Wildlife Protection Areas in Japan


Wildlife Protection Areas in Japan are established by the Ministry of the Environment and, for areas of more local importance, by the Prefectural Governments in order "to protect and promote the reproduction of birds and mammals" in accordance with the 2002 Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law. The areas established have a maximum duration of twenty years and hunting is prohibited within them. Special Protection Areas are designated within the Wildlife Protection Areas in order to protect habitats and ecosystems.

Classification of wildlife

The wildlife of Japan is classified either as game species or protected species. The former includes thirty species of bird and seventeen of mammal that are considered able to withstand hunting harmful to agriculture and forestry useful for meat or other derivatives. These species include the brown bear, black bear, Japanese deer, Japanese hare, Japanese quail, and Japanese pheasant. Over six hundred species are protected. Insectivorous mammals and rats are excluded from protection since they are considered harmful to agriculture; some marine mammals fall under the alternative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. While the number of animals hunted is falling with the decline in the number of hunters, the number of birds and mammals "controlled" is rising in relation to damage to crops.

Established Wildlife Protection Areas

As of 1 November 2011, seventy-nine Wildlife Protection Areas had been established at a national level, covering an area of 5,772 km2, including 1,561 km2 of Special Protection Areas. A further three Wildlife Protection Areas totalling 52.3 km2 were established in June 2012, prior to the eleventh Ramsar wetland conference which takes place from 6 to 13 July 2012. As of 31 December 2011, 3,783 Wildlife Protection Areas had been established at a prefectural level, covering an area of 30,572 km2, including 1,495 km2 of prefectural Special Protectional Areas. The eighty-two nationally designated areas, divided into the four classes of large habitats, wetland areas, breeding areas, and habitats of rare birds and mammals, are as follows:
Wildlife Protection AreaDesignated NamePrefectureArea First EstablishedImageClassCoordinates
Daisetsuzan大雪山鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō355.3419921
Towada十和田鳥獣保護区Aomori, Akita376.7419531
Shirakami-Sanchi白神山地鳥獣保護区Aomori, Akita171.5720041
Asama浅間鳥獣保護区Gunma, Nagano309.4019511
Hakusan白山鳥獣保護区Ishikawa, Gifu380.6119691
Ōdai Mountains大台山系鳥獣保護区Mie, Nara180.5419721
Tsurugi Mountains剣山山系鳥獣保護区Tokushima, Kōchi118.1719881
Daisen大山鳥獣保護区Tottori51.5619581
Ishizuchi Mountains石鎚山系鳥獣保護区Ehime, Kōchi108.5819771
Kirishima霧島鳥獣保護区Miyazaki, Kagoshima113.9019781
Hamatonbetsu Lake Kutcharo浜頓別クッチャロ湖鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō28.0319832
Sarobetsuサロベツ鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō37.3919922
Lake Tōfutsu濤沸湖鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō20.5119922
Notsuke Peninsula-Notsuke Bay野付半島・野付湾鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō61.4620052
Lake Furen風蓮湖鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō78.0619932
Akkeshi-Bekanbeushi-Kiritappu厚岸・別寒辺牛・霧多布鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō112.7119932
Miyajima-numa宮島沼鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō0.4119922
Lake Utonaiウトナイ湖鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō5.1019822
