Initiatives for Biodiversity | Sustainability

The Advantest Group's Guidelines of Action for Biodiversity

To show our gratitude for the gift of nature created by biodiversity, and to recognize the significance of biodiversity in supporting the prosperity and the wellness of our society, the Advantest Group will carry out initiatives in conserving biodiversity and in contributing to the sustainable use of biological resources.

1.Understanding Environmental Impact
We identify, evaluate and share information on any aspect that may have a significant impact on biodiversity in the entire lifecycle of our business activities.
2.Understanding Biodiversity
We increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity among all employees so that they are able to engage in activities that give consideration to biodiversity in their business activities and daily lives.
3.Reduction of Environmental Impact
By seeking highly effective measures, and by carrying them out continuously, we reduce the impact of our business activities on biodiversity.
4.Cooperation with Stakeholders
We cooperate with a variety of stakeholders such as the government, educational organizations, NPOs, local residents and our business partners to promote activities related to the conservation of biodiversity.

Participation in the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity"

Advantest joined the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity" in April 2022. Advantest will continue to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity through proper management of the biotope and nature protection to secure a nature-positive world.

* 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity: A coalition of volunteers established by 17 industry, private, and government organizations including the Ministry of the Environment to domestically achieve the "30by30" target, an outline of an international commitment and necessary actions which aims to conserve or protect at least 30% of land and sea areas by 2030.

Biotope

Front side of biotope

Biotope seen from the sky

Reflecting our commitment to living in harmony with nature, Advantest established a biotope in Gunma R&D Center in 2001 with the aim of helping to recreate the original, natural landscape of the Kanto Plain, a landscape that is being lost to development. This biotope, with a total area of 17,000 m², is the largest of its kind established by any private company in Japan.

Advantest's biotope provides a venue in which Advantest employees can learn about the importance of protecting the global environment; the biotope is also used as a way to foster communication with local residents. 21 years have passed since the establishment, and the biotope now has an optimal environment for preserving the local ecological system and is playing a great role in protecting and growing threatened species. In addition, Advantest's biotope provides an ideal environment for achieving an SDG target, "Goal 15: LIFE ON LAND".

* Biotope: This word combines the Greek words "Bio", which means life, and "Tope", which means a place.

Advantest's biotope

Place for the protection and cultivation of valuable plants

Since its establishment in 2001, our biotope has been dedicated to research on, protection of, and cultivation of the animals and plants that live there as well as the extermination of alien species under the guidance of Gunma University.
We also utilize our biotope in our efforts to protect and cultivate Eupatorium japonicum and floating heart, which are national near-threatened species and Gunma prefectural IA endangered species.

With regard to Eupatorium japonicum, there are only five places where it grows naturally in Gunma Prefecture, one of which is Advantest's biotope. Advantest has been continuing these protection and cultivation activities for many years, which have led to the creation of an environment that enables the stable natural cultivation of the native plant.

With regard to floating heart, there is only one place where it grows naturally in Gunma Prefecture, and Advantest's biotope has been used as an evacuation shelter since 2012, where floating hearts grow steadily.

Moreover, from fiscal 2019, Advantest implemented emergency protection measures for native Amsonia ellipticas, which were specified as a threatened species (IA) in Gunma Prefecture, and started protection and cultivation activities for them.

Eupatorium japonicum
Floating hearts
Amsonia elliptica

Began calculation of the biotope’s CO₂ fixation speed

Measuring the height of
trees in the biotope

In fiscal 2020, we resumed our initiative to calculate the CO₂ accumulation amount and fixation speed in our biotope's forest. This initiative is part of the collaborative research with Gunma University and will continue for the next three years.

In fiscal 2021, in addition to measuring the weight of fallen leaves, we conducted a tree survey. We measured the height and breast height diameter of about 600 trees in the forest using a laser tree height measuring device and a measuring rod (a pole for measuring tree height). The CO₂ accumulation amount will then be calculated from that value.

We will compare the results of the previous survey conducted 10 years ago with the results of this survey and report on the amount of CO₂ accumulated in the biotope's forest over the past decade and how it has changed.

Amounts of accumulated and released CO₂ are estimated based on the weight of fallen leaves and tree volume

Catching fallen leaves
in a special net

CO₂ that has been absorbed by trees through photosynthesis is accumulated inside the trees as carbohydrate (carbon fixation). As the trees grow, the amount of carbohydrate accumulated inside them also increases, thus increasing the volume of the trees. These trees also produce leaves, which die and fall to the ground after one to three years. Therefore, by measuring the volume of the trees and the weight of the fallen leaves at specific intervals, one can estimate how much CO₂ the trees have fixated (the amount of carbon fixation) over a given period of time. Meanwhile, the fallen leaves are decomposed by microorganisms living in the soil, which releases the accumulated carbohydrate into the air as CO₂, thus reducing the weight of the leaves. Therefore, by measuring the weight of fallen leaves atop the soil at specific intervals, one can estimate the weight reduction of the fallen leaves (estimate the amount of CO₂ released into the air based on the decomposed amount).

Special nets have been installed at several locations in our biotope in order to measure the weight and decomposed amount of fallen leaves. The volume of each tree is calculated based on its diameter and height. Based on this data, the amount of CO₂ accumulated in the trees and fallen leaves as well as the amount of CO₂ released from the fallen leaves in the biotope are estimated in order to calculate the total amount of CO₂ accumulated throughout the forest. The CO₂ fixation speed of the biotype’s entire forest is calculated by comparing the current amount of accumulated CO₂ with the level from the previous study conducted a decade ago.

A message from Professor Shin-ichi Ishikawa, Faculty of Informatics, Gunma University

Biotopes generally play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity, particularly in terms of restoration of regional natural environment, acting as a place for environmental education and a sanctuary for endangered species. Advantest's biotope is surrounded by a rich environment such as vast puddy fields with species-rich ecosystems, making it one of the ideal places for sustainable growth of endangered species such as Eupatorium japonicum and Salvia plebeian.

The floral monitoring performed in fiscal 2021 revealed that 111 native plant species, including "satoyama" (semirural area) plants and 34 exotic species were growing there. As such, Advantest's biotope is playing an important role in the conservation of regional biodiversity.

From fiscal 2020, we have restarted another project for calculating CO₂ fixation rate of the forest in the biotope, aiming to mitigate global warming. We expect that Advantest's biotope will continue to play more important roles in the restoration of regional biodiversity and mitigation of global warming by conserving the native plant species and fixing more CO₂.