TOKYO, Japan, October 6, 2023 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that a part of the land within the Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi, Japan, owned by Honda, was certified as an OECM (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures)^*1 biodiversity conservation area designated by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE).

Honda has been participating in the “30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity” led by the MOE since April 2022, and this is the first time for the land owned by Honda to be certified as an OECM.

The 30 by 30 are international targets to conserve at least 30% of the Earth’s land, freshwater and oceans as a healthy ecosystem globally by 2030. This target was adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in December 2022.

The 30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity was established in Japan under the leadership of the MOE to establish structures and systems which will contribute to the attainment of the 30 by 30 targets in Japan, and it has been working on the certification of OECMs in Japan.

The MOE certifies the “areas where biodiversity is conserved through various efforts such as initiatives by private sector companies and organizations” as OCEMs, and certified areas will be registered in the World Database on OECMs.

Mobility Resort Motegi is located in the town of Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture, which is rich in nature, and has long been involved in environmental conservation activities as well as various activities to foster future generations who will strive to achieve coexistence between people and nature. Those activities are highly evaluated, and this time Honda achieved certification of the 415.1 hectares of forest within Mobility Resort Motegi as an OECM site.

*1  “Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs)” are areas where conservation is achieved by the efforts of the private sector and areas where management for a purpose other than conservation is resulting in the contribution to the protection of the natural environment.

Mobility Resort Motegi is a mobility theme park that consists of not only race tracks but also facilities for promoting safe driving and nature experiences. Since it opened in 1997, Mobility Resort Motegi has been conducting activities in harmony with the natural environment, under the theme of the “coexistence of people, nature and mobility.” The forest areas surrounding the race tracks occupy approximately 70% of the entire 640-hectare property of Mobility Resort Motegi, and currently provide a habitat for approximately 5,800 species of living creatures, including a number of rare species such as Cybister chinensis, large aquatic insects. Mobility Resort Motegi has been conducting various activities to conserve such nature and species.

Before the construction of Mobility Resort Motegi, the land was an unmanaged wooded area and rice fields, whose environment has since been improved through proper forest care, such as logging to allow sunlight to reach deeper into the forest. Moreover, the waterside woodlands with terraced rice paddies were restored to protect the endangered Nannophya pygmaea, a type of dragonfly native to Japan, which is also known as the scarlet dwarf. Moreover, based on the idea that “the natural environment can be improved not only by reducing but by producing,” in addition to reducing the tree density of the forest to take in more sunlight and winds, new habitats for living creatures were produced to create a diverse environment in the forest. 

Furthermore, for sustainable forest development, forest surveys and monitoring studies as well as various workshops are being conducted to foster “people” who are and will be involved in forest development. 

Mobility Resort Motegi has been conducting tree surveys^*2 on a regular basis to record characteristics and measurements of all trees in each selected area. In order to facilitate forest turnover in a relatively short period of time, 300 to 800 trees are cut down every year. While the logged trees are used as firewood, charcoal, and craft materials for campers, new shoots that grow from the stumps are used for the sustainable growth of the forest. Mobility Resort Motegi also participates in the MOE’s “Monitoring Sites 1000” project, a nationwide project for monitoring ecosystems and biodiversity in Japan, which includes surveys on butterflies, frogs, fireflies, birds, flora, and medium and large mammals.

*2 A survey to record the circumference at chest height (circumference at 4.5 feet/1.3 m above the ground), species name and location for every single tree whose circumference at chest height is more than 15cm, within the survey area with an approximate area of 1 ha.

Mobility Resort Motegi also operates the HelloWoods, a facility designed to offer various experiences in a natural environment. Surrounded by a rich natural environment of Satoyama (traditional Japanese natural landscape), the HelloWoods serves as a “place to play and learn” through contact with nature, and conducts activities to support the fostering of future generations and to preserve the local environment.

As part of the effort to foster future generations, since 2002, HelloWoods has been offering a unique youth camp program for elementary school and junior high school students, which offers an opportunity to spend 30 nights and 31 days in nature. Through various activities such as building a fire, learning about insects, and riding motorcycles, the program aims to help participants to develop a healthy biological rhythm and acquire the ability to survive in nature. In collaboration with Nippon Sport Science University, HelloWoods has been conducting a survey to measure the effects of nature-experiencing activities, mainly camping, on children’s physical and mental health.

Recognizing the possibility that its corporate activities could affect biodiversity, as early as the 1960s, Honda began putting significant efforts into activities that lead to the conservation of biodiversity, including afforestation activities and the recycling and reuse of industrial water at its factories. In 1976, Honda began a program to create a “hometown forest,” composed of native tree species that preserves the ecosystem and biodiversity unique to each location, at each of its operations in Japan.

In 2011, Honda established the “Honda Biodiversity Guidelines” which set forth the basic approach to work toward the harmonization of biodiversity initiatives and corporate activities. Based on this approach, Honda has been engaged in various environmental conservation activities around the world.

Striving to create a dream-inspiring future society where people can enjoy a rich natural environment, clean ocean, safety for everyone, a future where our children realize their dreams with no restrictions and greater comfort in life for everyone, Honda will continue its proactive commitment to the activities which will ensure Honda’s vision for the Joys for the next generation.

*3 A monitoring survey the MOE conducts at more than 1,000 survey sites throughout Japan for the purpose of biodiversity conservation.

・Honda environmental website (English) :

https://global.honda/en/sustainability/environment/

・Honda ESG Data Book 2023 (English):

https://global.honda/en/sustainability/report.html

・Honda Stories: “Fostering healthy woods and healthy children in Satoyama of Motegi, HelloWoods round-table discussion by Takeshi Yoro, Shingo Noi, Ryuichiro Sakino: (Japanese only):

https://global.honda/jp/stories/056/