Biodiversity Conservation Using Umbrella Species: Blakiston's Fish Owl and the Red-crowned Crane (Ecological Research Monographs)

This book focuses on Blakiston’s fish owl and the red-crowned crane as umbrella species. Healthy river, riparian and wetland ecosystems are necessary to maintain the populations of the two species. Both species have been revered by people since ancient times, but both are currently listed as endangered because of their small population sizes. The population decline of the two species can be mainly attributed to the degradation of the natural riparian and wetland habitats, which is associated with land use development. The populations of the two species are now recovering in Japan due to recent conservation and reproduction efforts, but the genetic diversity of the two species are still low due to previous bottleneck effects. To develop conservation and dispersal plans to establish the species over the East Asian mainland and on the island of Hokkaido, basic information, such as their regional distribution, genetic diversity, food availability, reproductive traits, and nesting, breeding, rearing, and commuting habitat, is essential. The intensive, collaborative studies conducted in Japan and Russia has clarified the status quo and the ecology of the two species. This is the first book that comprehensively compiles the above information for the mainland and island populations. In addition, it verifies their suitability as umbrella species of an ecosystem and the possibility of their future population expansion, taking into account changes in land use in Hokkaido, which is about to experience a dramatic decline in human population. As such, the book provides valuable information for students who wish to learn about these beautiful symbolic creatures, for NGOs engaged in conservation activities, and for managers who are involved in creating conservation plans and implementing restoration projects. Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Introduction (Futoshi Nakamura)....Pages 1-5 Front Matter ....Pages 7-7 Global Distribution and Population Estimates of Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Jonathan C. Slaght, Takeshi Takenaka, Sergei G. Surmach, Yuzo Fujimaki, Irina G. Utekhina, Eugene R. Potapov)....Pages 9-18 Ecology and Conservation of Blakiston’s Fish Owl in Japan (Takeshi Takenaka)....Pages 19-46 Ecology and Conservation of Blakiston’s Fish Owl in Russia (Jonathan C. Slaght, Sergei G. Surmach, Aleksandr A. Kisleiko)....Pages 47-70 Front Matter ....Pages 71-71 Distribution of the Red-crowned Crane in the World (Yoshiyuki Masatomi, Sergei G. Surmach)....Pages 73-82 Ecology of the Red-crowned Crane and Conservation Activities in Japan (Hiroyuki Masatomi, Yoshiyuki Masatomi)....Pages 83-105 Ecology and Conservation of Red-crowned Cranes in Russia (Sergei M. Smirenski, Elena M. Smirenski, Sergei G. Surmach, Yoshiyuki Masatomi, Kunikazu Momose)....Pages 107-128 Front Matter ....Pages 129-129 Status and Perspective of the Population Based on Genetic Diversity: Introduction (Ryuichi Masuda)....Pages 131-133 Status and Perspective of the Blakiston’s Fish Owl Population, Based on Genetic Diversity (Keita Omote, Tetsuo I. Kohyama, Chizuko Nishida, Takeshi Takenaka, Sergei G. Surmach, Ryuichi Masuda)....Pages 135-141 Status and Perspective of the Red-crowned Crane Based on Genetic Diversity (Takuya Akiyama, Tetsuo I. Kohyama, Chizuko Nishida, Ryuichi Masuda)....Pages 143-148 Front Matter ....Pages 149-149 Can Charismatic Megafauna Be Surrogate Species for Biodiversity Conservation? Mechanisms and a Test Using Citizen Data and a Hierarchical Community Model (Yuichi Yamaura, Motoki Higa, Masayuki Senzaki, Itsuro Koizumi)....Pages 151-179 Front Matter ....Pages 181-181 Future Perspectives for Restoring Habitats and Spreading the Distributions of the Two Species in Hokkaido: Introduction (Futoshi Nakamura)....Pages 183-184 The Possibility of Using Abandoned Farmlands for Habitat Restoration in Societies with Decreasing Populations (Yoshiko Kobayashi, Futoshi Nakamura)....Pages 185-196 Vegetation Succession on Fallow Land (Junko Morimoto, Masatoshi Shibata)....Pages 197-206 Changes in Ground Beetle and Bird Species After Farmland Abandonment (Satoshi Yamanaka, Masashi Hanioka, Futoshi Nakamura)....Pages 207-219 Predicting Future Range Expansions of Blakiston’s Fish Owl Subject to Conservation Efforts (Chiaki Yoshii, Yuichi Yamaura, Futoshi Nakamura)....Pages 221-236 Abandoned Farmlands as a Potential New Habitat for Red-crowned Cranes (Yoshiko Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki Masatomi, Futoshi Nakamura)....Pages 237-243 Front Matter ....Pages 245-245 Forest and Agricultural Management Policies to Conserve the Two Species (Hiroaki Kakizawa, Kan Higashiyama)....Pages 247-259 Back Matter ....Pages 261-263