'YAMAP' Becomes the Official App Supporting Ptarmigan Conservation Activities in Nagano Prefecture
YAMAP integrates Nagano Prefecture's 'Raipos' app to unify ptarmigan sighting reports. It strengthens citizen-science ecological surveys using AI image recognition through public-private partnerships.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 23:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 15:02
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 25, 2026 at 01:07 (10h 5m after Collected)
YAMAP Inc. (Fukuoka City, Representative Director and CEO Yoshihiko Haruyama, hereinafter YAMAP), an outdoor business operating under the corporate philosophy of 'The joy of connecting with the Earth,' announces that Nagano Prefecture has newly joined the 'Mountain Ecosystem Conservation Project by Everyone,' promoted in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment. YAMAP will inherit the functions of 'Raipos,' a ptarmigan sighting reporting app independently developed and operated by Nagano Prefecture, to build a system that can collect and analyze ptarmigan habitat information more effectively.
Background
Much of the ptarmigan's habitat is concentrated within Nagano Prefecture. The majority of domestic ptarmigan habitats, such as the Northern Alps, Southern Alps, Central Alps, Mt. Norikura, and Mt. Ontake, are located in the Nagano Prefecture area, making the prefecture indispensable in ptarmigan conservation.
Nagano Prefecture launched the 'Ptarmigan Conservation Scrum Project' in 2020 and began operating the sighting information posting app 'Raipos' in 2021. YAMAP signed an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment in June 2022, launched the 'Mountain Ecosystem Conservation Project by Everyone,' which utilizes big data from photos posted by hikers for mountain ecosystem surveys, and began operating the 'Ptarmigan Monitor.'
It has been about 4 years since the 'Ptarmigan Monitor' began operation. The effectiveness of citizen-participatory data has been demonstrated, with hiker data being reflected in actual conservation measures.
On the other hand, to deepen analysis and conservation efforts beyond mere information collection, collaboration with specialized institutions that possess expertise in ptarmigan research is essential. Given that the majority of the ptarmigan's habitat lies within the prefecture, and considering the track record of habitat suitability prediction and ecological research by the prefecture's Environmental Conservation Research Institute, Nagano Prefecture's participation is a natural next step for this project.
Previously, 'Ptarmigan Monitor' and 'Raipos' each collected sighting information independently, resulting in multiple coexisting tools for hikers. With Nagano Prefecture joining this project and integrating both tools, hikers will now be able to post information from a single platform.
What is the 'Ptarmigan Monitor'?
The 'Ptarmigan Monitor' is a system that combines YAMAP's 'function to identify the shooting location of photos posted by hikers and display them on a map of Japan' with an 'AI-utilized image identification function.' AI automatically identifies ptarmigan photos taken and posted by hikers in the mountains, visualizing them as sighting information on a map of Japan. The collected information is shared with the Ministry of the Environment and has been used to identify priority survey areas and as material for field surveys. It is a citizen-participatory initiative where the power of hikers supplements wide-area, continuous habitat surveys in alpine zones, which were limited when relying solely on expert teams.
Based on the posted information, investigators visit the site to check the condition of the ptarmigans and conduct conservation activities. The stocked data is also used as material to understand the distribution of sightings by season and to derive chronological changes in habitats.
Screen of the 'Ptarmigan Monitor.' Image identification of ptarmigan photos sighted in the same area. Displayed in a list along with the shooting location.
Significance of Integration
Improving convenience for hikers and realizing more efficient data collection. This integration is expected to bring about the following advancements:
- Posting destinations will be unified into one for hikers, making it easier to use.
- The system for the Ministry of the Environment and Nagano Prefecture to collaborate, share, and utilize data will be strengthened.
- With researchers from the Nagano Environmental Conservation Research Institute handling data analysis, detailed utilization for conservation measures and monitoring becomes possible.
- Public-private joint efforts in rare species conservation will be further accelerated.
Past Achievements
The 'Ptarmigan Monitor' has steadily achieved results as a successful example of citizen-participatory rare species conservation.
Significant increase in sighting information
In the first year of operation in 2022, the Central Alps recorded 530 posts via the 'Ptarmigan Monitor,' compared to 172 posts via conventional information collection cards, a 3.1-fold increase. The number of photos provided reached 9.3 times the previous amount, and the number of individually identified cases reached 7.7 times. Based on this post data, the expansion of the ptarmigan's habitat toward Mt. Minamikoma and Mt. Sannosawa, which was previously unconfirmed, has been revealed.
Contribution to the expansion of Wildlife Protection Areas
Ptarmigan breeding was confirmed triggered by sighting information submitted to the 'Ptarmigan Monitor' around the Kékachi Sanzan area, which is difficult to access and had rarely been surveyed before. This achievement contributed to the decision to expand the nationally designated Northern Alps Wildlife Protection Area in November 2024. It is a symbolic case where hiker posts supplemented information in areas difficult for experts to reach.
