Spatial and Environmental Characteristics of Hunting Areas along Forest-Farmland Buffer Zones

- A case study of a hunting group with guns and hounds in a suburban area in Ehime Prefecture, Japan -

抄録

The actual hunting area and ranges of hunting activities of hunters using guns and hounds are clarified and the contribution of these hunting activities on the establishment of a forest-farmland buffer zone is examined. In this study, a hunting group from a suburban area in Ehime Prefecture, targeting Japanese wild boar is examined. The landscape factors affecting hunters travelling distance is also studied. As a result, the hunting group in this study focused their activities on narrow, 600 m-wide bands around settlement. In such cases, a habitat management effect peculiar to hunting with guns and hounds can also be expected, as it keeps wildlife away from settlements and in the process generates a buffer zone along farmland peripheries. The study also shows that the burden of movement on hunters is closely related to the elevation, road conditions and degree of farmland clustering of the hunting zones.