naoto yamabata

The amount of damage to crops caused by sika deer (Cervus nippon) is a factor in the increase in abandoned farmland resulting from a declining willingness on the part of rural residents in Japan to engage in farming. To improve the situation, it is important to install and manage appropriate protective fences, to capture nuisance wildlife, and to establish a damage-prevention system in which residents take the initiative to protect and capture wildlife. However, as the population declines, it is becoming more difficult to establish such a system. In this study, we targeted two villages where agricultural damage caused by deer is serious due to the entry of deer through openings in community fences, even though these fences are maintained and managed. We demonstrated that agricultural damage caused by deer can be reduced by capturing the offending individuals, activities which are led by local residents and local government organizations in the school district. During the 5-year study period, more than 10 deer per year were captured at the opening of the community fence, damage was reduced to almost zero in both villages, and the results of a spot light count showed a declining trend in the presence of deer within the 300 m buffer. The results of interviews with residents also showed an increase in the number of comments on the reduction in agricultural damage, as well as the realization that the number of deer sightings has decreased. It was also shown that it is effective to establish a system that enables the selection of capture sites and the treatment of captured animals in accordance with local conditions, as well as to coordinate activities that are impossible in a single village with organizations that span multiple villages, such as school districts.