Year-round data accumulation, including winter
Sighting information is gathered not only during the hiking season but also in winter, providing clues to understand their ecology during the overwintering period, which was previously difficult to grasp. It is expected to be utilized in future conservation and breeding programs as a stepping stone to comprehensively protect the habitat throughout the year.
Background
Much of the ptarmigan's habitat is concentrated within Nagano Prefecture. The majority of domestic ptarmigan habitats, such as the Northern Alps, Southern Alps, Central Alps, Mt. Norikura, and Mt. Ontake, are located in the Nagano Prefecture area, making the prefecture indispensable in ptarmigan conservation.
Nagano Prefecture launched the 'Ptarmigan Conservation Scrum Project' in 2020 and began operating the sighting information posting app 'Raipos' in 2021. YAMAP signed an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment in June 2022, launched the 'Mountain Ecosystem Conservation Project by Everyone,' which utilizes big data from photos posted by hikers for mountain ecosystem surveys, and began operating the 'Ptarmigan Monitor.'
It has been about 4 years since the 'Ptarmigan Monitor' began operation. The effectiveness of citizen-participatory data has been demonstrated, with hiker data being reflected in actual conservation measures.
On the other hand, to deepen analysis and conservation efforts beyond mere information collection, collaboration with specialized institutions that possess expertise in ptarmigan research is essential. Given that the majority of the ptarmigan's habitat lies within the prefecture, and considering the track record of habitat suitability prediction and ecological research by the prefecture's Environmental Conservation Research Institute, Nagano Prefecture's participation is a natural next step for this project.
Previously, 'Ptarmigan Monitor' and 'Raipos' each collected sighting information independently, resulting in multiple coexisting tools for hikers. With Nagano Prefecture joining this project and integrating both tools, hikers will now be able to post information from a single platform.
What is the 'Ptarmigan Monitor'?
The 'Ptarmigan Monitor' is a system that combines YAMAP's 'function to identify the shooting location of photos posted by hikers and display them on a map of Japan' with an 'AI-utilized image identification function.' AI automatically identifies ptarmigan photos taken and posted by hikers in the mountains, visualizing them as sighting information on a map of Japan. The collected information is shared with the Ministry of the Environment and has been used to identify priority survey areas and as material for field surveys. It is a citizen-participatory initiative where the power of hikers supplements wide-area, continuous habitat surveys in alpine zones, which were limited when relying solely on expert teams.
Based on the posted information, investigators visit the site to check the condition of the ptarmigans and conduct conservation activities. The stocked data is also used as material to understand the distribution of sightings by season and to derive chronological changes in habitats.
Screen of the 'Ptarmigan Monitor.' Image identification of ptarmigan photos sighted in the same area. Displayed in a list along with the shooting location.
Significance of Integration
Improving convenience for hikers and realizing more efficient data collection. This integration is expected to bring about the following advancements:
- Posting destinations will be unified into one for hikers, making it easier to use.
- The system for the Ministry of the Environment and Nagano Prefecture to collaborate, share, and utilize data will be strengthened.
- With researchers from the Nagano Environmental Conservation Research Institute handling data analysis, detailed utilization for conservation measures and monitoring becomes possible.
- Public-private joint efforts in rare species conservation will be further accelerated.
Past Achievements
The 'Ptarmigan Monitor' has steadily achieved results as a successful example of citizen-participatory rare species conservation.
Significant increase in sighting information
In the first year of operation in 2022, the Central Alps recorded 530 posts via the 'Ptarmigan Monitor,' compared to 172 posts via conventional information collection cards, a 3.1-fold increase. The number of photos provided reached 9.3 times the previous amount, and the number of individually identified cases reached 7.7 times. Based on this post data, the expansion of the ptarmigan's habitat toward Mt. Minamikoma and Mt. Sannosawa, which was previously unconfirmed, has been revealed.
Contribution to the expansion of Wildlife Protection Areas
Ptarmigan breeding was confirmed triggered by sighting information submitted to the 'Ptarmigan Monitor' around the Kékachi Sanzan area, which is difficult to access and had rarely been surveyed before. This achievement contributed to the decision to expand the nationally designated Northern Alps Wildlife Protection Area in November 2024. It is a symbolic case where hiker posts supplemented information in areas difficult for experts to reach.
Year-round data accumulation, including winter
Sighting information is gathered not only during the hiking season but also in winter, providing clues to understand their ecology during the overwintering period, which was previously difficult to grasp. It is expected to be utilized in future conservation and breeding programs as a stepping stone to comprehensively protect the habitat throughout the year.