英文HP

Status of proteced areas

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

The natural environment of the Shiretoko peninsula is proteced by several agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, forestry agency, local government. In each of these areas, the Environment Agency, the Hokkaido government, town of Shari and Rausu coordinate management activities to ensure appropriate protection of the resource and the provision of opportunities for people to enjoy the natural environment. These multiple layers of protective legislation in Shiretoko interact in a complete system that stands apart in excellence from other protected area in Japan 1)Shiretoko National Park Established in1964 by the Environment Agency Area: 60,986 hectares With special proteciton area acounting for 61% of its area, Shiretoko is the most thoroughly protected National Park in Japan. 2)Mt.Onnebetsu Wilderness Area Established in1980 by the Environment Agency Area: 1,895 hectares One of the only 5 such area in the country; more strictry regulated than National Park 3)Shiretoko National Wildlife Protection Area Established in1982 by the Environment Agency Area: 44,053 hectares (special protection area: 23,630) 4)Shiretoko Forest Ecosystem Protection Area Established in1990 by the National Forest Agency Area: 46,004 hectares

The Shiretoko 100 Square-Meter Forest Trust

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

BUYING A DREAM IN SHIRETOKO
The Shiretoko 100 Square-Meter Forest Trust is a cornerstone for the national trust movement in Japan.

The wave of land development that swept through Japan after the late 1970’s threatened to reach lands within Shiretoko National Park that had been cleared during the pioneering days. In 1977, Shari town began a nation-wide donation project in order to acquire and restore the privately owned pioneer lands.
Nearly 49,000 people responded to the call to “Buy a Shiretoko dream”, donating over 520 million yen toward the purchase of these lands. This success became the basis for the National Trust approach to nature conservation in Japan. With a vision of these lands in 100 years, conservation projects are currently under way to restore natural forests and ecosystems.
An individual pledge of 5,000 yen helps restore both the native forest and the human spirit.

Brown bear - Spirit of the forest

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Brown bear is called KIMUNKAMUI in Ainu language, meaning the diety of mountains
Largest terrestrial carnivore in Japan.
Adult male:100~350kg Adult female : 80~150kg
Body color varies from light brown to dark black.
Light colored chest sings on some bears.
Despite its burly appearance the brown bear is 90% vegetation.

The puzzle of denning

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Among the larger bodied mammals, only the bear dens in winter. Indeed, in the middle of a long winter without nourishment, female bears even manage to give birth and raise young. Although weighing only 400 grams at birth in the coldest days of late January, cubs that emerge with their mothers in May have grown to 6kilograms. The sows of Shiretoko usually give birth every two years, a high reproductive natural environment.

Shiretoko :A haven for the Brown Bear

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Shiretoko boasts one of the world's highest densities of brown bears -more than 1bear / 3sq.km.It would be no exaggeration to call it the most densely populated.
Female home ranges are typically only 15 sq.km.,a reflection of the wealth of natural foods available in a small area between the coast and the mountain peaks.

Brown bear habitats with the wealth of foods available in Shiretoko are uncommon in the world.
While brown bears in the North American interior rely on about 40 different food items, the bears of Shiretoko have access to over 90.
From grasses and forbs along the coast and in the alpine zones, to nuts and berries of the forest, to the streams filled with salmons and the whales and seals that wash up on the coast, a rich assortment of food supports the high density of bears in Shiretoko

Shiretoko :From the Coast to the Mountain Tops, All is Home of the Bear

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Brown bears inhabit a broad range in both the Eurasian and North American continents.
However, even this distribution represents only a fraction of the historic range.
Conflicts between people and bears continue today, as does range decline.

there are few places left like Hokkaido, where brown bears still inhabit temperate zone, mixed conifer-hardwood forest.
Hunting pressures and land conversion, particularly in coastal areas, have taken their toll on brown bear populations throughout the world.
In the protected wild lands of the Shiretoko peninsula, however, bears can still move freely among a rich variety of coastal ,forest, and alpine habitats.

A Breeding Stronghold for the White-tailed Eagle

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Mostly brown with lighter colored head and breast, and white tail. Bill and legs pale yellow. Bill smaller, and tail shorter and less pointed tail than the Steller's sea eagle. In fight silhouette of wings is straight. The Shiretoko peninsula supports one of the densest and most productive breeding populations of White-tailed eagles in the world. This breeding success and the fact that such a bird of prrrey is a year-round resident reflects the wealth of Shiretoko's four seasons.

A Rich Forest Home for Wildlife

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

With oak and fir as the dominant species, a variety of trees intermingle in the mixed forests of Shiretoko.

