53

至足寄

B18

オンネトー湖Dual perspectives of “wildlife” and “humans”, which are essential when considering environmental treatment

Environmental Treatment introduced in the Kushiro area

Human activities from a wildlife perspective and conﬂicts with wildlife from human perspective.
It is necessary to analyze the causes of problems and consider countermeasures from both perspectives.

KUSHIRO
Leading Cityin the Field ofEnvironmental
Treatment

Natural world
HabitsUsing high elevations
for surveillance andforaging for foodRare raptors

Using human-createdfeeding environments

Blakiston’s ﬁsh owlSpeciﬁccountermeasures

Electrocutions

Power transmission
towersBird checkers

Power distribution poles

Perches

Lead poisoning

Lead bullet regulation

Entanglementin ﬁshing nets

IRBJ, Hokkaido Electric Power
Company, Hokkaido Electric Power
Network, and MOE have collaborated to install the first Bird Checker inKushiro City to prevent electrocution of rare raptors. It was developed
through a series of improvements todeter raptors from perching on it andto adapt it to the shape of power
Tsuruifacilities.
Villagetransmission

Hokkaido ElectricPower Network

Blakiston’s ﬁsh owl resting its
wings on a safe perchMOE
Hokkaido Government

Delineators

White-tailed eagle

Using roads, railroads,
and other open areas asmigration routes

Steller’s sea eagle

Poles, Wires

Collisions with trains

Grooving

Collisions with windturbines for power
generation

Slow driving
Countermeasures toprevent collisions
between Hokkaido
sika deer and trains(Bird strike)Road administrators

（）

•MLIT
•Hokkaido Government

Grooving, whereby grooves are carved
on the road surface, helps prevent
traﬃc accidents by alerting raptors ofapproaching vehicles through thesound generated by vehicles runningover the grooves.

Unknown
23.3%

Traﬃc accidents
23.1%

Others
11.2%
Others
7.7%

Electric shock
accidents
7.7%

Collected/housed
during conservation
activities
Caught in nets
13.6%
10.1%
Predation/attacks Drowning
10.7%
5.9%

Malnutrition
4.8%
Falling intowater
1.7%

Train accidents
2.4%©Keisuke SAITO
man-made causes

Train accidents
16.2%

Leadpoisoning
6.8%

Electric shock
Lead exposure
accidents
1.3%
5.0%

Falling into
water
2.4%

A26

Lead exposure
2.2%

こころみCollisions withunknown objects
5.3%

391
In areas where eagles and red-crowned
cranes frequently cross roads, poles
and wires can be installed on bridge
parapets to lead the birds to ﬂy at ahigher altitude and prevent traﬃc
accidents.

14

茅沼駅

シラルトロ沼塘路駅

塘路湖

キラコタン岬

Locations where major countermeasures have been taken in Kushiro City
宮島岬

Akan area

Okurushube,
Akan-cho240

Lead poisoning
18.9%

1093

古瀬駅

Kushiro-shitsugen National Park
細岡駅

白糠町

Shiranuka Town
240

666

Shin-Kushiro River

53

Yamanaha
Onsen REFRE

Shimoninishibetsu,
Akan-cho線

西庶路駅

392

56-sen

白糠駅

Akan River38OtanoshikeSta.

根室本庶路駅

Kushiro City240

たんちょう

釧路空港
KushiroZoo

KUSHIRO
Leading Cityin the Field ofEnvironmental
Treatment

Iwabokki Sluice Gates
Kushiro Marsh Observatory
The Kushiro-shitsugen Wildlife Center, MOE

MarimoNational
Highway

Collisions with
Electric unknown objects
6.7%
shock
accidents
9.6%

Source: Kushiro Nature Conservation Oﬃce, MOE

272

Around city area

28-sen243

Train accidents
19.4%

Collisions with wind turbines
0.9%

Yamahana andNinishibetsu area

Kushiro-shitsugen Sta.

Traﬃcaccidents
8.9%

Others
6.5%
Malnutrition
5.3%

Collisions withwind turbines
12.5%

14五十石駅

53

No. of Steller's sea eagles collected/
housed by cause
FY 2000 –2022

Unknown
19.2%

線

本網

Photo courtesy of the Kushiro Development and Construction Department, MLIT

Causes of death and injury in rare raptors in Hokkaido

Traﬃc accidents
15.3%

標茶駅

釧IRBJ, MLIT and MOE collaborated to study countermeasures before
the Kushiro Outer Ring Road wasconstructed, and after countermeasures were taken, their effectivenesswas verified andimprovements
were made.

