Understanding an attractive-sink effect on brown bear population and implications for damage management

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23380089
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Rakuno Gakuen University (2013-2014); Nihon University (2011-2012)
• Principal Investigator: SATO Yoshikazu 酪農学園大学, 農食環境学群, 教授 (60366622)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAKADA Mayura 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 准教授 (10466807) ; SONOHARA Waka 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 助教 (40453906)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TSUBOTA Toshio 北海道大学, 大学院獣医学研究科, 教授 (10207441) ; MANO Tsutomu 地方独立行政法人北海道立総合研究機構, 環境・地質研究本部, 企画課長 (60442612)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ヒグマ / 個体群 / アトラクティブ・シンク / 空間的異質性 / 移動・分散 / 死亡リスク / モニタリング / 行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Human-brown bear conflicts and the number of nuisance kills of bears are increasing in Hokkaido. We test a hypothesis that the conflicts is caused by an attractive-sink habitat near human settlements in eastern Hokkaido. We confirmed dispersal movement from population core to periphery. High mortality of bears as nuisance control using box trap and relatively well body condition of killed bear were confirmed in the peripheral habitat near crop fields. Peripheral habitat as an attractive and high mortality risk had high priority of management. We developed simple sustainable monitoring system using rubbing trap and camera trap for bear population trends throughout the population distribution.

Free Research Field

野生動物生態学