On July 19, 2024 (Fri), 31 second-year students and three teachers from Tochigi Prefectural Sano High School visited JIRCAS as part of their "Tsukuba Science Tour."

First, the students were introduced to the food and environmental issues in developing regions and how the research activities conducted by JIRCAS in collaboration with partner institutions around the world contribute to solving these issues and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). JIRCAS also introduced the need for global talent and scientific innovation for future society and discussed commonalities with Sano High School's "Sano Glocal Concept.".

Next, Dr. TANAKA Kenzo (Senior Researcher, Forestry Division) introduced the diversity of tropical rainforests and the blessings of tropical forests, which are strongly connected to our lives, using specific examples. The students asked many questions as they learned about the role of tropical rainforests in maintaining human life and global biodiversity and listened with great interest to the significance of conducting research aimed at sustainable use of tropical rainforests through long-term fieldwork.

Additionally, the students showed a keen interest in the research on tropical rainforests, which are closely related to their own lives but not widely known, as they observed actual samples of leaves and fruits from various tree species constituting the rainforest and learned about the diverse growth and reproductive strategies of each tree species. We hope that by exposing the students to the research and technological development activities conducted by JIRCAS in collaboration with global partners, the base of scientific and technological innovation talent with a global perspective will be broadened.

The activities conducted by Dr. Tanaka, titled "Exploring the Blessings of Tropical Rainforests from the Treetops: Photosynthesis at 50 Meters Above the Ground," can be read in JIRCAS Public Relations Vol. 11 ( p. 4-7, in Japanese).