In 2017, Casio commissioned an expert outside agency (Ryokusei Research Institute Inc.) to conduct a biodiversity survey at the Group’s main sites in Japan. As shown in Table 1, the results found that many species of insects and plants make their home at these sites. Most notably, Golden Orchid (Cephalanthera falcata), which is included on the Ministry of the Environment’s species Red List, and Silver Orchid (Cephalanthera erecta) and stalked adder's-tongue (Ophioglossum petiolatum), both of which are on Tokyo’s Red List of threatened species, were found at the Hamura R&D Center in Hamura, Tokyo. Rare plants and insects including the plant Lespedeza tomentosa Sieb. ex Maxim. and the insect Canthophorus niveimarginatus (Scott), which are included on Yamanashi Prefecture’s Red List of threatened species, were found at the Yamanashi Office of Yamagata Casio Co., Ltd. in the city of Fuefuki. In light of these results, employee volunteers are continuing to undertake conservation activities with advice from the expert agency.
At the Hamura R&D Center, a protection team of employee volunteers has been monitoring site biodiversity throughout the seasons. They have been able to confirm several additional species, such as the Powdered Oakblue butterfly (Arhopala bazalus, a species in the family Lycaenidae), that were not found during a recent survey by outside experts. Although the additional species are not rare, the employees plan to further investigate and list them.