Event: Miyawaki Mini Forests & Smart Green Networks Symposium - 6-7 June

Small community forest patches are being planted in cities around the world to address the global biodiversity and climate crises and to bring people together to celebrate human-nature connections. Many of these have been inspired by a Japanese concept known as the Miyawaki Method of forestry or Miyawaki Miniforests.

A two-day symposium will be held on the Miyawaki Miniforest movement and how it addresses biodiversity and community, which is being organised by Environment Institute member Dr Scott Hawken, Director of the Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Program in the School of Architecture and Built Environment

The Miyawaki Method is an innovative Japanese approach to cultivating biodiverse forests within cities and in post-industrial and regional landscapes. The approach has motivated industry leaders, communities, and environmental practitioners to organise and plant forests. This event will share Australian, Japanese, and global expertise on biodiverse forestry. Such projects are important for a range of reasons, including community cohesion and wellbeing, urban biodiversity, and liveability as well as cleaner agricultural and industrial production, climate mitigation and cooling.

The symposium is a result of collaboration between Adelaide University’s Landscape Architecture Program and Waite Arboretum and Kyushu University’s Faculty of Design.  Keynote Speakers for the event include Tokyo University’s Prof Terada and Yokohama University’s Emeritus Prof Fujiwara, both specialists on urban forestry and planning.

The event is timed to coincide with celebrations for Adelaide’s recent listing as a National Park City. Adelaide is the second such city to achieve a National Park City status following London.  It is sponsored by the Australia Japan Foundation and convened by Adelaide University and Kyushu University with support from partners UTS Sydney.

Day 1. Monday 6 June - Global Best Practice in Biodiverse Urban Patches
Day 2. Tuesday 7 June - Smart Cities, Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity

Further details and registration for the event can be found HERE.