Ryo Sakurai: Considering Coexistence with Bears through Social Science Research

In 2025, mass bear sightings occurred primarily in the Tohoku region. By the end of November 2025, the number of captured bears (brown bears and Asian black bears) reached 12,659, and the number of human casualties caused by bears reached 230 (including 13 fatalities), both of which were the highest on record. On the other hand, among bear researchers, it may be common knowledge that "mass sightings themselves have been occurring for 20 years." It is known that hard mast (such as acorns), which is food for bears, repeats cycles of bumper crops and poor crops every few years. In years of poor crops when hard mast does not bear much fruit in the mountains, bears travel long distances in search of food, leading to situations where many bears descend from the mountains to human settlements. In 2006, 20 years ago, the number of captures was also prominently high compared to other years, and hard mast was also poor that year.

On the other hand, a characteristic of the 2025 mass sightings is that bears appeared even in urban areas where sightings had not been expected before. It is thought that not only the shortage of hard mast but also an increase in the bear population is in the background. Asian black bears are on an increasing trend in many areas of Honshu, and the brown bear population is said to have more than doubled in the last 30 years. The fact that bear hunting has been restricted in many areas is also cited as a factor in the population increase.

Another reason for the successive bear sightings is the change in human society. Due to the declining birthrate, aging population, and depopulation, human activities have shrunk in many hilly and mountainous areas. Along with the decrease in agricultural workers, abandoned farmland has increased, and many places that were previously cultivated have become thickets and bushes. It has become easier for wildlife to appear near settlements and urban areas while hiding in the thickets.

How can wildlife and humans coexist? Seeking this answer, I have participated in wildlife survey volunteer activities across the country since I was an undergraduate student at Keio University. Through surveys, I spoke with various researchers and practitioners, and while seeing the sites where conflicts were occurring, I learned that in order to resolve wildlife issues, the human side must take necessary measures. In other words, it is necessary not only to deepen the understanding of wildlife itself but also to explore the state of "society" that enables coexistence with wildlife, and I came to want to tackle this problem through a social science approach. Among the information I researched on various universities and laboratories in Japan and abroad, I encountered the academic field called Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management (hereinafter, Human Dimensions).

Human Dimensions is defined as a collection of ideas and practices including the economic and social aspects of wildlife, individual and social behavior, public participation in conservation management decision-making, and communication. To study this field, which was almost unknown in Japan, I studied abroad at the University of Florida Graduate School after graduating from university. I spent my graduate school life conducting practical surveys in Japan while learning the theories and methods of Human Dimensions in the United States.

As Human Dimensions research, I investigated the conservation management of Asian black bears in Hyogo Prefecture and community-led initiatives to prevent wildlife damage in Tochigi Prefecture. Both were conducted as joint research with the relevant departments of the prefectures, and I clarified residents' awareness of wildlife, the presence or absence of damage prevention measures, and the factors affecting them through interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation. I also conducted a project evaluation of resident study sessions held by the administration.

Taking bears as an example, since humans and bears cannot live in the same space, coexistence with bears means segregation. To prevent bears from appearing near private houses, measures such as managing garbage that acts as an attractant and collecting persimmon and chestnut fruits are necessary. It is also essential to clear thickets that serve as hiding places for wildlife and create buffer zones. The extent to which such measures can be implemented is important for minimizing damage. From a series of surveys, it was found that factors affecting whether or not people implement damage prevention measures include knowledge about the measures, confidence in being able to implement them, and the level of trust in the administration and researchers.

In addition, in Human Dimensions, Wildlife Acceptance Capacity is considered an important element that enables coexistence with wildlife. In the United States, the acceptance capacity for carnivores such as wolves and pumas has been investigated. A state of low acceptance capacity means that local residents have negative feelings toward the wildlife, leading them to desire culling or eradication, which moves coexistence further away. While it is necessary to capture bears that appear near urban areas, if we aim for coexistence with bears within the same national territory, in the long term, it is necessary for people to be able to accept the presence of the animals to some extent, and it is necessary to clarify what affects people's acceptance capacity.