JR Hokkaido

Lake Akan

Unknown
15.4%

標茶町

Roadkill countermeasures“The question is not about who should take priority - people or animals, but how we can alllive together in harmony. I believe that the direction we should aim for is for people to truly
live as people and animals to truly live as animals.” (Dr. SAITO)
至本別

No.of White-tailed eagles collected/
housed by cause
FY 2000 –2022274
Bird Checker installed
53 after its
performance was checked using
captive Steller’s sea eagles thatcannot return to the wildShibecha Town

Photo courtesy of Hokkaido Electric Power Network and IRBJ

Human worldNo.of Blakison's ﬁsh owls collected/housed by cause
FY 1994 –2022

13

環 境 治 療 先 進 都 市 釧 路

Using updrafts whensoaring

Collisions with vehicles

至網走 弟子屈至網走 弟子屈

鶴居村(Line-of-sight markers)

Traﬃc accidents

磯分内駅

Electrocutions prevention

Countermeasures

White-tailed eagle
Scientific name: Haliaeetus albicillaEnglish name: White-tailed eagle
National Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, categorized
as Vulnerable(MOE Japan Red List 2020)
Large eagles with a total body length of about 69 to 92 cm and a wing
span of 200 to 245 cm.
White-tailed eagle nests in large trees near beaches, lakes and riverbasins.
It preys on seabirds and marine fishes such as Alaska pollock, and isdistributed in Europe, West Asia, and East Asia.
The total population is estimated at about 20,300 to 39,600 (IUCN,2013). Approximately 700 to 900 white-tailed sea eagles winter in
Hokkaido and northern Honshu.
The number of nesting sites in Hokkaido has been increasing sincethe 1990s, with approximately 170 confirmed sites.

Kushiro-nishi IC至札幌 帯広太平洋

Kushiro Town

44Akkeshi Town

上尾幌駅

272391Shin-Fuji
Sta.

厚岸町

釧路東IC

53

Kushiro Port

Higashi-Kushiro
Sta.

釧路

38
38

Pole or wire 阿寒自転

Lake Harutori

車道MusaSta.

Harutori Park

尾幌駅

Written, edited and published byKushiro International Wetland Centre, Kushiro City

釧路別保IC

44

KushiroSta.

Tancho Kushiro Airport

38

釧路町

Kushiro-chuoIC

38

Akan River

Area where other countermeasures
have been taken

iro Shitsugen Road
Kush
Kushiro River

遠矢駅

別保駅
至根室 厚岸Production cooperation
Kushiro Nature Conservation Office, Ministry of the Environment
Kushiro Development and Construction Department, Hokkaido
Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism
Hokkaido Electric Power Company, Inc., Hokkaido Electric Power
Network, Inc.,
Hokkaido Railway Company, Institute for Raptor Biomedicine Japan

Issued in August, 2023

1980

Roadkill countermeasures(Traﬃc accidents)“Human economic activities are often deeply involved in the causes of wildlife injury, disease, andmortality. To coexist with rare wildlife, it is necessary not only to protect habitats such as nesting sites,
but also to investigate the causes of mortality and resolve conflicts with wildlife.” (Dr. SAITO)

1996

Continued analysis of thecauses of death conﬁrms
that many other fatalities
were also caused by leadriﬂe bullets from Hokkaido
sika deer hunting*.
It turns out that 80% of theeagles taken capture in thepast died from leadpoisoning.

A lead pellet forwaterfowl
hunting is foundin the stomach ofa Steller’s sea
eagle. Death bylead poisoning isconﬁrmed*.

MOE begins toprotect and keep
Blakiston’s ﬁsh owls
in captivity at theKushiro-shitsugen
Wildlife Center.

1994

2023

Era of establishing Environmental Treatment

1996

Actively organizing lectures and workshopsIn response to a callfrom Dr. SAITO andothers, a group ofveterinarians in eastern
Hokkaido establishes
the Lead Poisoned
Eagles Network, the ﬁrst
citizen’s group in Japan
to appeal for measures
to prevent leadpoisoning.

1997

The network
sets criteria
on leadpoisoning.

Cooperation of local hunting clubs(Switching to copper bullets)
Copper bullet
performance
analysis
Requesting the Hokkaido Government
to take measures

1999

The use oflead bullets
to hunt
Hokkaido
sika deer isbanned by
prefecturalordinance.

Chronologicalmeasures ofDr. SAITO andHokkaido
Electric PowerCompanyHokkaido Electric Power Company consults withDr. SAITO about carcasses found near power lines.
Understanding of rare species deepens within thecompany.

Hokkaido Electric Power Company asks
Dr. SAITO to survey rare raptor habitats
and provide advice on the constructionof a power plant.

Cause analysis gradually reveals the occurrenceof electrocution deaths in Hokkaido.

1994
1993

Japan’s ﬁrst Bird Checker, which prevents large raptors fromperching on power transmission towers and distribution
poles, is installed at a power transmission facility near theMarimo National Highway.

