Conservationist and writer C.W. Nicol dies in Japan at 79

TOKYO -- Writer and conservationist C.W. Nicol passed away at a Nagano hospital on April 3 of rectal cancer. He was 79.

Nicol, born in Wales in the United Kingdom, moved to Canada when he was 17 and joined several polar research expeditions. He also worked for the Canadian government on environmental issues, and he went on to join environmental conservation activities around the globe.

Nicol came to Japan in 1980. He moved to the town of Shinano, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, where he began working on conservation projects. In 2002, he purchased a large plot of land in the town and launched the C.W. Nicol Afan Woodland Trust to restore the local forest. In 2005, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

Nicol authored several books including "The Boy Who Saw the Wind" and "Harpoon." His "Country Gentleman" column had appeared monthly in the Mainichi Shimbun and The Mainichi since 2017. The last installment was published on April 2.

(Japanese original by Shinya Hagio, City News Department)