Nature Positive initiative launched in Nose Town, Osaka
with support from Microsoft
In collaboration with the Foundation of Osaka Green Trust and local communities

The Nature Conservation Society of Japan (Chair: TSUCHIYA Toshiyuki, hereafter NACS-J) was awarded a grant as part of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Standards-based Restoration in Action program in collaboration with Microsoft. Using this, NACS-J will begin a Japanese Nature Positive Approach*¹ (Japanese NPA) initiative in Nose Town, Osaka Prefecture, with the aim of conserving and restoring biodiversity across the entire municipality.

“Microsoft is proud to collaborate with SER and NACS-J to deliver standards-based ecological restoration in Nose Town, Osaka Prefecture. By collaborating with SER and NACS-J, we have been able to expand restoration projects globally and grow the network of sustainability-focused non-profits that Microsoft supports,” said Gaby DelaGarza, Senior Director of Global Datacenter Community Affairs.

Nose Town, located in northern Osaka Prefecture, is a biodiversity hotspot where traditional Satoyama ecosystems remain intact. The area includes several Important Satoyama sites designated by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, making it a crucial location for biodiversity conservation and restoration.

The planned activity sites include the Zephyrus forests on Mt. Mikusa and its surrounding areas, where traditional land-use patterns, including a mosaic of secondary forests, terraced rice fields, and farmland, are still maintained. The area is particularly known for its high diversity of butterfly species.

Another focus site, the Ziou Marsh, is one of Osaka Prefecture’s most important wetland ecosystems, home to rare species such as the White Egret Flower (Pecteilis radiata), the Asian pogonia (Pogonia japonica), the Japanese fire-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster), and the forest green tree frog (Zhangixalus arboreus).

Likewise, Mt. Myōken hosts the northernmost beech forest in the prefecture and is designated as a Natural Monument. However, biodiversity degradation has accelerated in recent years due to increasing sika deer populations and progressing vegetation succession.

“One of the best things about this collaboration is that it supports local organizations like NACS-J and community members, as well as Microsoft employees, to go outside and get their hands dirty restoring their backyard. Well-designed, well-implemented ecological restoration is a positive, empowering, solutions-based approach to local and global challenges. Microsoft’s commitment to standards-based restoration shows they take sustainability seriously,” said SER Executive Director Bethanie Walder.

In collaboration with the Foundation of Osaka Green Trust and Nose Myokenzan Buna Mori no Kai, the organizations that have long worked in Nose Town on biodiversity conservation, as well as with local community members, NACS-J will implement the following biodiversity conservation and standard-based restoration activities.

Main Initiatives

1. Biodiversity conservation and restoration in Mt. Mikusa Zephyrus forest and surrounding areas, Ziou Marsh, and Mt. Myōken
   Activities will include selective tree cutting for vegetation recovery, removal of invasive species, installation of deer-exclusion fences, and monitoring surveys before and after interventions. In addition to these three main sites, NACS-J will identify other ecologically important areas within Nose Town and explore Nature Positive to support conservation and restoration.
2. Expanding opportunities for nature engagement and nurturing future environmental stewards
   To increase nature engagement and grow the number of local conservation stewards, NACS-J will encourage participation from local governments, companies, and community members. The projects will also collaborate with local schools and other educational institutions, contributing to innovative educational programmes and increasing the number of people engaged in nature conservation.
3. Exploring and implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
   NACS-J will explore and implement Nature-based Solutions*2 (NbS), including activities that enhance community resilience through the utilization of biodiversity. Projects will also examine opportunities to add value to local primary products nurtured within biodiversity-rich Satoyama landscapes.

Comments

TSUCHIYA Toshiyuki, Chair, the Nature Conservation Society of Japan

Since declaring in May 2023 that NACS-J would promote Nature Positive through a “landscape approach”, we have worked earnestly toward this goal. We are delighted to begin this new collaboration in Nose Town with Microsoft, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Foundation of Osaka Green Trust, and the local community, focusing on biodiversity restoration and the implementation of NbS. This will be our first initiative in the Kansai region. Over the next three years, we will dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to this effort.