Advantest Holds the 3rd Biotope Forum

Under the theme of coexisting with nature, Advantest has established the largest biotope in Japan with a total area of 17,000 m² at the Gunma R&D Center as a private company. However, amidst the grand scale of the global environment, our biotope is only a mere speck on the globe. That is why we are committed to expanding the scope of our efforts by participating in the Biotope Forum which consists of research institutes, companies, and organizations within Gunma Prefecture who work towards conserving biodiversity.

On September 20, our company hosted the 3rd Biotope Forum held at the Gunma R&D Center. The meeting began with a keynote address by professor Shinichi Ishikawa from Gunma University. Professor Ishikawa plays a central role in the Biotope Forum and he introduced some pioneering examples of Advantest's biotope over the past 18 years. Afterwards, our company gave a presentation on how the biotope is managed, our company's role in the plants and animals monitoring survey, regional exchanges, the employment of persons with disabilities, as well as other matters. The Ecosystem Conservation Society-Japan (ECSJ) also introduced activities that provide support for companies and organizations who work towards conserving ecosystems.

After the presentation, we moved to the location of the actual biotope to observe various creatures including the endangered species, such as thoroughworts which grow naturally in the biotope and floating hearts which is keeping in shelter from other native areas. The Biotope Forum not only allows participants to exchange opinions and information with one another, but also has many cases of initiatives being created from networking with other participants, such as accepting urgently evacuated endangered species. We will continue to encourage more collaboration at the Biotope Forum and further promote biodiversity conservation.