The Yasu Office is in Shiga Prefecture, where Lake Biwa, also known as the "mother" lake, is located. Until the end of September 2021, the plant manufactured semiconductors and MEMS, with the wastewater discharged into a river after purification for environmental concerns. Using this wastewater effectively, we created a biotope^*1 in 2011 to protect and propagate the striped bitterling^*2 fish, which is listed as a critically endangered species by the Ministry of the Environment. This project also contributed to environmental education for children through nature observation tours at nearby childcare centers and elementary schools. As a result of these efforts, the company received the highest certification, a three-star rating, under the Shiga Biodiversity Initiative Certification Program. This is a certification system in which Shiga Prefecture evaluates biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

In October 2021, the semiconductor and MEMS businesses were transferred to another company, as was the biotope site, preventing the use of the biotope to address biodiversity as we have in the past.

The BBN^*3 is a joint effort by seven companies based in Shiga Prefecture (including OMRON) to survey, conserve, and communicate information on 100 species of dragonflies confirmed so far in the prefecture, using dragonflies and their deep relationship with water as a common indicator organism. In fiscal 2021, we held a dragonfly observation and specimen-preserving workshop for local children. We also co-hosted a month-long exhibition with the Lake Biwa Museum, providing an opportunity to inform many people about our past efforts.

These activities were recognized by outside parties, and won the grand prize in the education and dissemination category of the Nature Conservation Society of Japan Awards 2021.

As an activity unique to the Yasu Office, the office focuses on the conservation and restoration (monitoring, protection and propagation, and habitat improvement)of a rare species of dragonfly, Sympterum kunckeli (Red Dragonfly). In recent years, the numbers and habitats of the red dragonfly have been declining in Shiga Prefecture, but we have confirmed that the dragonflies pass over the Yasu Plant every year, and we continue to conduct surveys of migration. We have also created a container biotope at the Yasu Office to create a breeding site and to protect and propagate the species using collected eggs.

Through past efforts, we have learned that the green spaces of our business locations become part of local nature. We will continue to make use of our green spaces to conserve local animal populations, pursue the conservation of rare and locally native species, and expand the circle of environmental conservation in cooperation with local communities and other entities.

• *1 Biotope
  "Biotope" is an English word derived from the German "biotop," which in turn was derived from the Greek "bios" (life) and "topos" (place). The word means a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Recently, the term "biotope" is also used as a generic term to collectively describe forests, rivers, marshes, swamps, grassland, woods, etc. as ecosystems. In Japan, the term is often used to describe an artificially created simulation of a natural habitat for a particular species. (Source: Nikkei Ecology’ s Seibutsu Tayosei Dokuhon (Guide to Biodiversity)).
• *2 The striped bitterling (Acheilognathus cyanostigma)
  A species of freshwater cyprinid fish that once inhibited the Lake Biwa and Yodo River water systems in large populations. Due to the growth of non-native species and river development projects, this fish is no longer seen in Lake Biwa. It is designated as one of the most endangered class IA species in the Ministry of the Environment’ s Red List. Its name was derived from a long blue green stripe on the sides of its body.
• *3 BBN: The Biodiversity Biwako Network. Participating companies are (in alphabetical order)
  Asahi Kasei Corporation, Asahi Kasei Homes Corporation, Daifuku Co., Ltd, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd., Sekisui Jushi Corporation, and OMRON Corporation.