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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University Professor Shigeo Kobayashi

Rehabilitation of tropical degraded forests and of local communities living with them

Research grant

Project Description

With regards to the environmental impact of a diminishment/deterioration in tropical forests, we have made progress with international deliberations and the like but still do not have much research on methods of restoration. By restoration of a degraded tropical forest, we refer to the restoral of (a) it cultural value, (b) its ecological value, and its (c) socioeconomic value. Such efforts must be advanced upon a consideration of the differing national and regional factors behind such diminishment/deterioration. In this research, we research the following and elucidate how related characteristics can vary by region.
(1) Revealing the current state of forest degradation and developing restorative technologies
(2) Understanding ethnic knowledge of the forest and local ways of life
(3) Empowering the local community within restored forest areas
(4) Devising restoration strategies in step with land resource planning options that contribute to local ways of life
Our research centers on three broad regions—Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos); Africa (Cameroon, Guinea), and South America (Brazil, Peru) —and is to be advanced in conjunction with the Center for International Forestry Research.

Fields
Climate changePreservation of surface soil and forestsPreservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2007 Research Grants
Grant term
3 years
April 2008 - March 2011
Grant amount
29,360,000 yen
Activity region
Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam), South America (Brazil, Peru, Argentina), Africa (Guinea), Oceania (Papua New Guinea)
Guinea, West Africa: research on wood collection and charcoal production

Overview of the Organization

Professor Shigeo Kobayashi
Representative
Professor Shigeo Kobayashi
Profile
Specialist fields
Area studies; forest ecology; forest soil science
Affiliated academic societies
The Japanese Forestry Society; Japan Society of Tropical Ecology; Japanese Society of Forest Environment; Japanese Society of Pedology, International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO); ATBC Asia-Pacific Chapter (ATBC Asia-Pacific)
Background
Forestry & Forest Products Research Institute; Center for International Forestry Research(CIFOR); Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University; Ph.D. agriculture, Kyoto University
WEB site
http://www.asafas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/
Collaborating researchers
Mamoru KANZAKI, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University; Shinya TAKEDA, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University; Reiji SUZUKI, Assistant Professor; same; Tetsuya SHIMAMURA, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University; Gen YAMAKOSHI, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University: Kazuhara MIZUNO, Associate Professor, same; Masahiro ICHIKAWA, Associate Professor, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature; /Director General/Fraces Seymour & CIFOR Staff in Guinea, Cameroon, Indonesia, Thailand, Peru, Brazil
Research record
  • (1) Kobayashi, S. 2008. Human Security of Local Community living with Tropical Forest, Sanrin,. 1491. 2-10.
  • (2) Kobayashi, S. 2007. An overview of techniques for the rehabilitation of degraded tropical forest and biodiversity conservation. CURRENTSCIENCE, 93. 1596-1603.
  • (3) Kobayashi, S. 2004. Landscape rehabilitation of degraded tropical forest ecosystems. Forest Ecology and Management, 201. 13-22.