The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund
Introduction to Grant Projects
Wildlife Research Society
Restoring the Brazilian Amazon's riverside forests through agroforestry and creating an industrial-academic-government network
Activity grant
- Project Description
Tome-Acu is located in State of Para, Brazil, in the eastern part of the Amazon Basin, and it is becoming heavily deforested. The major factor behind this is the development of large-scale cattle ranches, and the situation is being accelerated by the sale of land owned by small-scale farmers to developers as they move to urban areas. The Wildlife Research Society is working to prevent these small-scale farmers abandoning their land by creating models that improve living standards and restore forests, and is working with local Japanese immigrant communities to encourage the introduction of agroforestry* techniques. This project aims to teach agroforestry techniques to small-scale farmers belonging to an agricultural producers co-op in the Mariquita River basin and plant a diverse mix of trees and crops to reforest the riverside areas of Tome-Acu. The Tomé-Açu General Agriculture Union, which has a largely Japanese-Brazilian membership, is acting as the local counterpart for these activities and will formulate reforestation plans, conduct soil improvement and planting initiatives, and provide guidance on agriculuture and tree cultivation, in order to shape the forest.
*Agroforestry is a method of agriculture and forestry where crops are planted between trees.
- Fields
- Climate changeMarine resources/foodPreservation of surface soil and forestsPreservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
- Grant year
- FY2009 Activity Grants
- Grant term
- 3 years
October 2009 - September 2012
- Grant amount
- 11,880,000 yen
- Activity region
- Quatro Bocas region, Tome-Acu, State of Para, Brazil

Overview of the Organization

- Representative
- Akihiko Kuroda, President
- Establishment
- 1992
- Establishment purpose
- The Wildlife Research Society was established to research wild animal populations, make the results of this research available to the general public and educational institutions, and contribute to raising environmental awareness and human development.
- Main areas of activity
- All regions of Japan, Brazil, and Mongolia
- Staff
- 30 full members
- Annual operating budget
- 10.58 million yen in 2006, 6.00 million yen in 2007, 6.80 million yen in 2008
- WEB site
- http://wildlife.or.jp
- Recent activities
- The society is active in eight areas:
- (1) Research in river basin areas
- (2) Conserving local woodland
- (3) Special seminars for educators and others
- (4) Holding nature observation tours for the general public
- (5) International cooperative initiatives
- (6) Publishing activities
- (7) Information provision
- (8) Exchange with other organizations