Preserving Satoyama: Ichikai Town Issues Ground-Breaking Ordinance to Protect the Grey-Faced Buzzard

Read the full story on Japan 2 Earth - Preserving Satoyama: Ichikai Town Issues Ground-Breaking Ordinance to Protect the Grey-Faced Buzzard

Ichikai Town in Tochigi Prefecture is a known nesting area for the grey-faced buzzard (Butastur indicus, or sashiba in Japanese), an Asian bird of prey. The town recently enacted an ordinance to protect the satoyama environment that serves as the nesting grounds of this migratory bird. 

Grey-faced buzzards spend their summers in Japan and other East Asian countries and winter in Southeast Asia. They nest in satoyama environments where forests and farmlands meet.

The ordinance that went into effect in April is the first in the prefecture to combine the conservation of satoyama environments and the protection of threatened wildlife. Penalties are included to ensure its effectiveness. 

'Home of the Grey-Faced Buzzard'

Every year in Ichikai, a town located in eastern Tochigi Prefecture with a population of about 11,000, spring and summer bring grey-faced buzzards. The birds nest mainly in the northern part of town near rice fields and rolling hills. 

Ichikai's grey-faced buzzard population density is the highest in the country, highlighting the richness of the natural environment.

Continue reading the full story on Japan 2 Earth to read more about the ordinance enacted to protect the grey-faced buzzard's satoyama nesting grounds.

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(Read the article in Japanese.)

Author: Toshiyuki Izawa