Borneo Conservation Trust Japan[O1.1] is dedicated to conserving the tropical forests and biodiversity of the Kinabatangan River Basin on the island of Borneo. As wildlife habitats worldwide undergo drastic changes, we support this local organization working to improve the nesting environment of hornbills in the region. The activities of the organization in 2026 will include building and installing artificial nest boxes, recording and studying the birds’ usage of the nest boxes with automated cameras, and restoring their natural tree hollow nests.

■Activity locations: Malaysian Borneo
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

Our area of activity is a breeding ground for many threatened species of wild birds, but a decline in their reproductive performance due to human factors has been observed. There is an urgent need to increase local awareness of the need to conserve these species, which is why we have expanded our activities to providing nature conservation classes to local schoolchildren, and conducting field survey practice for university students. As part of these awareness-raising activities, we aim to track the migration of yellow-breasted buntings breeding near our base of operations to identify their migration routes and wintering grounds.

■Activity locations: Khentii Province, Mongolia
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

As there are no examples of Japan’s captive breeding techniques for threatened bird species being applied overseas, we hope to make our initiative in Bhutan a pioneering example that paves the way for future contributions by Japan. Continuing our partnership with the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums[O2.1] and Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork[O3.1], we will bring one veterinarian and one animal care specialist to Bhutan, where we will [O4.1]work to raise eggs and chicks collected from wild nests, improve the nutrition of captive white-bellied heron, and aim to achieve captive breeding.

■Activity locations: Kingdom of Bhutan, Tokyo, Hyogo Prefecture, Hokkaido
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

Thanks to international cooperation between the Japanese Association for Wild Geese Protection[O5.1], Russia, and the United States, the number of cackling geese that visit Japan has significantly recovered. In 2022, we launched a project to bring flocks of them back to the Nanakita Lowlands (located between Sendai City and Tagajo City), which was previously one of their traditional wintering grounds. Moving forward, we will work in close cooperation with partners in industry, government, academia, and the community to promote and raise awareness of the significance of our activities.

■Activity locations: Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku Region, Hokkaido
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

The short-tailed albatross, an endangered species, was previously considered to be a single population by conservationists. Recently, it has become clear that there are two distinct subpopulations nearly as different as two separate species. As such, there is an urgent need to consider conservation measures to preserve the uniqueness of each subpopulation. In this activity, we will employ GPS tracking to identify areas used by the birds outside of their breeding season and to track their movement around the year, using the results to examine marine threats to both populations, such as fishery bycatch and marine pollution.

■Activity locations: Hokkaido, Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Et Al.
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

Home to many wild Japanese golden eagles, Iwate is the only prefecture with nesting sites in its capital, Morioka. Zoological Park ZOOMO works with forestry organizations to provide the birds with suitable space to hunt and an appropriate food environment in the surrounding foothills. With our partners, we seek to establish a model for the revitalization of such satoyama landscapes. At the same time, we aim to enhance our role as a wildlife rescue center for injured eagles by improving our animal care environment and strengthening our research collaborations. By publicizing these initiatives, we hope to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity.

■Activity locations: Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

Our organization is primarily engaged research and conservation activities concerning wild birds inhabiting the Amami Islands. We intend to use our subsidy to locate the breeding grounds of the Amami woodcock, which observational records show inhabit several islands in Okinawa Prefecture. We will achieve this by working the Japanese Society for Preservation of Birds to capture individuals, fit them with GPS tags, and track their movement. At the end of this three-year project, we will compile our findings and use them to raise public awareness in order to help conserve this species.

■Activity locations: Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

Since the first release of captive-bred individuals in 2005, storks have gradually expanded their breeding grounds throughout Japan, with nests confirmed in 13 prefectures by 2025. Our panel will continue the detailed monitoring of the wild population. At the same time, we will revise our stork conservation policy in line with our operational policy. In this way, we will promote comprehensive conservation activities both inside and outside the habitat area.

■Activity locations: All over Japan
■Grant amount: 2,000 thousand yen

Having found that it is difficult to estimate Japanese murrelet population based on correction factors, which is the method used in the United States, we concluded that the most appropriate method is to estimate populations based on nighttime offshore population density. In recent years, the species has tended to begin fledging in mid-March in the surveyed area. Due to this unexpected change, there is no available data on the proportion of individuals with brood patches. In FY2026, we plan to conduct research to determine this.

■Activity locations: Kojima and Biro Islands in Otsuki Town, Hata District, Kochi Prefecture
■Grant amount: 1,790 thousand yen

The team of Bird Research have been working with the Cordillera Green Network in the Philippines to conduct surveys of migratory birds that winter in the forests of coffee plantations on Luzon Island, and to support the sustainable production of coffee in these forests. Eleven species of migratory birds that breed at mid-latitudes have been confirmed to winter here. To facilitate ongoing monitoring of wild birds, we will train farmers and local residents and establish a system for conducting surveys with their help.

■Activity locations: The Philippines
■Grant amount: 1,260 thousand yen

We are working to prevent the extinction of the Japanese shrike, a subspecies of brown shrike endemic to Japan that has experienced a drastic decline in population. Since 2023, we began artificial hatching and hand-rearing abandoned eggs. In FY2026, we plan to conduct a trial release of hand-reared birds in collaboration with our partners. We will keep the fledged individuals in outdoor enclosures as we teach them skills such as finding food and acclimate them to the wild. Suitable individuals will then be reacclimated to their breeding grounds before being released, after which we will monitor their status.

■Activity locations: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture
■Grant amount: 750 thousand yen

We began surveying the Mandarin ducks that spend winter at Lake Ono in Ube City back in 1996. Since 2016, we have conducted monthly surveys and observation sessions during their wintering season (October to March), twice-yearly cleanup activities at Lake Ono, and other activities aimed at increasing public interest in nature conservation through the lens of Mandarin ducks. Moving forward, our activities will focus on training successors to ensure the continuity of our activities, preserving the environment of Lake Ono, raising public awareness, and building and maintaining observation sites.

■Activity locations: Ono, Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture (Near Ono Lake)
■Grant amount: 200 thousand yen