Abstract
Local hunters recently constructed small-scale wild-game processing plants, but the impacts of these plants on wildlife management remain poorly understood. This study examined the impacts on wildlife management of two newly constructed wild-game processing plants in northern Kyoto Prefecture, with a focus on their effects on hunting, hunters, and wildlife management in the region. The results indicate that total construction costs were
relatively low and the builders utilized subsidies that targeted regional development and entrepreneurship. The hunters rely primarily on traps, which they set up near forest edges in vehicle-accessible areas. Hunting is conducted by the plant owners and their acquaintances; thus, the owners develop hunting capacity in cooperation with local residents. The plant owners slaughter the animals caught in the traps and transport them to the processing plants; hunters are provided with an incentive of ￥20,000-30,000. Both plants have low occupancy ratios because they are managed by the owners alone. The findings of this study demonstrate that the establishment of these meat plants has contributed to hunter development, reduced burdens on hunters, incentivized hunting, and enhanced village hunting systems and wildlife management.
