Biodiversity Preservation at Business Sites

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.

Preservation Activities at Hamura R&D Center

In 2019, a protection team of employee volunteers once again observed and photo-documented the Golden Orchid and Silver Orchid, which were confirmed to be growing at Hamura R&D Center, from the time they sprouted until they flowered and fruited. The team strove to raise awareness, seeking to help mainstream biodiversity, by disseminating their photos of the orchids within the company. As a result of these ongoing efforts, in the spring of 2019, new individuals (one Golden Orchid and two Silver Orchids) were found, which had not been discovered at the time of the survey by the expert outside agency two years earlier.

Among the several Golden Orchids on the center’s grounds, some individuals did not flower, seemingly due to insect damage. Meanwhile, since it was anticipated that one Golden Orchid that showed the most stable development would flower when the center was closed during a string of holidays in May called Golden Week, the protection team set up an unmanned camera to take photos at intervals and thereby documented the orchid’s growth until it flowered.

Growth record through interval photography (4/25–5/7, 60-min. interval)

Preservation Activities at the Yamanashi Office of Yamagata Casio

On the advice of the expert agency, labels were used to mark protected species including the plants Lespedeza tomentosa, which is listed in Yamanashi Prefecture’s Red Data Book, as well as Potentilla chinensis, Siberian Lespedeza juncea, Thesium chinense, which is the larval food plant for the insect Canthophorus niveimarginatus, and other grassland plants. As these plants were carefully left when weeding, they were confirmed to have flowered and fruited.

In April 2019, a protection team of employee volunteers was launched at the Yamanashi Office and began propagating individuals from seeds collected the previous fall. The seeds planted in the bare earth as well as those planted in pots sprouted and grew.

The grassland plants, including rare species, seen at the Yamanashi Office are thought to have been living in this location since before it become the business site’s grounds. The periodic mowing conducted for grounds upkeep since the site was established is thought to have fostered a favorable habitat. Accordingly, the grounds were mowed as usual in May 2019.

Environmental Report

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• Environmental Performance Data
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