Research in Hyogo and Tochigi Prefectures showed that when the sense of crisis regarding human injury by bears increases, residents' acceptance capacity for bears decreases. For example, when bear sightings increase and human injuries actually occur inside or outside settlements, people's acceptance capacity for bears drops, and they come to desire "culling" first rather than damage prevention measures, and in some cases, the "eradication" of all bears living nearby. On the other hand, continuous surveys have shown that in areas where various stakeholders such as the administration, researchers, and residents collaborate and communicate closely to implement measures, people have high knowledge and motivation for measures, trust the administration, and take proactive action. As a result, damage decreases and acceptance capacity for wildlife increases.

How can acceptance capacity be fostered, and how does it contribute to creating a community that coexists with animals? I am currently conducting a survey in Shiretoko, Hokkaido. Shiretoko, known as a World Natural Heritage site, is home to around 400 brown bears and is said to be one of the areas with the highest density of brown bears in the world. Meanwhile, 1.7 million tourists visit Shiretoko annually, and more than 10,000 residents live in Shari Town and Rausu Town combined.

When talking to residents and children in the Utoro area adjacent to the World Heritage site, they often see brown bears on a daily basis, but people seem to coexist calmly with bears without fearing them more than necessary. There may be special circumstances unique to Shiretoko. For example, locally, staff from the Shiretoko Foundation, which is responsible for wildlife management, conduct daily patrols and respond to bears that appear near residential areas. Furthermore, the entire town of Utoro is surrounded by electric fences, and trash cans that bears cannot open have been installed.

However, I believe that not only that, but also various awareness-raising activities regarding brown bears conducted locally are influencing the construction of a community that coexists with bears. I am particularly focusing on brown bear classes held at local schools. Shari Municipal Shiretoko Utoro School (an integrated elementary and junior high school) has incorporated classes for all students to learn about brown bears into its curriculum for about 20 years. First and second graders first learn how to deal with brown bears when they encounter them from their seniors (junior high school students). A characteristic feature is that seniors actually wear bear headpieces, act as brown bears, and teach how to behave when encountering them through repeated practice. Third to sixth graders also learn every year from Shiretoko Foundation staff about how to deal with bears and the characteristics of bears, and junior high school students then design and practice brown bear classes to teach their juniors.

From interviews and questionnaires, it was found that deepening the understanding of brown bears and learning how to deal with them through classes makes students' attitudes toward brown bears positive. While many lower elementary school students still thought brown bears were "scary" or that they "disliked" them, more students in higher grades had a good impression of brown bears, saying things like "they are creatures we can coexist with if we know how to deal with them" or "they are a symbol of Shiretoko." Similarly, lower-grade students were in a state of low acceptance capacity, saying things like "there are too many" bears or "I want them to go away," but higher-grade students said, "the number of bears in Shiretoko is just right" or "there are even a few." It was found that by acquiring correct knowledge and repeatedly learning how to deal with encounters every year, they gain confidence that they can coexist with brown bears and come to accept them.

Parents and other Utoro residents can also participate in the brown bear classes and the training that the Shiretoko Foundation conducts annually for the faculty and staff of Utoro School. The school functions as a platform where not only students but also people of all ages and stakeholders can think about how to coexist with brown bears. The fact that both hardware measures, such as surrounding the town with electric fences since nearly 20 years ago, and software measures, such as the implementation of brown bear classes, have been carried out is a noteworthy point of Shiretoko.

The College of Policy Science at Ritsumeikan University, where I currently work, is a faculty that aims to solve policy issues through a social science approach. While many graduates find employment in general companies or become civil servants, few find employment in industries directly related to wildlife. However, I feel that even people living in cities who spend their days without being directly involved with wildlife can do something to build a society that coexists with bears.

Every year, I take students to Shiretoko for a field seminar lasting just under a week. Under the guidance of Shiretoko Foundation staff, students walk through forests where brown bears live and interact with Utoro residents and children who coexist with brown bears daily. Many students usually live in cities, and some have no experience strolling through a forest. Before the seminar, many students worry that they might encounter and be attacked by a brown bear when they go to Shiretoko. However, by seeing that steady measures to prevent damage are taken locally and that segregation from wildlife is maintained, students seem to learn that even in Shiretoko, where brown bears live at high density, people coexist calmly with them.

In the future, bear sightings will likely continue in years of poor hard mast crops. Recently, various wildlife, not just bears, have begun to appear near urban areas. In current Japan, where the number of wildlife is increasing and the number of humans is decreasing, we each need to deepen our understanding and think about what coexistence with wildlife means.

◆Ryo Sakurai Laboratory Website
◆Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy