Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management in Japan (eBook)

Ryo Sakurai is an associate professor at the College of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University, Osaka, Japan. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, and completed his MS and PhD degrees at the School of Natural Resources and Environment with the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. He won the Academic Award of the Japanese Association on the Environmental Studies for his contribution to establish the discipline of Human Dimensions in Japan. He is currently a co-editor of 'Environmental Education in Asia', a special issue of the Japanese Journal of Environmental Education. His research interests are human dimensions of wildlife management and coastal management, evaluations of environmental education programs, human-wildlife issues, and social psychology.

---

This book discusses the findings of research on the human dimensions of wildlife management conducted in Japan, demonstrating how such research and approaches have contributed to mitigating human-wildlife conflicts.Human-wildlife conflicts, including agricultural and property damage as well as occasional casualties, are a global problem for which local residents, managers, and stakeholders around the world are struggling to find solutions. Human dimensions of wildlife management (HDW) is an academic field developed in North America in the 1970s to gather information on the social aspects of human-wildlife issues to help wildlife managers and stakeholders implement effective decision-making measures. However, HDW is not widely recognized or applied outside North America, and few studies have investigated whether HDW approaches would be effective in different cultural settings.This is the first book written in English to introduce the HDW theories and practices implemented in Asia. Presenting innovative approaches and research techniques, as well as tips on how to introduce HDW methods into culturally different societies, it is a valuable resource not only for researchers and students in this field, but also for government officials/managers, NGOs, residents and other stakeholders who are affected by human-wildlife conflicts around the globe.