Marine Science Laboratory and Center for Water Cycle, Marine Environment, and Disaster Management (CWMD), Kumamoto University is a research and education institute established to study the current situation and to help conserve the natural environment of the tidal areas of the Ariake Sea and the Yatsushiro Sea. However, in order to solve the various issues in the coastal areas, focusing only on the natural environment is not enough because they receive various impacts from human activities. Therefore, we believe collaboration is important between municipalities, industries, citizens, as well as researchers when we approach the issues of natural and social environments. Besides, the closed water area of the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea are easily affected by their inflowing rivers. As such, the scope of our research and education does not only cover the coastal areas but also river catchment areas.

　We are now providing research on “general and practical research for the restoration and creation of the natural environment in the Ariake Sea and the Yatsushiro Sea” with the collaboration of researchers in and out of our university, under the program by the Ministry of Education Scientific Research. Since Aitsu Marine Station, our affiliated marine facility is acknowledged as an education hub (2018~2020), it provides opportunities for researchers and students to have real experiences to study organisms and fossils in the Ariake Sea, the Yatsushiro Sea, and the Amakusa Islands.

　We will do our best to promote practical approaches based on our scientific data, while making the most of the methods we learned from universities, municipalities, and industries.