PARE Spring School 2026

张 昱涵（ZHANG Yuhan）

Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Agriculture, 2nd Year Doctoral Student

I am very glad to have participated in PARE Spring School 2026 organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada, during which I learned a lot about water pollution and treatment, made many new friends, and enjoyed my first trip to Indonesia.

The most valuable thing that I have acquired from this Spring School is ways to detect and solve water issues for human societies and ecosystems. I am studying animal behavior which may contribute to understanding behavioral evolution and conservation of endangered species. Behavioral diversity can be largely affected by environmental conditions at both the individual and species levels. For instance, noise from human activities such as traffic noise can change the vocal communication in birds. From the perspective of water condition, pollution or just influence from human activity may affect animals living in the water body directly and thus affect other species in the same food web. Nowadays, water pollution has become one of the most severe issues for both our human and ecosystems in some regions. Through the lectures, I learned ways of assessing and solving water issues, as well as land use management for living more sustainably with nature. Especially after participating in water sampling in the Code River and the following water analyses, I gained a clearer conception of assessing and conducting water sampling.

I also made many new friends from different countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan, who have different cultural backgrounds. Through interacting with them, my English communication skills improved greatly. During the lectures, we discussed water issues in the local area and gave presentations on water analyses and possible solutions. It was a valuable experience for me, which may help with my future collaborations with people around the world. I still remember that for the mid-term presentation, I went to the discussion room in the residence building with the other members of my group. It was raining very heavily, but we were discussing in a very pleasant atmosphere and sharing some delicious traditional Indonesian food. It was also my first time sharing a room with a student from another country for such a long time. Although we went through some communication difficulties, we eventually got along very well. I also greatly appreciate the kindness of all the committee members and local students, who gave us a lot of support during the whole trip.

The PARE Spring School 2026 also provided an opportunity to visit and enjoy Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Yogyakarta is one of the oldest regions in Indonesia, with a long history and diverse cultures. We visited many historic sites, including the Water Palace, Borobudur Temple, and Prambanan Temple, which have been standing for hundreds or even more than a thousand years. We also had many delicious and abundant traditional meals, among which Nasi Padang was the most impressive.

Overall, I had a very good time in Yogyakarta, especially in Universitas Gadjah Mada. I deeply appreciate all the support and help from the committee. I hope what I have learned in the PARE Spring School 2026 will assist me in my future work, and contribute to the global goals of sustainable development of human societies.