Since 1991, WA Plantation Resources Pty. Ltd. (WAPRES), an affiliate of Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., has carried out the Blackwood Waterwatch Program. The program started as a volunteer activity to foster ties with regional communities, in response to demands by local residents, who are concerned about the quality of the water of Blackwood River, which runs through southwestern Western Australia, where WAPRES is headquartered. The program focuses on learning about the importance of rivers and keeping the river in a sound condition, along with the flora and fauna that inhabit in the river basin. WAPRES has provided support in many different ways, from supply of equipment and chemicals to instruction on survey methods and data compilation, while hosting study seminars at schools and communities and engaging in actual water quality surveys at sites. The Blackwood Waterwatch Program was awarded as the national winner for the Prime Ministeros Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnership 2003, an annual occasion to recognize enterprises making an excellent contribution toward better community development in Australia. A scene from the monitoring WAPRES http://www.wapres.com.au/ WAPRES is a joint venture between Marubeni Corporation and Nippon Paper Industries, and is one of the largest comprehensive forestry companies in Western Australia. WAPRES has provided a broad array of services, from rearing of seedlings and tree planting to woodchips production and export. The company possesses about 30,000 hectares of eucalyptus forests, and exports about 900,000 tons of woodchips to Japan each year. WAPRES is the major base in Western Australia for the Nippon Paper Industries' Tree Farm Initiative.     →Go Back to Major Activities