Corporate Initiatives for Nature Conservation:
ICT is Changing the Way We Protect Forests

Smart Forestry to Support Forest Management

NTT DOCOMO has been promoting the creation of docomo Woods across Japan since 1999 as part of their natural environment conservation efforts and has periodically been engaging in forest management activities ever since. The company's initiatives leverage the strengths of its main communications business.Yamamoto Riyoko, Head of NTT DOCOMO's Social Contribution Promotion Department, shares insights into their initiatives.

She says, "We support the practice of smart forestry that utilizes ICT, such as flying drones to conduct measurements and using autonomous brush cutters. ICT helps save labor and power when working with human-made forests, which require appropriate care such as tree thinning and underbrush cutting to remove weeds and scrubs that hinder the growth of the saplings that are planted. This ties into protecting forests. We have been putting our efforts into forest conservation activities that utilize these sorts of technology."

Using Drones to Observe the Forest Food Chain 

NTT DOCOMO is also committed to environmental education. In an event held for elementary school students at docomo Woods in Hachioji Kamikawa no Sato, a smart forestry drone was used to recreate the view and perspective of an eagle or hawk finding and hunting small animal prey, which was shown on a tablet screen. Yamamoto saidthe experience captivated the participating students.

She says, "When you dig into the dirt at your feet in the forest, you find worms. Worms are eaten by reptiles like snakes. Snakes are eaten by eagles and hawks. I'm sure students learn about the ecosystem's food chain in the classroom, but they can learn about it with an even greater sense of reality outdoors. I think they will naturally start to recognize the importance of protecting the environment once they understand that nature is all connected."

In Okinawa, the southernmost region of Japan, underwater drones were used to observe the ecology of coral reefs. Learning that leverages the characteristics of the land presents opportunities to explore how we can approach the environment.

"We always receive a lot of feedback through the surveys after the event. A parent once wrote that their child has a newfound light in their eyes now." This, Yamamoto says, is "learning from forests."

Limited-Time Release of a Biodiversity Conservation Game

Furthermore, in April 2024, NTT DOCOMO offered a limited-time release of a biodiversity conservation game linked to docomo Woods called morimamori ("Protect the Forest"). Players tap their smartphone screens to conduct maintenance of forests and swamps and protect rare species like matsutake mushrooms and Asian salamanders. They earned NFTs by taking care of and preserving habitats suitable for each organism. The total number of NFTs earned will then be converted into an equivalent number of trees planted in docomo Woods. This is what DOCOMO meant by "playing for forests."

The game was discontinued in September 2024. Nevertheless, Yamamoto points out that, "Going outdoors isn't the only way to participate in environmental activities. We were able to leverage the areas where we excel, like customer engagement and technology, to get people thinking about biodiversity conservation."

In November, a tree planting event for the game players took place in docomo Woods at Kimitsu in Chiba Prefecture, located adjacent to Tokyo. One of the participants came from as far away as Kyushu, in the south of Japan, and said they were curious to see the people who created the game. This shows that the game was effective in quietly spreading interest.

Yamamoto expressed the significance of NTT DOCOMO engaging in these environmental conservation activities, saying, "Just like our lives, corporate businesses are dependent on natural capital, so we believe we have a duty to protect it. We hope to continue engaging in efforts to resolve issues using NTT DOCOMO's technologies and also actively create opportunities to work with our service users andlocal communities."

Yamamoto Riyoko

Yamamoto is in charge of promoting the DOCOMO Group's social contribution business. In October 2022, she launched a biodiversity project.
She promotes efforts to resolve social issues that bring the company and its customers together as one.

Operating on the concept that envisions green urban development for the next 100 years, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is pushing initiatives to protect, cultivate, and utilize Tokyo's greenery.
By working with companies and a variety of other entities, its efforts aim to transform Tokyo into a sustainable city that exists in harmony with nature.
TOKYO GREEN BIZ - Green Urban Development -TMG