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Mammal Study
Abstract
Abstract.
Recently, brown bears have moved deeper inside urban areas in Sapporo, the fifth-largest city with a population of 1.9 million in Japan. Here, I review urban large carnivore management and its human dimension and discuss how to create a model of harmonious coexistence that includes both management of human—brown bear conflict (HBC) and conservation of the lush, green environment of Sapporo. Although large carnivores that use urban landscapes can temporarily obtain an abundance of high-energy foods, they are also subject to high rates of human-derived mortality. Brown bear invasions of the city center of Sapporo are still rare and are likely caused by bear population increase and distribution expansion within the last decade. It is important to manage urban borders to reduce their attractiveness. A verdant environment and biodiversity conservation are considered to be important to urban residents in Sapporo. Urban HBC, however, is an unavoidable consequence of this style of living. Because a variety of stakeholders affected by HBC and its management live in the city, their various values should be reflected in wildlife management policy through a more collaborative, community-based decision-making model.
I appreciate the organizer of 5 th International Wildlife Management Congress held in Sapporo, July 2015 (IWMC2015), for inviting me as a speaker of a public plenary and the Mammal Society of Japan for giving me a chance to write this review. I also appreciate the manager in the Brown Bear Management Section in the Department of Eco-friendly City Promotion, Environmental Bureau, Sapporo City Administration, and EnVision Nature Conservation Office. This study was partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 16K12662.
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