CoHHO Unit holds symposium, "Achievements and Perspectives of the CoHHO Studies" (28 October 2017)

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On 28 October, the Kyoto University Educational Unit for Studies on Connectivity of Hills, Humans, and Oceans (CoHHO Unit) held an international symposium, "Achievements and Perspectives of the CoHHO Studies", with 115 attending. The event was co-organized with the University and the Nippon Foundation, and held at the Maskawa Building for Education and Research.

Professor Yoh Yamashita, dean of the Field Science Education and Research Center (FSERC), delivered a keynote lecture, outlining the latest achievements and advances in CoHHO studies.

This was followed by two special lectures. Mr Naohisa Okuda, director of the Biodiversity Policy Division at the Ministry of the Environment (MoE), introduced the government initiative, "Connecting and Supporting Forests, Countryside, Rivers, and Sea", aimed at promoting productive and sustainable use of natural resources. Mr Yoshiaki Saito, general manager of the 2030 Japanese Value Creation Department at Nomura Research Institute's Center for Strategic Management & Innovation, lectured on "Create New Value: The Killer Skills of Japanese 'Innovators'".

The next segment was devoted to a review of the CoHHO educational program. Professor Akira Asakura, director of the CoHHO Unit, reflected on the program's five years of achievements, reporting that 143 students from six graduate schools have completed it to date, and are now working to bring the benefits of the CoHHO concept to society. Three graduates then detailed their ongoing efforts to practice the idea in their current capacities -- two as ministry officials and one as a university faculty member.

Reviews of the CoHHO educational program were also conducted the day before and in the morning by current and former students, who now shared the outcomes of these sessions with the symposium audience. Among other things, the presenters mentioned the highly stimulating cross-disciplinary encounters they had through the program, and the applicability of CoHHO studies to diverse fields of research.

Professor Shozo Shibata, vice-director of the CoHHO Unit, responded by expressing satisfaction with the impact that the program seems to be having, with an increasing number of students embracing the concept of hill-human-ocean connectivity.

A closing session followed, where three guests -- Dr Hoang Hai, director of international cooperation at the University of Danang, Vietnam; Ms Mari Kurata, a director of Ikaw Ako, an environmental NGO; and Mr Huynh Phuoc, vice-chairman of the Da Nang Union of Science and Technology Associations -- all stressed the importance of the CoHHO perspective in efforts to solve environmental issues, and expressed hope for further advances in the field.

The symposium successfully concluded with remarks from Mr Takehiro Umemura, team leader at the Nippon Foundation's Marine Projects Division.

One of the special lectures

Presentation by a graduate of the CoHHO educational program

Poster session

Symposium participants and attendees

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