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Fragmentation of forest habitat has negative effects on arboreal mammals, compromising their natural dispersal and foraging movements. This paper describes an evolving series of mitigation measures aimed at creating cost-effective continuity pathways for arboreal mammals in Japan. The projects have focused on the endemic Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus) a scarce, but popular and iconic species which provides an effective vehicle for environmental education and public engagement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced human activities through city lock-downs and restricted traffic flows. It had been suggested that roadkill occurrences are strongly associated with traffic volume. I evaluated the association between traffic volume and roadkill during COVID-19, from March to May 2020, using 26,130 roadkill data points recorded from the highway network in Hokkaido from 2010 to 2020, Japan. Results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between roadkill numbers and traffic volume over the past decade. However, the roadkill during COVID-19 restricted human activity did not diminish, although traffic volume decreased during this period.

Visitors observe diverse animals during zoo visits and learn more about animals by reading information boards that provide conservation education on animal behavior and habitats. This study revealed differences in effects between reading and understanding during stamp collection and a quiz game focused on “animal observations” and “perception of information boards”. Stamp collection and the quiz game were both effective for reading and observing. These were interesting techniques for learning about various captive species. The quiz game that urged observing target species and reading information boards was found to be a more effective tool to learn about the ecology and conservation of captive species.

Human intrusions and disturbance on Amami-Oshima Island would impact the habitat and behavior of bats. Understanding bat fauna, distribution, and ecology in Amami-Oshima Island is helpful for their conservation. Acoustic surveys were conducted throughout Amami-Oshima Island (ca. 700 km2) from May 2018 to February 2020. Most locations with positive echolocation results were identified in the southern and western regions. Regional differences between positive and negative detections might reflect habitat quality. A consequence of the higher land use in open areas showed that Tadarida sp. flies and forages in such coastal regions and upland fields with few obstacles. Mosaics of forests and open areas should be maintained in the southern and western regions, and the forest quality of the northern part must be improved to provide food resources and open space for flying and foraging bats.

application/pdf, Road overpasses cost more than underpasses and can be built for most terrestrial mammals to resolve and/or minimize effects from habitat fragmentation. Many overpasses intended for human activity might also allow wildlife passage. Using digital infrared cameras from 2015 to 2016 in Hokkaido, Japan, we evaluated such use in three overpasses, where two were designed for humans and one for wildlife. Nine mammal species were detected at the three overpasses. Three middle-sized mammals—raccoons (Procyon lotor), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides)—and a large mammal species, the sika deer (Cervus nippon), frequently used all of the overpasses. Our results showed that the overpass designed for wildlife was richer in species than the two overpasses for humans. However, results also showed that there were no significant differences in use among four animal species in the three overpasses. We propose the construction of small overpasses without plants to conserve habitat reconnection of middle-sized to large mammals. Arboreal species’ habitats need structural change with additional of plants. © 2019, International Consortium of Landscape and Ecological Engineering.

application/pdf, To maintain local populations of the Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans in restricted small habitats, it is necessary to understand their nesting and food biology. Communal nesting of P. volans is well documented in the Eurasian continent, but the details of this behavior have been poorly investigated in Japan. We investigated a group composition of P. volans in Hokkaido, Japan. The mean numbers of individuals using each nest box and tree cavity were 2.17 and 2.44, respectively. Although each female had its own exclusive home range, communal nesting composed by two females was observed in nest boxes. This result suggested that females frequently used nest boxes and formed same-sex groups in urban areas where nest resources might be scarce. Communal nesting of P. volans was found in both nest boxes and cavities with seasonal difference, and cavities were mainly used in winter. Communal nesting of P. volans in Japan may be associated with reproduction, because most cases of communal nesting were composed of one male and one female. To conserve local population of the Siberian flying squirrel, the preservation of cavities, which are usable for more than two individuals, is needed to enable them to breed stably and overwinter safely.

Forest fragmentation by urbanizing and developing roads and fields is common in Japan; thus, the Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) population may decrease in the future. This study examined the effects of urbanization on P. volans by clarifying their home ranges and nest arrangements. Ten flying squirrels were captured and radio-telemetrically tracked from 2005 to 2007 in Obihiro City in eastern Hokkaido (Northern Japan). Males had significantly larger 100% MCP (minimum convex polygon) areas (mean ± SD; 6.5 ± 5.1 ha) and 95% MCP areas (3.6 ± 1.3 ha) than females (1.8 ± 1.0 ha and 1.0 ± 0.5 ha, respectively). Also the core area of males (1.2 ± 1.1 ha) was larger than females (0.2 ± 0.2 ha), though this difference was not significant. Males and females used more nests located inside than outside of their core areas. Distance from the core area edge to the nest located outside the core was longer for males (78.6 ± 139.9 m) than for females (39.7 ± 39.9 m), but this difference was not significant. Siberian flying squirrels in urban forests likely show similar ecology with flying squirrels in consecutive forests; however, they might change their behavior to share resources with others because urban forests restrict nest and food resources.

Short glides of less than 20 m seem energy inefficient for the Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans as with the northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus. However, Siberian flying squirrels in low-canopy forests frequently use short glides. Therefore, we sought to clarify the gliding patterns of Siberian flying squirrels for energy-efficient gliding transport in low-canopy forests (mean tree height, 15.3 m) in Hokkaido, Japan, based on records of 66 glides and 35 launch and landing trees. Mean launch height, landing height, and horizontal glide distance were 14.4, 2.7, and 21.4 m, respectively. For short distances, horizontal glide distance was strongly correlated with launch heights but not with launch tree height. For glides of more than 20 m, horizontal glide distance was significantly correlated with both launch height and launch tree height. The mean heights of launch and landing trees for short glides were 15.6 and 19.5 m, respectively. For long glides, these heights were 22.7 and 19.2 m. For short glides, mean launch tree height did not differ from overall mean tree height. However, for long glides, the mean launch tree height was greater than the overall mean tree height. Also, for short glides, the height of the landing tree was greater than that of the launch tree. Launch trees used for long glides were as high as the landing trees used in short glides. From these results, we conclude that Siberian flying squirrels in low-canopy forests save energy by gliding initially from a tree with sufficient height to permit a glide to a taller tree. This taller tree then permits long-distance glides that are energetically more efficient.

Forest fragmentation is a threat to flying squirrel population due to dependence on gliding locomotion in forests. Therefore, it is essential to understand their gliding ability. The gliding locomotion of Pteromys volans orii, were observed from July 2003 to June 2005, in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan. The horizontal distance and glide ratio obtained from 31 glides were employed as indicators to know their gliding ability. The gliding ability was not affected by weight and sex in the Siberian flying squirrel. Mean horizontal distance and glide ratio were 18.90 m and 1.70 with great variation. Although maximum values were 49.40 m (horizontal distance) and 3.31 (glide ratio), most of the horizontal distance and glide ratio were in the ‘10–20 m’ and ‘1.0–1.5’, respectively. Therefore, to retain the flying squirrel populations, forest gaps should not exceed the distance traversable with a glide ratio of 1.0 (distance between forests/tree height at the forest edg).