SAPPORO ¨C A controversial megasolar project near the Kushiro Wetlands in Hokkaido is prompting a sharp increase in land donations to a local environmental trust, as residents seek to keep their property out of the hands of developers.
The total area of land donated to Trust Sarun Kushiro, a nonprofit organization that protects marshland ecosystems, has surged from about 1.9 hectares in 2018 to an estimated 107.7 hectares by the end of last year, according to the Hokkaido Shimbun. The donated land accounts for 15.9% of the approximately 679.3 hectares of land beside the wetlands that the trust manages.
Nobumichi Kurosawa, chairman of the organization, says that the recent spike in donations has been driven by people opposed to the megasolar project, and that media attention appears to be a major reason why his group is being contacted.
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