Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three Megafauna in Japan: An Exercise in Integrating Ideas of Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management, Satoyama, and SES Thinking

Abstract

The field of human-dimensions of wildlife management has traditionally not engaged in social-ecological system (SES) resilience thinking and adaptive management in a systematic way. This essay focuses on the resilience of mountain forest social-ecological systems in Japan by focusing on three interacting megafauna; sika deer (Cervus nippon), grey wolf (Canis lupus; extinct in Japan), and human hunters (Homo sapiens). We are particularly interested in framing this model in light of current work in the domain of the intersection between "Satoyama," the sustainable landscapes that result from Japanese traditional agriculture, and "Okuyama," the deep and primeval forests where people' s access is limited. We proposed four scenarios of likely futures in Japanese Satoyama/ Okuyama ecosystems; "Deer Dominance" , "Satoyama Revives through Resurgence of Hunters" , "Hunters Revive Satoyama & Wolves Restore Okuyama" , and "The Expansion of Wolves". Our scenarios, though fanciful and simplified, may help managers to see the issues and potential solutions from broader perspectives. Also the concepts herein bring up the importance of setting new goals for management about how to maintain and enhance the resilience of the system. This paper illustrates that by integrating a SES "humans in and of nature" approach, wildlife management techniques in Japan such as hunting can go beyond antagonistic discussion about humans vs ungulates, but rather include other aspect such as restoration of wolves and thinking about contextual nuances (such as those found within Okuyama and Satoyama) when making management decisions.

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ARTICLE
Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three
Megafauna in Japan:
An Exercise in Integrating Ideas of Human Dimensions
of Wildlife Management, Satoyama, and SES Thinking
Ryo SAKURAI, Keith G. TIDBALL, Richard C. STEDMAN,
Hiroshi TSUNODA
Abstract


    Cervus nippon 
Canis lupusHomo sapiens
    
       
   
        
     
   
       

     
        


1．Introduction
      
     
󰮏
 
         




Cervus nipponCanis lupusHomo
sapiens
    
󰮏

          
         

      




2．Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management and Social-Ecological Resilience
       
         
          
󰮏
        
      
       
       
   
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     

政策科学 25 － 2, Feb. 2018

         
       
   
         
       
     


3．Forest Ecosystems in Japan as Model Social-Ecological Systems
   
    
       
      
 󰮏

        


     
           
       
    Sus
scrofa

          

3．1．Ecological Roles of Selected Megafauna
󰮏 
       
   󰮏   Cervus canadensis 
Bison bisonCanis latrans         
     
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      
Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three Megafauna in Japan（SAKURAI, TIDBALL, STEDMAN, TSUNODA）
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 󰮏         
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
        




    󰮏     
         

3．2．Historical Backgrounds of Wildlife Management in Japan


           

         
         
      




政策科学 25 － 2, Feb. 2018

    
        
         
        
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

        
        
      
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          
  
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      
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󰮐

Figure 1：Examples of the shrine which has worshiped wolves as a god (Mitake Shrine in western Tokyo). Left and
right photos are statues of wolves build in front of the shrine. Photos were taken by the author (HT).
Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three Megafauna in Japan（SAKURAI, TIDBALL, STEDMAN, TSUNODA）
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
󰮏
󰮏        
   
󰮏

Figure 2：Typical examples of understory vegetation covers in Japanese deciduous forests with di󰮏erent density
of sika deer (
Cervus nippon
). In the forests with low deer-density (mostly<0.5 deer/km2), forest oor are
generally covered with shrubs or Sasa bamboos (left) while in high deer density (>10 deer/km2; right),
vegetation covers disappear. In the intermediate level, shrubs or Sasa bamboos are left, however, most
of their leaves are intensively browsed by deer (center). All photos were taken by the author (HT) in Gifu
Prefecture, central Japan.

政策科学 25 － 2, Feb. 2018

4．Models- Presses, Pulls, and Praxis
     




         
       
       
   
        
󰮏
        

     
    󰮏  

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
         
Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three Megafauna in Japan（SAKURAI, TIDBALL, STEDMAN, TSUNODA）
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     
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
      󰮏  

5．Implications for HD and SES Thinking
       
       
󰮏
       



           
           
      

   󰮐

政策科学 25 － 2, Feb. 2018


        
     

        

     
     
         
   
          



       
      

6．Final Comments
       
        



󰮐              
  󰮐    
       
      


      
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     
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         
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       
     
        

Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three Megafauna in Japan（SAKURAI, TIDBALL, STEDMAN, TSUNODA）


References

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        


政策科学 25 － 2, Feb. 2018


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          
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            
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            
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       

           Cervus Nippon
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145
Exploring Social-Ecological Resilience via Three Megafauna in Japan（SAKURAI, TIDBALL, STEDMAN, TSUNODA）


         
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19
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        
53

政策科学 25 － 2, Feb. 2018