The University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest
Hirao Lab conducts research on forest ecology based in the University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest. We are working on a wide range of research themes related to forest biodiversity, interactions between organisms, ecosystem function and dynamics, wildlife management, and conservation of rare species in the headwatershed of the Arakawa River in the Okuchichibu Mountains, where the pristine natural environment remains, and in other mountainous regions throughout Japan.