2003

2000

2004
Cooperation and information exchanges

Chronologicalmeasures ofMOE

MOE designates rare
species as National
Endangered Species ofWild Frauna and Flora.

The Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transportand Tourism(MLIT)
establishes a study
group to preserve
white-tailed sea eagle
nesting sites inconnection with theconstruction of theKushiro Outer Ring Roadand other projects.

2005

Carcasses and injured individuals of rare
species are collected and kept at theWildlife Center.

The study group requests
cooperation from MOE andIRBJ(Dr. SAITO) to consider
the following:○Roadkill measures after theroad is opened to traﬃc○Preventive measuresagainst running over andkilling Hokkaido sika deerand other animals, which
would attract raptors

The causes of death and injury in rare raptors are being analyzed.
MOE requests Hokkaido Electric Power Company to cooperate inelectrocution prevention measures.

Survey and analysis of roadcrossing conditions

Proposal to install poles thatwill cause the birds to ﬂy higher
over the road and wires to keepthem from stopping at bridges,etc.

Installation of a 2.5-meter-highfence to prevent the entry of
Hokkaido sika deer andveriﬁcation of its eﬀectivenessHokkaido ElectricPower Company**

Established

MOEand cooperation byIRBJ (Dr. SAITO)

the three parties

information sharing

KUSHIRO
Leading Cityin the Field ofEnvironmental
Treatmentexistence with wildlife

Toward a new eraof widespread
application ofEnvironmental
Treatment

MOE announces
its policy toregulate leadbullets nationwide
by 2030.

A newcostage in2014*By Dr. SAITO, Institute for Raptor Biomedicine Japan

Electrocutions Prevention

Environmental Treatment:

to transform the natural environment,
which nurtures humans and animals, to be healthy and safe.

Countermeasures against
lead poisoningeisuke
Saito K齊藤慶輔

Dr. Keisuke SAITO
Veterinarian. President, Institute for Raptor Biomedicine Japan (IRBJ)
In 1994 Dr. SAITO began working as a veterinarian specializing inwildlife based at the Kushiro-shitsugen Wildlife Center, theMinistry of the Environment (MOE) , and in 2005 he establishedIRBJ.
As part of his eﬀorts to protect endangered raptors, he treats
injured and sick birds, releases them to the wild, conducts researchand surveys, and carries out conservation activities.
He calls this improvement of the natural environment for better
symbiosis “environmental treatment” and is working on it incooperation with related government agencies and businesses.

History of Environmental Treatment that started in the Kushiro area

Healing injuries causedby humans is ourresponsibility
as human beings.

Era of an environmentallly advanced city –Eﬀorts to protect red-crowned cranes andconserve and restore wetlands

29 development
improvements**From FY 2020 onward, power transmission anddistribution facilities are under the jurisdiction of theHokkaido Electric Power Network.

Through thecollaboration ofthe three parties,
similar facilities
have been
installed in morethan 2,500
locationsthroughout
Hokkaido, andnew installations
continue.

No roadkill on theouter ring road by2020.
MLIT presents this as
an good practice ofindustry-governmentacademia
collaboration.

1980 Kushiro Wetland is registered as Japan’s first Ramsar Convention-listed wetland.
1987 Kushiro-shitsugen National Park is established as Japan’s largest wetland.
1993 Asia’s first Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention is held.

KUSHIRO has become an environmentally advanced city that leads Asia through its wetland conservation
activities , which began with the protection of the endangered red-crowned crane.
Now that the compatibility of economic activities and environmental conservation has become commonplace,
KUSHIRO is positioned at a new stage as a leading city in the field of environmental treatment.

2016

MLIT
MOE
IRBJ (Dr. SAITO)

Installation tests

Installation conditions ﬁnalized.
MLIT installs 4-meter-high poles.

are repeated withthe cooperation ofthe three parties.

This is also
introduced in theconstruction of theUrahoro Akan
section of the DotoExpressway.

2016
Collaboration
continues withthe constructionof the Akan
Kushiro section.

Blakiston’s fish owl

Scientific name: Ketupa blakistoni
English name: Blakiston’s fish owl

About the back cover photo

National Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, categoraized as Critically Endangered (MOE Japnan RedList 2020) and Natural Monument of Japan
Japan’s largest owl, reaching 66 to 69 cm in body length with a wingspan of 180 cm
It inhabits forests (deciduous broad-leaved forests, mixed conifer and broad-leaved forests) around rivers andlakes, nesting in the hollows of large broad-leaved trees. It preys on fish, but also amphibians, crustaceans, birds,and small mammals.
In Japan, it is distributed in Hokkaido and the Northern Territories. One hundred pairs have been confirmed,
mainly in eastern Hokkaido.