On the afternoon of 21 May 2019, in Hayama, Japan, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the National Institute of Ecology (NIE), signed a memorandum of understanding. IGES was represented by its Executive Director, Hideyuki Mori, and NIE was represented by its Executive Director, In Gyoo Park.
The purpose of the agreement is to enhance natural resources-related collaboration between researchers at the two institutions. Located in two of the most developed nations in the region (IGES in Japan and NIE in Korea), they each conduct investigations and programming related to biodiversity policy, ecosystems, and natural resources.
IGES and NIE are well positioned for research cooperation, including mutual support and sharing of lessons learned. They are also the only two organisations in Asia that contribute secretarial support to the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), providing further reason for collaboration.
During the visit by NIE senior management and researchers each of the organisations took part in a seminar to outline their research and activities, and to discuss opportunities for further collaboration. The IGES unit on Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services presented their work, as it is the most relevant to the scope of NIE’s activities.
NIE was established in 2013, as a government-affiliated institute under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, to provide all-around ecology related services including research, conservation, education, and presentations.
Founded in 1998, IGES is a non-profit research institute headquartered in Hayama, Japan with offices in Kansai, Kitakyushu and Tokyo as well as in Bangkok, Thailand and Beijing, China. Its research areas include a focus on natural resources and ecosystems, climate and energy, and sustainable consumption and production, among others.
