Insight
Nippon Steel Forest: Transforming Industrial Wastelands
Transforming Industrial Wastelands into Biodiverse Miyawaki Forests:
By the 1970s Japan had become an economic powerhouse. Industries like steelmaking and automobile manufacturing were booming. With this rapid industrialisation and development, pollution levels soared leaving urban dwellers struggling to cope.
As the skies filled with smog and waters became contaminated, diseases like Minamata disease and Yokkaichi asthma were attributed to this new industrial expansion. Spurred on by the worsening conditions, in 1971 Japan established its environmental agency.
Prof. Akira Miyawaki:
In search of solutions, many industry leaders turned to Professor Akira Miyawaki for his ecological expertise. Sensitive to any attempt to greenwash the industrial destruction, Miyawaki declared he would only create robust natural forests that he was sure could make a difference in mitigating pollution and natural disasters, while enriching local biodiversity.
Nippon Steel:
Japan’s largest steelmaker, Nippon Steel Corporation, was one of the first companies to entrust Miyawaki with this task. In 1971, he was hired to build natural forests on their production sites in Oita, Nagoya, Sakai, Kamaishi, Futtu, Hikari, Muroran, and Yawata.
Using the project as an opportunity to develop a methodology that prioritised the rapid growth of a biodiverse natural forest: the Miyawaki Method was born.
The Miyawaki Method
The Impact
Rapid Growth:
Today the Nippon Steel Corporation boast 2,076 acres of mature Miyawaki forests, with trees as high as 98 feet. While this progress was made in 50 years, conventionally planted forests can take up to 100 years or more to mature.
Establisment of the Miyawaki Method:
The Nippon Steel forests became a model for how industry and environmental restoration could coexist and collaborate. In 1973, Japan introduced a Factory Location Law requiring large factories to allocate 20% of their land as green spaces. Following success at Nippon Steel, Miyawaki went on to collaborate with Tokyo Electric Power, Toray, Honda, and Mitsui Fudosan.
Environmental Results
Cooling Impact:
Miyawaki forests are known to have a major cooling effect on areas down. This is done by offering shade and producing a cooling vapour by a process known as evapotranspiration.
Air Quality Improvement:
Absorbing pollutants and mitigating air pollution, the dense vegetation acted as a natural air filter, helping to cleanse the air in an area that was previously affected by industrial emissions.
Mitigation against natural disasters:
The restored forest area provides a rich habitat for various wildlife species and microbial communities, enriching local biodiversity and creating a more balanced ecosystem.
Enriching Biodiversity:
The restored forest area provides a rich habitat for various wildlife species and microbial communities, enriching local biodiversity and creating a more balanced ecosystem.
