Japanese peoples' attitudes toward wolves and their reintroduction into Japan

概要

論文の詳細を見る
We conducted a survey on Japanese peoples' attitudes concerning wolves and their reintroduction into Japan during the summer and fall of 1996. The survey was distributed to 2, 000 individuals. Surveys were returned by 1, 176 people, 649 females and 508 males ranging from their teens to over 80 years old; a response rate of 58.8%. Twenty-eight point five percent of the respondents supported reintroduction of wolves into Japan, and 27.7% were opposed. The remaining 43.8% were undecided. The main reasons for supporting reintroduction were the beliefs that it is our duty to restore what we once caused to become extinct and that the wolf is essential to restore the balance of Japan's ecosystems. The main reason for not supporting reintroduction was the belief that there is no space in Japan large enough to support a viable wolf population. Securing adequate land was also an important management concern, should wolves be introduced. Compared to the results of the 1993 survey, the percentage of people supporting reintroduction has more than doubled, while the percent of people opposing reintroduction has decreased from 45.0% to 27.7%. Based on crosschecking, a greater percentage of supporters were knowledgeable about the wolf than opponents. In addition, compared with the supporters, a greater percentage of the reintroduction opponents had a negative attitude towards wolves.
野生生物保護学会の論文