新潟大学

Mission

The mission of Center for Toki and Ecological Restoration (CTER) at Niigata University is to support:

　●Research　●Education　●Ecological Restoration

On 25 September 2008, 10 crested ibis (Toki; Nipponia nippon) were reintroduced to Sado Island since their extirpation from the wild 27 years ago. Using the crested ibis as a symbolic species, researchers and staff at Center for Toki and Ecological Restoration (CTER) promote research concerning 1) reintroduced crested ibis, 2) ecological restoration of Satoti-satoyama (social-ecological production landscapes) and 3) restoration of regional community on Sado Island. To facilitate these studies, CTER supports researchers, staff and students by providing field- and lab-based resources. Through the environmental education programme, sponsored by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), researchers at CTER teach professionals, local residents and university students about the science of Ecological Restoration. Those who have completed the JST programme are expected to play key roles in leading and promoting island-wide ecological restoration as well as revitalising the local economy using the natural resources. CTER also manages 30ha of abandoned, terraced paddy fields as biotopes to conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of the region. In the near future, CTER aims to establish an innovative interdisciplinary field of study, i.e. “Social-ecological Restoration”, by combining various fields of natural and social sciences to be dispatched internationally.