"Wildlife damage countermeasures support center" working on "face" countermeasures with residents and municipalities

The amount of damage to crops caused by wild birds and beasts was about 15.5 billion yen in 2021 (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries statistics), still maintaining a high level.
Inohoi's wildlife countermeasures magazine introduces companies and organizations that are working on countermeasures against such damage. This time, we would like to introduce various activities carried out by the "Wildlife Damage Control Support Center" in Miyazaki Prefecture.

The information is especially useful for those who are planning to take measures against wildlife damage, and for those who are considering community-wide measures, so please read through to the end.

Background of the Establishment of the Wildlife Damage Control Support Center

Around 2008, wildlife damage became more serious in Miyazaki Prefecture. Until then, the prefectural office was divided into multiple sections to deal with various issues such as damage to agricultural and forestry crops and forestry. In order to promote it, we decided to work on the "damage countermeasure project".
In the midst of this trend, the need for a department to provide technical follow-up increased, and in 2012, the Wildlife Damage Control Support Center was newly established. Initially, it was set up in the Miyazaki Prefectural Forestry Technology Center, but due to organizational reforms, it was transferred to the Miyazaki Prefectural General Agricultural Experiment Station in 2018.

Technical guidance for approaching bird and beast damage countermeasures from a “surface” perspective

It is said that the support center has a major role to play in conveying software and technology to the villages to keep birds and animals out. Birds and beasts measures need to be tackled by the village and "face".
Even if you go around the affected houses and take countermeasures, if the neighboring fields attract birds and beasts, the effect will be low. That is why the Support Center provides “technical guidance to communities”.

For example, when farm fields in a community are surrounded by wire mesh, residents often submit an application to the national government and have the fence installed by themselves. I am advising people, etc.
Miyazaki Prefecture has offices in each region, the Nishiusuki Branch Office and the Agriculture and Forestry Promotion Bureau. A request will be made to the support center. At such times, he goes to talk as a lecturer and holds workshops on electric fences at the support center.

Also, some of the residents sometimes have the misconception that ``if you put up a fence, you will be able to prevent it.'' Therefore, the management after installation is especially important."
In addition, the support center holds capture seminars. Rather than talking about catching techniques and hunting, the emphasis is on ``one of the villages rather than 10 in the mountains'' and ``what is the best way to catch individuals that inflict damage''. That's right.

Enlightenment on "measures to keep animals away" that should be taken before installing protective fences

Miyazaki Prefecture's wildlife damage in 2021 was about 383 million yen. Although the amount of damage has been declining slightly, the problem of declining farming motivation due to damage that does not appear in numbers is becoming more serious.
Staff at the support center sometimes hear voices saying, "I'm thinking of quitting farming next year." . In order to prevent wildlife damage, it is very important to take measures to keep animals away, such as not leaving leftover food or leftover crops in the home, eliminating places where animals can hide, and working with the whole village. .

In order to convey these basic measures in an easy-to-understand manner, the Support Center has taken various forms, such as creating videos and manuals and publishing them on the web, and publishing a journal called "Wildlife Center Communication" four times a year. We are disseminating information in

Publish the location map of wildlife sanctuaries on Google Maps

Until now, the Support Center has distributed location maps of wildlife sanctuaries, etc. in paper and PDF format. Version (Google Map) has been released. It has already been displayed 6,600 times since its release in mid-October (as of January 10, 2023).
It seems that the elderly people in particular have received good reviews. In Honshu, similar projects are outsourced to system companies, but the Support Center independently creates and manages the wildlife sanctuary data provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Since there are some parts that are just made and can not reach the itchy place, they plan to continue brushing up in the future.

Editor's Note

This time, we have introduced various activities carried out by the Wildlife Damage Control Support Center in Miyazaki Prefecture. It is important to have a “point” where each individual takes measures, but I once again felt that if the whole village works on it, it will become a “face” and become more effective.
Thank you for your cooperation in the interview.