In autumn the mixed forests provide a rich bounty of fruits and nuts, a gift from nature to the wildlife preparing for a long winter.
The rich forests of Shiretoko support a diversity of wildlife.

Wildflowers

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Jutting into the Sea of Okhotsk, the Shiretoko peninsula is shaped by severe weather. The alpine zone begins at only 400 meters elevation, with stone pine forming the base of a unique plant community. Snowfields give rise to a beautiful array of wildflowers.

Forests of the Spirits

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Steep slopes and sheer cliffs of the Shiretoko mountain range protected old growth forests from development. The deep forests that were home to the kamui, the gods of the indigenous Ainu, have become rare on Hokkaido. This towering oak has watched wildlife and people come and go for hundreds of years. Coniferous forests dominated by fir and spruce, or mixed forests of oak and kalopanax are typical in Shiretoko.

Exposed to sever seasonal winds, the shiretoko Peninsula is covered in broad swaths of sub-alpine vegetation, where stone pine zones begin at elevations of only 400 meters. The photo above reveals the vertical forest type distribution of Mt. Iou. The red area at the base is mixed hardwood-conifer forest, the leafless brown area, in the mid-slopes is birch, and the deep green higher elevations stone pine.

A Unique Fish Community

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

The streams of the Shiretoko peninsula are home to mostly salmonids. This region is renowned for supporting freshwater fish that depend on pristine conditions. Only two species, the Cherry salmon and Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma), spend their full year in freshwater, but in fall both Pink and Chum salmon return to streams by the thousands to spawn.
An abundance of salmonids returns to Shiretoko, and native spawning runs still persist in many streams. The young that follow streams to the sea spend years maturing in the Pacific Ocean, then return to their birth place bringing gifts for the brown bears, fish owls and other creatures of the forest.

And Shiretoko are the domain of the Dolly Varden. In other parts of Hokkaido, the species is landlocked, but on Shiretoko Dolly Varden inhabit the full length of the southern limit for this anadromous species of the western Pacific.

Premeval forests and pritine waters

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

There are no lazy meanders to the streams of Shiretoko. Waters that gather on steep mountain slopes rush to the sea, at times cascading over sea cliff waterfalls. These rivers are renowned as mountain streams from beginning to end, Rich mountain forests nourish these streams, providing nutrients and cooling shade in summer. The cover of trees is also welcomed by fish, which use it to hide from birds and other predators. Old growth forests support fertile waters. The Fish That Move Between Fresh and Salt Water The Cherry salmon returns from the sea in spring, but spawns later in autumn. Some males spend their entire lives in freshwater streams. Chum salmon return throughout the fall and into the winter, from September to January of the following year. Pink salmon returning to rivers on the west side　of the peninsula are an especially abundant natural resource.

Where the Ocean Meets the Forest – The Beauty and Abundance of the Natural Coast.

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

The ocean coast is the meeting place for marine and terrestrial life. The ocean offers up a bounty of food resources for the living things on land, and the land returns nutrients to the sea and provides safe nesting sites among rocks and along the cliffs. Sheer cliffs, the jumble of reef and exposed rocks, sand beaches and river mouths-all these contribute to the diversity of life forms that thrive on the bounty of the coast. In Shiretoko National Park, more than two thirds of the coast and mountainous interior remains an unloaded and protected natural area.

WhThe coast of Shiretoko – A Cradle for Sea Birds

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

From spring through summer, tens of thousands of Slender-billed shearwaters return to Shiretoko. These birds breed in southeast Australia, then begin a long migration to the northern hemisphere’s sub arctic zone. They are drawn across the earth by the abundant food resources consistently available in the northern seas near Shiretoko. For Sooty guillemot, the spectacular cliffs of Shiretoko are an important breeding area. The coastal cliffs and rocks are also dotted with the nests of Temminck’s cormorant, the Slaty-backed gull, and the Black-tailed gull. For the cormorant, there are few breeding areas of this scale in the world. The Slaty-backed gull, the black-tailed gull, and the Sooty guillemot, are also limited to areas around Japan. From spring through summer, the Shiretoko coastline comes alive with the cries of a diversity of birds, and every year thousands of new lives are born on these cliffs. The birds that make it through winter in other areas come back in spring to Shiretoko, an age old cycle that continues today.

An Eden Protected by Coastal Bluffs

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Much of the Shiretoko coastline is bordered by a wall of sheer cliffs. The steep walls and jumble of rocks are evidence of years of slow, grinding erosion by the sea ice. The inaccessibility of these rock walls for most animals makes them a breeding refuge for thousands of birds each spring and summer. A unique assemblage of plants has also arisen among the rocks and crevices. Some of these stands out, like the luminescent green moss in the Makkaus cave in Rausu town.