The Amazonian manatee, a large aquatic mammal in danger of extinction, is an endemic species of the Amazon River that is fully herbivorous unlike cetaceans. As the result of massive overhunting in the past, the population has plummeted, and though manatees are currently protected by law, they show no sign of recovering owing to poaching for their meat.
Since 1972, the National Institute of Amazonian Research has been actively protecting and breeding Amazonian manatees, and the Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University, along with the National Institute of Amazonian Research, aims to establish a release program that returns rescued manatees to nature.

As the number of Amazonian manatees protected by the National Institute of Amazonian Research grew (reaching about 60 in January 2016) and holding tanks became crowded, a release program was launched in 2008 to return both rescued and captive-raised manatees to the wild. The biology and ecology of Amazonian manatees still not being fully understood, only four manatees have been released as of 2016 by the National Institute of Amazonian Research. Further, the captive-raised individuals that were released were found to have difficulty finding food on their own in the natural environment, leading to some individuals becoming weakened and getting rescued again. Further, the Amazon region has a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season is marked by abundant rainfall, bringing an abundance of grazing vegetation and making travel in rivers easy, whereas during the dry season, which sees scant rain, river levels drop and many tributaries turn into land, restricting the movement of manatees. Even some wild manatees ending up stranded in parched areas have been reported to have died. The variety and amount of grazing plants are known to drop dramatically in the dry season, and captive-raised manatees who are unfamiliar with such environmental changes have a hard time adapting to the wild following their release. Thus to ensure the success of releases, methods that are optimal for manatees need to be developed and established. Further, new techniques for evaluating the manatees' adaptation to nature are also being developed based on observation of their post-release behavior. ITOCHU Corporation supports this program to reintroduce Amazonian manatees into the wild under a project called the Manatee Homecoming Project, and has established the following three-year performance indicators. This initiative is helping to put a stop to the loss of biodiversity defined as Goal 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Tropical rainforests in the Amazon are one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. An area around the upper reaches of the Cuieiras River is home to a particularly wide variety of animals. To advance studies on this precious ecosystem in the Amazon, a Field Station was built in the Cuieiras area, a wildlife preserve designated by the National Institute of Amazonian Research, as one of the core facilities based on the Field Museum concept. ITOCHU Corporation donated 19 million yen to JICA for building and preparing this facility (the Visitor Center) including a cafeteria and an exhibition hall. The facility was completed in March 2018 as a base for nature observation and research. It will act as the world's first base for long-term monitoring studies on animals and plants in Amazonian tropical rainforests which cover both flooded forests and unflooded areas known as terra firme. It will also become a visitors' center that offers chances to come in contact with a wide variety of animals and plants that live in the Amazon to visitors other than researchers. An opening ceremony for this facility was held on May 8, 2018. Participants in this ceremony included President Juichi Yamagiwa of Kyoto University and Jun Inomata, ITOCHU Corporation's CEO for Latin America, among others.

Expected to attract about 500 visitors each year, the Field Station is aimed at educating and enlightening local residents about the environment. In building the facility, approval was obtained from relevant Brazilian government agencies and sufficient consideration was given to the environment after selecting a secondary forest, instead of a primeval Amazonian forest, and confirming the absence of rare species through advance studies on natural surroundings conducted by the INPA. Through this facility, ITOCHU Corporation offers opportunities to come in contact with a wide variety of animals and plants that live in Amazonian tropical rainforests and abundant nature there, and contributes to the environmental education of local residents and visitors.

This initiative represents the first case at the JICA in which the academy, the industry and the government work in corporation to conserve an ecosystem in the Amazon. In July 2018, Princess Mako of Akishino visited the National Institute of Amazonian Research and observed Amazonian manatees there during her official trip to Brazil. The visit drew a great deal of attention in Brazil, too.