Transitions of designation categories of the Wildlife Protection Areas and the extent of these designated areas were analyzed using government guidelines and wildlife statistics. A remarkable decrease was observed in the designated area for the “forest habitat type”, which occupies the largest proportion. For all other categories except the “habitat corridor type”, there was an increase in the designated area. As the number of hunters decreases and the damage caused by wildlife becomes serious, the significance of hunting-prohibited areas is declining. Therefore, “forest habitat type”, “large-scale habitat type” and “habitat corridor type” should be designated with a clear intention to secure the original habitat for wildlife, which is supported by science-based management. The categories such as “endangered species habitat type” and “large migration areas type”, whose designation as Special Protection Areas is imperative, are expected to function as true nature conservation areas by effective planning and design of the Special Protection Areas and surrounding buffer zones.

 Roadkill associated with transportation infrastructure exerts a negative impact on the natural environment and driving; hence, it should be prevented to conserve wildlife and promote safe driving. In this study, drivers in Tottori Prefecture were surveyed regarding their recognition and attitudes toward roadkill. The survey was conducted in September 2020, and online questionnaires were collected from 500 respondents aged 20 to 60. A total of 406 respondents (81.2%) answered that they know what roadkill is and that they had seen it most commonly on roads. More than 90% of those who were aware of roadkill felt that roadkill should not occur, primarily out of sympathy for animals and traffic accident danger. In addition, there was a difference in consciousness depending on the animal species. Roadkill prevention consciousness for large mammals stemmed from a concern to avoid driving dangers, while the reason given for preventing endangered species from becoming roadkill was the need for conservation. Many respondents thought that amphibians, reptiles, and insects are small and collisions are inevitable. Also, more than 80% of respondents thought that roadkill is a problem for both humans and animals. This information on drivers' attitudes toward roadkill prevention in Tottori Prefecture is valuable as a resource for roadkill policies in the future.

 Recently, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) population in Japan has been controlled using leg snare traps. However, little is known about the operating characteristics of leg snare traps and the weight and age class of the captured wild boars. As the first step in our analysis, we measured the starting load of the leg snare trap. Further, we compared it with the wild boar weights. To examine the operating characteristics, we estimated the operating probability for each sex and age class from the measured starting load value and wild boar weight data. The average leg snare starting load was 14.8 kgf, and the starting load of the compression coil spring was stable. The operating probability increased with age class and was > 0.9 for both sexes over 1 yr-old. Our results showed that the leg snare trap was an effective method to capture female wild boars over 1 yr-old, which are reportedly highly fertile.

 A survey of mammal fauna using a total 26 automatic digital camera traps on an abandoned railway and a series of tunnels belonging to the former Japanese National Railway was conducted from March 2, 2015 to December 19, 2019 in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture in Central Japan. A total of 74,807 informative photographs were obtained over 41,052 camera days. Of the 15 mammals that were photo-captured, the most frequently photographed was Sus scrofa (relative abundance index: 15.1 photographs/100 camera-days), followed by Paguma larvata (6.2), Felis catus (5.6), Vulpes vulpes (1.4), Nyctereutes procyonoides (1.2), Lepus brachyurus (0.7), Martes melampus (0.2), Procyon lotor (0.2), Capricornis crispus (0.2), Cervus nippon (0.1), Mustela sp. (0.1), Sciurus lis (< 0.1), Macaca fuscata (< 0.1), Meles anakuma (< 0.1), Myocastor coypus (< 0.1), in order. The study area, which is located in the eastern foothills of Aichi Prefecture, supports populations of local wildlife species that are representative of medium- and large–sized mammals (S. scrofa, V. vulpes, N. procyonoides and L. brachyurus, M. melampus, C. crispus, and C. nippon) and is considered to contribute positively towards the conservation of regional biodiversity. Since the activity of S. scrofa and the administrators of the abandoned railway and tunnels overlap during the twilight hours (i.e., one hour before and after sunrise and sunset), caution is necessary to prevent encounters between S. scrofa and humans.

