitsune-daira Donguri-no-Mori Project
INPEX JAPAN has been implementing the Kitsunedaira Donguri-no-Mori Project since 2010 in the Fudosawa area of Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture (commonly known as Kitsunedaira), located near the Nagaoka field office where the company's operational facilities are located. This initiative is part of Niigata Prefecture's forest development support program.
Through forest conservation activities, the project aims to foster stronger ties with the local community and raise environmental awareness among employees. Forest maintenance activities are carried out twice a year on an ongoing basis.
Biodiversity surveys conducted to date including visual observations, fixed-point camera monitoring, and environmental DNA analysis have confirmed the presence of breeding mammals and birds, as well as important species. These findings demonstrate that Kitsunedaira Donguri-no-Mori functions as a habitat for diverse wildlife throughout the year.
In recognition of these ongoing community-based forest conservation efforts and the value of conserving biodiversity on a scientific basis, the site has been certified as a Biodiversity Preservation Site.
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Group Photo
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Grass cutting, branch trimming
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Confirmed species in the biodiversity survey (Partial)
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Certification of the Biodiversity Preservation Site
Biodiversity Preservation Sites
The Ministry of the Environment have launched a certification system for biodiversity conservation areas supported by private sector initiatives and other efforts as Biodiversity Preservation Sites from 2023. Furthermore, starting this fiscal year, the system has been enacted as the Act on Promoting Activities to Enhance Regional Biodiversity, officially establishing it under Japanese law.
At the 2022 CBD-COP15, the 30by30 target was adopted, aiming to conserve 30% of the Earth's land and marine areas by 2030. This goal is also included in the National Biodiversity Strategy, which was approved by the Cabinet in 2023.
Among the areas designated as Biodiversity Preservation Sites, those that do not overlap with officially protected areas are to be registered in the international database as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) - sites that contribute to the conservation of biodiversity outside of formally protected areas.
30by30 Alliance
The 30by30 Alliance is a collaborative initiative launched by the Ministry of the Environment in partnership with private organizations to advance the achievement of the 30by30 target. Participating companies, local governments, and organizations demonstrate their commitment to biodiversity conservation through their own conservation activities and support the expansion of OECMs (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures).
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30by30 Alliance Logo
INPEX will continue to advance biodiversity conservation and sustainability management based on its mission of achieving a nature-positive future.