Kominato小湊鳥獣保護区Aomori45.1819712
Izu-numa伊豆沼鳥獣保護区Miyagi14.5519822
Sendai Beach仙台海浜鳥獣保護区Miyagi75.9619872
Kabukuri-numa and the surrounding rice paddies蕪栗沼・周辺水田鳥獣保護区Miyagi30.6120052
Kejo-numa化女沼鳥獣保護区Miyagi0.7820082
Mogami River Mouth最上川河口鳥獣保護区Yamagata15.3720052
Ōyama Kamiike-Shimoike大山上池・下池鳥獣保護区Yamagata0.3920082
Watara Reservoir渡良瀬遊水地鳥獣保護区Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama28.6120122
Fukushimagata福島潟鳥獣保護区Niigata1.6319742
Lake Hyōko瓢湖鳥獣保護区Niigata2.8120052
Sakata Lagoon佐潟鳥獣保護区Niigata2.5119812
Yatsu谷津鳥獣保護区Chiba0.4119882
Katano Kamoike片野鴨池鳥獣保護区Ishikawa0.1019932
Fujimae-higata藤前干潟鳥獣保護区Aichi7.7020022
Hamakōshien浜甲子園鳥獣保護区Hyōgo0.3019782
Nakaumi中海鳥獣保護区Tottori, Shimane87.2419742
Lake Shinji宍道湖鳥獣保護区Shimane78.5120052
Wajiro-higata和白干潟鳥獣保護区Fukuoka2.5420032
Arao-higata荒尾干潟鳥獣保護区Kumamoto18.2320122
Izumi-Takaono出水・高尾野鳥獣保護区Kagoshima8.4219872
Yagaji屋我地鳥獣保護区Okinawa32.2419762
Lake Man漫湖鳥獣保護区Okinawa1.7419772
Yonaha Bay与那覇湾鳥獣保護区Okinawa13.6620112
Ikema池間鳥獣保護区Okinawa2.8220112
Teuri Island天売島鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō5.5119823
Yururi-Moyururiユルリ・モユルリ鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō1.9919823
Daikoku Island大黒島鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō1.0719723
Hide Island日出島鳥獣保護区Iwate0.0819823
Sangan Island三貫島鳥獣保護区Iwate0.2519813
Tadanae-jima祗苗島鳥獣保護区Tokyo5.9320103
Ōnohara-jima大野原島鳥獣保護区Tokyo5.4620103
Nishinoshima西之島鳥獣保護区Tokyo0.2920083
North Iwo Jima北硫黄島鳥獣保護区Tokyo8.6020093
Minamitorishima南鳥島鳥獣保護区Tokyo3.9520093
Nanatsu-jima七ツ島鳥獣保護区Ishikawa0.2419733
Kiinagashima紀伊長島鳥獣保護区Mie61.3119693
Kanmurijima-Kutsujima冠島・沓島鳥獣保護区Kyoto13.0020103
Kakuijima鹿久居島鳥獣保護区Okayama6.6219533
Okinoshima沖ノ島鳥獣保護区Fukuoka0.9719843
Danjo Islands男女群島鳥獣保護区Nagasaki4.1619733
Birōjima枇榔島鳥獣保護区Miyazaki4.8220103
Kusagakijima草垣島鳥獣保護区Kagoshima0.2119733
Nakanokamijima仲の神島鳥獣保護区Okinawa0.1819813
Shiretoko知床鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō440.5319824
Kushiro Shitsugen釧路湿原鳥獣保護区Hokkaidō115.2319584
Western Shimokita下北西部鳥獣保護区Aomori49.4619844
Hotokenuma仏沼鳥獣保護区Aomori7.3720054
Ōgata-sōgen大潟草原鳥獣保護区Akita1.3519774
Moriyoshizan森吉山鳥獣保護区Akita66.1619734
Ōshima Asahi大鳥朝日鳥獣保護区Yamagata, Niigata382.8519844
Torishima鳥島鳥獣保護区Tokyo4.5319544
Ogasawara小笠原群島鳥獣保護区Tokyo200.5819804
Eastern Sado小佐渡東部鳥獣保護区Niigata126.2019824
Northern Alps北アルプス鳥獣保護区Toyama, Nagano, Gifu1,103.0619844
Maruyama River Basin円山川下流域鳥獣保護区Hyōgo5.5020124
Sainan西南鳥獣保護区Kōchi15.3319794
Ina伊奈鳥獣保護区Nagasaki11.7319884
Yuwan-dake湯湾岳鳥獣保護区Kagoshima3.2019654
Nagura-Anparu名蔵アンパル鳥獣保護区Okinawa11.4520034
Yanbaru やんばる（安田）鳥獣保護区Okinawa12.7920094
Yanbaru やんばる（安波）鳥獣保護区Okinawa4.6520094
Daitō Islands大東諸島鳥獣保護区Okinawa42.5120044
Yonaguni与那国鳥獣保護区Okinawa10.4020104
Iriomote西表鳥獣保護区Okinawa102.1819924

Complementary measures

Wildlife Protection Areas are just one element in a network of complementary protected area systems. Others include Wilderness Areas and Nature Conservation Areas under the Nature Conservation Law; Natural Parks under the Natural Parks Law; Natural Habitat Conservation Areas under the Law for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; Natural Monuments and Special Natural Monuments under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties 1950; Nature Conservation Forests under the National Forest Management Bylaw; and Protected Waters under the Preservation of Fisheries Resources Law. Areas are also protected in accordance with three international programmes: the World Heritage Convention ; Man and the Biosphere Programme ; and the Ramsar Convention.