 国立公園では，利用者の増加に伴い野生生物とのトラブルや環境悪化など様々な問題が生じている．今回我々は，大雪山国立公園内の岩塊堆積地に生息するエゾナキウサギ（Ochotona hyperborea yesoensis）の生息地において，散乱しているごみの存在に気づいた．そこで利用客が多く訪れる生息地を対象に，ごみの数や品目を明らかにすることを目的として，目視による回収調査を実施した．2021年7月30日から8月6日にかけて，大雪山国立公園内の5地点（十勝岳望岳台探勝路・駒止湖・東ヌプカウシヌプリ・白雲山・岩石山）で計11.2時間（平均2.2 h/地点）探索し，合計26個のごみを発見した（発見効率2.3個/h）．これらのうちプラスチック製品が多くを占め，空き缶やタバコの空き箱も含まれた．ごみは岩の隙間に落ちているケースが多く，いずれもエゾナキウサギの観察を目的としたレクリエーション時に由来すると推察された．20年以上の長期にわたり残存し続けてきたと思われる缶ごみもあり，周辺環境へ化学物質が溶出している可能性も疑われる．今後のより良い公園利用のために，関係行政主導の定期的な清掃や利用者意識を高める働きかけはもちろん，ごみに気づいた者が率先して持ち帰るような互助的行動の普及が望まれる．

 Management of wild mammals in urban green areas is a growing issue of concern in Japan, because some dangerous mammals have begun to use such areas as habitats or travel pathways. We investigated the mammal fauna in the linear green area located within the urban zone of Kanazawa City, Japan between June and December 2018. Using camera traps, we observed 11 mammal species or species-groups in the green area, the majority of which were medium-sized facultative omnivores. The long forest edge of the green area may have had positive effects on the otherwise low population-carrying capacity for some species. Large mammals did not inhabit the green area permanently, but the area may function as a travel pathway for these species into the city center. Further studies are required to clarify the essential characteristics of the green area, which harbors the mammal fauna revealed by the present survey, and to develop concrete management plans.

 Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are known to affect natural ecosystems through their predation on amphibians. To protect these amphibians and the natural ecosystem, there is a need to understand the population density and habitat distribution of raccoons. Sayama Hills is an important habitat for rare amphibians. However, there is limited information on the raccoon population at this location. In this study, I investigated the distribution and relative abundance of raccoons through surveys based on raccoon claw marks on temple pillars and hunting and culling statistics in Sayama Hills. Raccoon claw marks of were found in 30 of 73 temples investigated across Sayama Hills. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) values of the studied cities were 0.79-3.43, except for Higashimurayama, which had no capture records and few raccoon markings. On the Tokyo side of Sayama Hills, the CPUE values were higher in the western cities. Based on these results, the raccoon populations appear to have established their distribution in Sayama Hills, showing an east-west cline in abundance on the Tokyo side. Such a spatial inclination needs to be considered in future management plans of raccoons.

 Sika deer populations must be reduced to control their distribution expansion and decrease damage to agricultural crops and ecosystems. However, due to aging hunters, wildlife managers need to capture deer efficiently. Considering these aspects, capture by feeding has been proposed, but there is no information on the attractiveness of mineral salts to male or female deer. Therefore, we conducted feeding experiments from May to September 2019 to evaluate the attractiveness of mineral salt based on sex. Our results showed that the feeding frequency of mineral salts was higher than that of the other three baits, and the feeding frequency in female deer was higher than that in males. By contrast, we found no differences in the staying time of mineral salts between male and female deer, and the feeding frequency of mineral salts for males increased with time from the start of the attraction. Therefore, mineral salts may sufficiently attract male and female deer, especially during the initial phase of attraction, and may selectively attract females later. To efficiently attract females using mineral salts, it is necessary to know the herd composition in the target area and verify their attractiveness of mineral salts.

 Under the guidance of Field Science Education and Research Center of Kyoto University, Kyoto Prefectural Nishimaizuru Senior High School has conducted annual surveys in riverine and coastal environments in late July since 2006 (in early August only in 2020). The survey areas consisted mainly of Isazu River, Maizuru Bay, and Tango Bay, Sea of Japan. Although the survey data were analyzed and summarized by high school students every year, the publication of the whole data sets will contribute to meta-analyses among regions and/or periods, and to environmental education at other high schools. Here we provide the following data sets: 1) surface water quality including temperature, pH, electric conductivity, turbidity, and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic carbon, suspended solid, and nutrients in 2006-2021; 2) species composition and density of coastal macrobenthos including fish and invertebrates in 2012-2021; 3) latitudes and longitudes of coastal surveys in 2012-2021; 4) vertical profiles of coastal waters in 2012-2021. As an example of the application of the data sets, interannual changes in nutrient concentrations and macrobenthos communities were analyzed.