World's first! An international symposium to promote the Miyawaki Method was held at Yokohama National University!

　【Organized by】　Public Interest Incorporated Foundation　MORINO PROJECT

　With the goal of passing on the knowledge of the Miyawaki Method to the next generation and reducing the world's deserts and wastelands by 50% by 2040, a delegation of 55 people from 27 countries gathered at Yokohama National University for the World's first International Symposium on Friday, October 11th, with a total of around 130 people in attendance.

  Raising awareness among children and local communities about the issue of land degradation and opportunities for restoration is an integral part of the G20 Global Strategy. With this in mind, the G20 Global Land Initiative, in collaboration with its partners, plans to hold an international symposium on Miyawaki-style forests and urban forests in Japan in 2024 with the aim of ‘creating Miyawaki-style forests as nature classrooms for schools’. (Excerpt from the MORINO PROJECT HP)

   The G20 Global Land Initiative was established by the G20 countries in Riyadh in 2020, when Saudi Arabia chaired the group. The initiative aims to reflect the G20 leaders' commitment to reduce degraded land by 50% by 2040.

   After the introduction of the international symposium goals, Dr.  Muralee Thummarukudy, Director of the G20 Global Environment Division of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Dr. Fujiwara, Professor Emeritus of Yokohama National University, gave a lecture emphasizing the importance of passing on the Miyawaki Method to the next generation and spreading it around the world. From there on, sessions of the symposium commenced and many delegates presented their impressive work, held workshops and panel board presentations.

  Ms. Kawashita, the representative director of Silva, was invited to speak as a panelist at the second workshop moderated by Dr. Fujiwara, Ms. Kawashita gave a talk on ‘Fundraising Strategies for School Nature Lab Projects’ as an example of an innovative approach to securing forest resources and providing educational outcomes.

    First, during my speech I introduced specific examples related to the topic of the presentation. Each speaker was allocated 13 minutes to speak. I practiced my speech so that I could comfortably finish my speech in Japanese within the allocated time, however English translations were needed and as a result, I was over my time limit. Although the bell signaled the end of my allocated time, Dr. Fujiwara encouraged me to continue as she considered the content of my speech important to the audience. Because of her encouragement, I was able to finish my presentation for four school forest projects and the fundraising strategies. There may have been a misunderstanding as to why I continued to speak, but it was because of Dr. Fujiwara’s encouragement.  I would like to thank everyone who listened to my presentation.

　After the four speakers for the second workshop finished their presentations, a Q & A session followed.  There was a lively discussion about how to pass on the Miyawaki Method to the next generation, and the audience asked various questions.  I was impressed by the attendees' enthusiastic participation during the Q & A.

  To the left above is a commemorative photo with Mr. Shinkawa, the Secretary General of the Shinto Forest Project, a public interest incorporated foundation, who offered us the opportunity to speak at the international symposium and take part in the Miyawaki Method Tree Planting Festival in the Shonan International Village Forest. Thank you very much for inviting us to this prestigious event, the first of its kind in the world, to pass on the Miyawaki Method to the next generation and spread around the world. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude.

   I, Toshiko Kawashita, the representative director, participated in a red and white kimono that was inspired by the Japanese flag as a gesture of gratitude, and I appreciate the compliments from the overseas guests. On this day, there were nine forest regeneration instructors from Silva in the audience. They all supported the event, including distributing materials of the school forest projects. Thank you, everyone.

   This occasion was a special moment for world leaders, who inherited the Miyawaki Method, to meet and discuss the future and celebrate their growth and successes. As a measure to mitigate global warming, we must promote forest creation as soon as possible.

  As Japan is the birthplace of the Miyawaki Method, Silva recognizes our responsibility as specialists advocating for forest regrowth globally.  The October symposium renewed our determination to continue working toward this goal.

  A Miyawaki Forest Symposium was held from October 10th to 14th, 2024 at Yokohama National University (YNU) as the “International Symposium on ‘Miyawaki Forest and Urban Forest Regeneration.”  The symposium, organized by the United Nations G20 Global Land Initiative and the Chinju-no-Mori Project, introduced the diverse possibilities of Miyawaki Forest in addressing urban and environmental issues. A total of 149 participants attended, including 87 people from 27 countries overseas and 62 people from Japan.

  At the symposium, presentations were made in the form of symposium lectures, workshops, and poster presentations on the scientific foundation of Miyawaki Forest, the planning and implementation of the Miyawaki Forest Project, and fundraising for Nature Lab.　　　　　

  Many attendees commented positively on Ms. Kawashita’s presentation as she gave her lecture on Silva’s activities dressed in a traditional Japanese Kimono. Dr. Muralee Thummarukudy, Director of G20, requested that participants give their presentations wearing traditional costumes from their respective countries. However, since the event was held at the University, we responded that it would be difficult for everyone to gather in their national costumes. Ms. Kawashita presented in her kimono, which was very compelling in representing Japan.  Additionally, Ms. Kawashita’s lecture focused on applying Miyawaki Forest sites as educational venues, along with forest regeneration outcomes which addressed the core subject of this conference and led to an active discussion.

  As a result, Silva’s outcomes of their activities were presented as Japan's achievements, making it a valuable presentation.