Eelgrass seedlings growing with local elementary school students
While developing technologies to conserve biodiversity, the Kajima Technical Research Institute's Hayama Marine Science Laboratory (Hayama-cho, Kanagawa Prefecture; a member of the Hayama Eelgrass Council since 2005) joined with the Hayama Fisheries Cooperative, local elementary schools and NPOs in growing eelgrass beds for coastal environment restoration.
On December 4, 2018, fourth-grade pupils at Hayama Municipal Isshiki Elementary School cooperated in preparing eelgrass seedlings. After attending a lecture delivered by a senior research engineer about the roles of eelgrass, an eelgrass cultivation technique that Kajima developed, and the sea environment, each pupil sowed seeds in a biodegradable pot and placed it in a water tank with their name tag.
The eelgrass seedling growing event at Isshiki Elementary School reached its 13th anniversary this year. The pupils worked diligently as they prepared eelgrass seedlings just like other students did before them. The sowed seeds will grow into seedlings by around April and will be planted in the nearby seabed.
Going forward, Kajima will continue to engage in social contribution activities to educate children who will be responsible for the next generation about the importance of the environment and living beings along with the preservation and improvement of local environments.
Lecture by a senior research engineer
Sowing seeds in a biodegradable pot
Placing the seeded pots in a water tank
* Eelgrass is a seaweed that grows in coastal shallows and also known as the "cradle of the sea" because it serves as an egg-laying site for fish and squids and a feeding and hiding place for small fish. The decline of eelgrass beds has become a problem in recent years.
