The Japanese newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster , is an endemic species in Japan that inhabits lentic areas, from mountains to plains. In particular, this species inhabits the paddy water system, but its habitats have drastically declined in response to land consolidation in paddy fields during the 1960s. We investigated the status of Japanese newt habitat in ill-drained (traditional) paddy fields and adjacent side ditches in Shiga, Japan. Larval newts appeared and increased in number in side ditches in July, but few were captured in paddy fields, indicating that side ditches are suitable larval newt habitat due to optimal cover and water temperature. Many adult newts were found in both types of water body, but their peak abundance differed between site types. Both male and female newts were more abundant in side ditches than in paddy fields from May to June, whereas both were captured mainly in paddy fields from July to August. This is likely due to seasonal migration for reproduction, spawning, foraging, etc. We suggest that ill-drained paddy fields and side ditches are both important habitats in the life history of Japanese newts.

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The Japanese honeybee population on Amami Oshima Island represents the southern distributional limit of the species, and is thought to be hereditarily isolated from the mainland population. To obtain basic ecological information for conserving the honeybee on Amami Oshima, we compared the nesting conditions, natural enemies, disease symptoms, and variation in body size of the species between Amami Oshima, Kyushu, and Iwate Prefecture. We also investigated worker bee foraging activity and the activities of the reproductive caste in tree hollows in a subtropical laurel forest and in village gravestones during the reproductive season. Bees on Amami Oshima were significantly smaller than those in Kyushu and Iwate Prefecture, but we found no natural enemies or diseases strongly influencing the population. Worker bee foraging and reproductive caste activity depended on the weather. In particular, rainy or windy days inhibited bee foraging and might restrict the rate of colony development. Approximately half of the colonies we observed occurred in the hollows of large trees, and we twice observed swarming of subtropical forest colonies. Therefore, protecting wooded areas with large deciduous trees is important for conserving honeybees on Amami Oshima.

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We examined the potential utility of large trees as indicators of high conservation value forest in a subtropical broadleaf forest on Amami Oshima Island, Japan. Based on aerial photographs taken in 1965, 1978 and 1984, we set quadrats in forested areas with or without clearcutting and recorded the diameter at breast height (DBH) of canopy layer trees, microhabitats such as tree hollows, and flora. The DBH of canopy layer trees was positively associated with the number of tree hollows and epiphyte species richness of each tree. The average DBH of canopy layer trees, the number of fallen logs, and epiphyte species richness in non-clearcut quadrats were all significantly higher than those of clearcut quadrats. The average DBH of canopy layer trees in non-clearcut quadrats had significant positive effects on the numbers of tree hollows and fallen logs, and on epiphyte species richness. The flora in non-clearcut forest areas is characterized by ferns or plant species with high shade tolerance or a preference for mesic environments. Our results suggest that large, old trees can be used as a biodiversity indicator of forest areas with abundant microhabitats and forest flora of high conservation value.

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The Mizorogaike wetland, near Kyoto, central Japan, suffers from repeated invasion by sika deer (Cervus nippon). We set 34 camera traps in and around the Mizorogaike wetland (4 in the wetland itself, 17 in the eastern area and 5 in the western area of Takaragaike Park, 3 in the Motoyama National Forest, and 5 in the Kamigamo Experimental Forest of Kyoto University) from 16 June 2014 to 17 December 2014 to reveal the relationship between deer in the wetland and those in the surrounding forest. We photographed 1485 individuals of 11 mammal species over a total of 2700 trap nights (55 individuals/100 trap nights). Thus, this forest remnant in an otherwise urban area plays an important role as a habitat for mammals. On the other hand, 93.2% of photographs were of deer. The relative abundance index for deer in the Mizorogaike wetland was near zero during the day, but very high at night. In contrast, the abundance indices in western/eastern Takaragaike Park showed the opposite trend, while those in Motoyama National Park and Kamigamo Experimental Forest showed no differences between day and night. Therefore, we suggest that deer visiting the Mizorogaike wetland enter around sunset, stay the night, and return to Takaragaike Park around sunrise.

