Growth of the sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) population in the western lowland forests of Yakushima Island, Japan

抄録

The density of a sika deer population in an evergreen natural forest on Yakushima Island was surveyed by road counts from August 1988 to July 1989, and from August 2001 to July 2002. Based on distance-sampling methods, population density estimates were 2.55 deer/km² in 1988 and 40.74 deer/km² in 2001. Encounter rate indices (number of deer seen per kilometer) increased by a factor of 6.16 over these 13 years. This rapid population growth may reflect increased sika deer food availability following logging in the forest.