Mitsubishi Corporation recently announced the launch of two further components of its Global Coral Reef Conservation Project in the United States and the Seychelles. Originally instigated in 2004 to mark the company’s 50th anniversary, the first research project was launched in Okinawa in 2005. The objective of all three projects is to study the ecology of coral reefs and methods for their conservation in partnership with expert academic institutions and environmental organizations. Another important element is the participation of staff volunteers in all three projects.
  Since 1990, the company has supported initiatives in tropical-forest regeneration. As a proportion of its business is related to the world's oceans, the conservation of coral reefs, equally rich in biodiversity and of significant importance to marine health, has been chosen as another focus area for support. The Okinawan project, which conducted its first volunteer research trip in 2005, is a collaborative effort with Shizuoka University in Japan and is being led by Professor Yoshimi Suzuki, a leading coral reef researcher, together with support from the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa Prefecture and the Earthwatch Institute (Japan). Mitsubishi Corporation staff, together with members of the public, took part in the first research trip last August, and another trip is planned this year in July.

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