Regenerating 100-Hectare Forest in Mt. Fuji

Dear supporters of the Mt. Fuji Project,

We are always heartfully grateful for your generosity and warm support.

Today is Part 2 of our bush warbler survey series. Last time, we talked about:

-       bush warblers’ significance in Japan

-       how surveys, supported through your donations, are conducted

This time, we want to share our early findings.

Every year, we survey 10 locations (see attached map), counting the number of birds and collecting data at each one of them. Our 6-years data revealed a striking contrast: the number of birds stayed low at Location 2, and high at Location 9 (marked red on the map). Our experts have the following hypothesis regarding this:

Location 2 is basically an open space with many fallen trees and low vegetation (no more than a few cm long). Meanwhile, Location 9 is a thicket full of high-growing plants and rich understory. It is such dense thickets that are bush warbler’s natural habitat, providing foraging, protection from predators and shelter from harsh weather.

Our specialists suspect that Location 2 has been heavily impacted by deer. Naturally, Mt. Fuji features rich and dense vegetation; however, the deer feed off those plants, leaving the area bare. At Location 9 – home for most birds on our site – the conditions are closest to Fuji’s authentic environment. While we need more data to draw final conclusions, it is safe to say now that bush warblers thrive most in Fuji’s authentic conditions. Therefore, preserving natural environment is critical for local biodiversity.

Biodiversity surveys provide an important insight into our project’s impact. To understand the changes we are making and improve our initiatives going forward, we need to focus not only on tree growth, but also other criteria. Hence, our Project Team is committed to continue such surveys and gather more data in the next years.

We hope for your continuous support, and will make sure to keep you updated regarding the shared impact we are making

Dear GlobalGiving supporters,

We are always deeply grateful for your warm support and generosity.

In this report, we want to share how your donations powered our wildlife survey.

These annual surveys are an important part of this Project’s biodiversity monitoring, as they help us understand how environmental changes we make together affect local wildlife. The surveys are acoustic, meaning they rely on bird vocalizations (songs). Specifically, we are tracking the population of the Japanese bush warbler, whose songs are widely known in Japan. You may know the bush warbler by its Western nickname, Japanese nightingale, given due to their similarly beautiful songs. In Japan, however, this bird also holds a deep cultural significance.

You may already know that Japanese people have historically lived in close connection with nature, being attentive to and finding beauty in seasonal changes. Each season is represented by its own words – kigo. For example, words like fireworks and cicadas represent summer, momiji (colorful foliage) – fall, and snow –winter. For spring, it is the bush warbler. Since ancient times, its song was associated with the arrival of spring, which is why it is also called harutsugedori (the bird that announces spring). While this bird is hard to spot in the wild, Japanese people instantly recognize its song, which allows us to involve volunteers and Project team members in surveys.

As always, for this survey we also collaborated with bird researchers and monitored ten locations, spaced evenly across our project area (see attached map). By annually surveying the bush warbler population at each of these sites, we are building a continuous, long-term dataset to measure the true impact of our shared work. At each location, we counted the birds’ songs heard within a certain time limit, while also noting their approximate distance and direction. Because these birds call from various directions and distances, accurately distinguishing each individual sound is no easy task. Calls may come from right nearby or from far off in the distance. To ensure no song goes unheard, we conducted the survey in groups of multiple members.

Beyond just helping us gather data, these surveys also have a distinct therapeutic effect. Listening to birdsong is believed to improve mental wellbeing, offering relief from mental fatigue and stress. Stepping in the forest and listening intently to the birdsong helps us notice diverse sounds of nature - the rustling of the trees and the calls of other birds. Considering such positive effects, we are looking into initiatives to leverage our project site to help improve health and mental well-being of project stakeholders. 

Connecting humans with nature through our activities, we are committed to nurturing a sense of appreciation and respect for the natural world.