On Sunday, November 2024, 11, Azabu University, in collaboration with the Kanagawa Prefectural Park Association and Sakata Seed Green Services Group, will hold a public participation workshop titled "Connecting Kanagawa Prefectural Sagami-Mikawa Park (Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture) to the world with iNaturalist, recording living creatures with your smartphone."
This initiative will be held as a social collaboration program by the Azabu University High School-University Connection and Social Collaboration Program Development Center. When the first social collaboration program, "Azabu University Students and Hashimoto Digital Mapping," was held in August 2024, participants responded more favorably to recording plants and animals than to cityscapes and guide signs. As for how to engage with university students, it was found that they would be happier if they tried using the app together, rather than just teaching them the skills. Therefore, for the second installment, the program focused on plants and animals in nearby parks and devised content that would engage with university students.
In the workshop, participants will record the flora and fauna of Sagami-Mikawa Park together with students from Azabu University using iNaturalist, a nature exploration app that allows participants to share information about the plants and animals they have observed (including not only photos but also audio recordings).
Since "iNaturalist" is used by more than 871 million nature lovers and biologists around the world, it creates new forms of communication, such as sharing the wonders of the plants and animals you have recorded with nature lovers around the world and learning about their academic value, etc. In addition, it is expected that local residents will discover new attractions in their local area and become more attached to it, which will help revitalize the area.
The plants and animals recorded do not have to be rare; instead, participants can pick out intriguing objects around them and learn that simply "being there" has value, and that various living things have supported each other to get to that point (biodiversity).
The know-how gained from the program will be shared with the Kanagawa Prefectural Park Association, with the aim of having the program continually developed and implemented in Sagami-Mikawa Park and other prefectural parks in the future.
＜Recording wildlife with your smartphone using iNaturalist: Connecting Kanagawa Prefectural Sagamisansen Park (Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture) to the world＞
Date and time: October 2024, 11 (Sunday) 24:10-00:12
Venue: Prefectural Sagami Sansen Park Park Center (2-1-1 Kamigo, Ebina City, about 15 minutes walk from the west exit of Ebina Station)
Target audience: Anyone with a smartphone can participate
Cost: Free
Application: Call the Prefectural Sagami Sansen Park Center (046-235-1790) Reception hours: 9:00-16:30
