The Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences (GSALS) at the University of Tokyo and Sekisui House, Ltd. will launch a joint research project on biodiversity and human health on December 1, 2022. The project will investigate the benefits that biodiversity and urban natural environments have on human health and wellbeing. This will be the world's first initiative to comprehensively investigate the effects of interacting with the nearby nature of a garden rich in biodiversity on the health of residents and their attitudes and behavior toward nature. The Laboratory of Conservation Ecology1, Department of Ecosystem Studies, GSALS at the University of Tokyo conducts research on the conservation of urban biodiversity and the management of ecosystem services. The Laboratory has been studying the relationship between nature and human health since 2016, and its research indicates that interactions with nature can lead to improved human health and wellbeing. However, the question of how these health benefits might vary depending on the quality rather than the quantity of nature has not yet been explored.
In 2020, the Laboratory of Conservation Ecology at the University of Tokyo's GSALS investigated how two means of interacting with nature—the frequency of green space use and viewing greenery from the windows of homes—affect the mental health of urban residents. The results of this research showed that not only people who frequently use green spaces, but also those who live in houses with green view reported better mental health.² This suggests that people can benefit from the psychological effects of nature from within their own homes even if they are not physically present in green spaces. Since 2001, Sekisui House has been pursuing the conservation of biodiversity by creating green networks in urban residential districts under its Gohon no Ki Project, a proposal for creating gardens and communities with native tree species of the region concerned. Joint research conducted with the University of the Ryukyu's Kubota Laboratory and Think Nature Inc. since 2019 has revealed that this focus on planting native garden trees in line with the Gohon no Ki Project has increased biodiversity in urban areas (Japan's three major metropolitan areas) where biodiversity has declined significantly. The Laboratory of Conservation Ecology at the University of Tokyo's GSALS is conducting research to test five hypotheses regarding the relationship between human health and interactions with nature under the themes of mental health, physical health, cognitive functions, and community health. For the time being, the new joint research project will focus on two hypotheses related to mental health, and one hypothesis related to cognitive functions. This is, however, a long-term joint research project that will later also look at community health and other themes related to health.