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Feeding by invasive Sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck) causes severe damage to natural vegetation, especially on the forest floor. Although several studies have examined the effects of Sika deer, few have focussed on the early stages of deer invasion. Here, we examine the effects of Sika deer feeding on forest floors in Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan, which are in the early stages of deer invasion. We established five deer exclosure fences and monitored differences in vegetation inside and outside the fences from 2010 to 2014. We found clear differences between vegetation inside and outside the exclosures at some sites, but not at others. Thus, our approach was partially effective at detecting the early effects of feeding by Sika deer. Commencing management efforts in the early stages of invasion is a cost-effective strategy for minimizing damage to natural vegetation. Our approach will aid in detecting vegetation damage and establishing a management plan in the early stages of Sika deer invasion.

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We gathered basic information relevant to the conservation of the aquatic macrophytes remaining in Lake Kasumigaura and its watershed. We studied macrophyte distribution and determined the environmental factors controlling their distribution in a canal with steep banks. The canal was one of the few locations hosting Potamogeton crispus L. However, some invasive species were also noted. The P. crispus community was characterized by a higher-than-average current velocity and a low nitrogen level. Recently, eutrophication and aversion have markedly decreased the canal habitat for suitable submerged plants. The free-floating plant communities were characterized by high total- and PO_4-phosphorus levels; most were in paddies. Many alien plant communities had colonized land associated with private dwellings and a carp farm. Neighboring land uses influenced the distributions of aquatic plant communities. We found that analysis of species distribution and land uses in the area surrounding the lake was important for conserving the aquatic macrophytes of Lake Kasumigaura.

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The Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana Decne. var. dimorphopheylla (Makino) Koidz., is an endangered species with a distribution restricted to the area around Ise Bay, Japan. While there has been some effort to conserve habitats in remnant populations to our knowledge, no studies have described its pollinators. Since Pyrus is an insect-pollinated, self-incompatible genus, pollen movement among individuals is essential for regeneration. To identify the pollinators of the Callery pear, we investigated the fauna visiting flowers in the Tado population, Mie Prefecture. Over 3 days in the flowering period (early, full bloom, and late), we collected 573 insects from 10 orders and 25 families. This included Hymenoptera (26.0%; e.g., the families Apidae and Andrenidae) and Diptera (57.4%; e.g., the families Syrphidae and Bombyliidae), whose members are important pollinators of flowering plants. Since both hymenopterans (mainly bees) and dipterans (mainly hoverflies) visited the plants frequently during the full blooming period, we propose that these are the major pollinators of the Callery pear.

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In recent years, the population of Japanese wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) in Toyama Prefecture and the surrounding areas has increased significantly. To elucidate the social grouping pattern and colonization route of wild boars in the study area, we performed a mitochondrial DNA sequencing analysis and found that boars from the study region possessed five mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. Most individuals that were sampled at the same time and from the same place were found to share the same haplotype, suggesting that these individuals were derived from the same or related females and formed a social group. Annual variation in the haplotype patterns in each intraprefectural region suggest the existence of multiple ancestral groups that had migrated into Toyama Prefecture from surrounding areas.

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The mycoheterotrophic plant Sciaphila nana Blume (Sciaphila japonica Makino, Andruris japonica (Makino) Giesen) is a vulnerable species listed in the Red List of Japan. In 2009, a large S. nana population was found in a secondary forest within the area proposed for the construction of a final disposal site in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. This study examined the environmental factors controlling the growth of S. nana and developed a method for transplanting the plant. Multiple regression analysis revealed that light condition and thickness of the organic layer had significant effects on the number of aboveground shoots in the original habitat. In June and September 2012, fifteen blocks (40 × 40 cm) of the organic layer with the plants were cut from the ground and transplanted to a forest similar to the original habitat distant from the construction site. Approximately one year after transplantation, in September 2013, 26 emerged shoots were observed in eight blocks. The number of emerged shoots increased to 66 in September 2014. The result suggests that S. nana populations can be moved by transplanting plants with the organic layer from the original habitat.

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The 10^<th> meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP10), which was the most successful COP in the history of international environmental treaties, adopted over 40 decisions, including a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 to 2020 and 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Based on recommendations from one CBD-COP10 decision, the 65^<th> session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 to 2020 as the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity. Parties to the CBD gather every two years, and their twelfth meeting (COP12) was held in 2014. On the occasion of COP12, the secretariat of the CBD, together with scientific advisors, launched the 4^<th> edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO4) and reviewed the progress of the strategic plan for biodiversity and Aichi Biodiversity Target. Following that report (Part 1), this report (Part 2) introduces the rest of the outcome of GBO4 and decisions made at COP12 as a response to the outcome of GBO4.

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