![[Image] Butterflies are a Barometer of the Vitality of Nature Research into the Reverdin's Blue, a rare species of the butterfly, helps us appreciate the interwoven nature of the ecosystem.](images/main.jpg)
Nashigahara is an extensive area of grassland located at the foot of Mt. Fuji and is one of the few remaining habitats for the endangered Reverdin's Blue species of the butterfly. Why is it endangered and what can we do to save it from extinction?
The Hitachi Group's employees and their families took part in the "Volunteer Program to Support the Research Team" organized by the Earthwatch Institute (Japan) where they helped with research into the larvae and adults of the Reverdin's Blue.
* Photographed by Michihito Watanabe, Kawaguchiko Field Center
This environmental volunteer program is designed to encourage participants to think about what they can do to help. It also provides specific opportunities to get involved in the conservation of the natural environment, ecosystem and biodiversity by participating in research on the Reverdin's Blue and other butterflies living near Mt. Fuji.
![[Image] Mt. Fuji and grasslands](images/001.jpg)
| Date | August 22 - 24, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Grasslands of Nashigahara ,riverbank in Minobu Town and the riverbet of the Fujikawa in Kofu Basin ,near Mt. Fuji, Yamanashi. |
| Organizer | Earthwatch Institute (Japan) |
| Researcher | Michihito Watanabe (Kawaguchiko Field Center & Laboratory of Natural Science for Coexistence of Humans & Nature Director) |
| Staff | Yasunori Miyashita (council member, Yamanashi Entomological Association) Kazuhiko Omata (master's course student of environmental science, Yamanashi University) Katsuyoshi Suzuki (Assistant Director, Earthwatch Institute (Japan)) |
![[Image] Naoko Inoue](images/002.jpg)
Naoko Inoue,
Corporate Citizenship Group,
CSR Promotion Department,
Corporate Communication Division,
Hitachi Limited:
This program is designed to encourage individual employees of the Hitachi Group to think about what they can do to help and to provide them with specific opportunities to get involved in the conservation of the natural environment and ecosystem by participating in research on small butterflies. It is very interesting and rewarding to work with fascinating and motivated people with common goals.
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