We must continuously strive to preserve our natural environment, including our natural resources such as water and forests, our aesthetic resources and our culture.
We are fortunate that the island of Japan is home to many beautiful mountains and paddy fields. However, the trend of decreasing mountain villages and increasing urbanization of agricultural districts has greatly affected environmental preservation and the amenities that were traditionally afforded by the farm and mountain spaces.
The importance and necessity of agricultural and forestry areas has now been reconfirmed,and people are beginning to change their value systems from that of a mass-production, mass-consumption society which only considers economical costs, to a value system that seeks to harmonize our life-style with nature. With these thoughts in the background, the Bioenvironment Department strives to provide balanced education and research that centers around the concept of harmonization between man and the environment and its resources. Studies focus on the water, soil and forest environments, as well as global environmental problems. In addition to working with national or local administrations, the Department also works with international environmental projects.
The Department consists of two sections REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE and FOREST ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES.

Section of Regional Environment Science

Until now, agriculture and forestry developments have focused on increasing productivity and profit. However, new developments emphasize harmony and coexistence with nature. The new Regional Environment Science Section has just been established to study regional environmental sciences with a focus on multidisciplinary cooperation.
This Section will examine on the development of an ideal regional environment along a river basin where biological production, life and culture have developed. Topics covered by this Section include regional planning, the river environment, regional ecology and geography.

Section of Forest Environment and Resources

The research and education programs of the Forest Resources Section focus on the relationships between forests and human society, including the preservation of the natural environment and effective use of forest resources.
This Section covers five fields of study, including forest ecology and silviculture, forest resource utilization, forest resources policy and forest culture, forest influence and forest intelligence. Each investigation fields are conveniently located around the various types of forests.