News To mark its tenth anniversary, the Audemars Piguet Foundation has decided to finance a large-scale project: raising the awareness of Japanese children with regard to the essential role of the tropical forest.
The traditional Japanese forest consisted formerly of varied species that ensured its ecological balance. Its exploitation was governed by the respect attributed to it by Japanese culture.
In the 1950s, the arrival of chain saws, increasing demand for timber for the paper industry and programmes of intensive exploitation quickly disrupted the fragile balance of the primitive forest: vast areas were razed to the ground to make way for cedar plantations.
At the end of the 1960s, awareness of the damage caused to the traditional forest led to a moratorium on new cedar plantations in two forests of the Miyazaki district, at Mont Daiho and in the Minami-Ayagawa National Forest.
In 1985, professor Noboru Ueno created the "Miyazaki Evergreen Oak Network" in these two regions to assess the possibility of restoring the primitive forest. However this organisation, a pioneer in a culture lacking in awareness of environmental protection, ceased to be active in 1989.
In 1992, the Rio Summit on the environment gave new impetus to the movement. It quickly became evident that measures would only be possible on two conditions: situating action within an international context and carrying out a wide-ranging campaign to raise awareness among the public, particularly children.
In April of this year, the Audemars Piguet Foundation decided to finance the first International Evergreen Broad-leafed Forest Culture Symposium, a programme with three main pillars: an international conference of specialists, awareness-raising activities for children, and the publication of educational works.
The basic programme covers a period of three years, punctuated by a symposium each summer. Over these three years, activities will be organised in many Japanese schools, supplemented by day-long nature trails to discover the fauna and flora of the tropical forest of Miyazaki.
The president of the Audemars Piguet Foundation, Jasmine Audemars, opened the first Miyazaki International Symposium on 20 July this year. Following a presentation of the activities of the Audemars Piguet Foundation and the handing over of a cheque (see photo), she planted the first tree of the programme to restore the primitive forest (see photo), accompanied by a notice indicating that the symposium was organised as a result of finance provided by the Audemars Piguet Foundation.
In parallel with the work of the specialists gathered for this first symposium, groups of children tested out environmental awareness workshops, which are being offered this autumn to all interested classes.
Interspersed with concerts and excursions into the nearby forest, the event brought together around 500 people. Meals prepared with forest produce were served to the guests. An educational booklet and a book of photos produced during this first symposium will allow the work of awareness-raising begun on 20 July to continue.
November 07, 2002
