Social challenges of spatial planning for outdoor cat management in Amami Oshima Island, Japan

Outdoor cats pose substantial threats to native biodiversity, especially on islands. However, cats also provide benefits to people, such as companionship and the killing of pests. Thus, management of outdoor cats is controversial and can lead to conflicts among stakeholders. Although previous studies have examined stakeholders' preferences for outdoor cats and their management, little is known about the differences in their attitudes toward cat occurrences and management across habitats. Identifying these attitudinal differences would provide useful knowledge for policy makers about zoning management. We conducted structured interviews with residents in Amami Oshima Island, Japan, to evaluate the residents' attitudes to outdoor cats' occurrence and their management across habitats (Forest, Rural, and Town areas). Furthermore, we compared the attitudes of cat- owners and non-owners. The results show that the Forest was least preferred as an outdoor cat habitat. Lethal options as a management strategy were unacceptable to the residents, whereas adoption was acceptable in all areas. Cat-owners showed a significantly higher acceptance toward outdoor cats in Town and Rural areas than did non-owners; they also showed a lower acceptance of lethal options and a higher acceptance toward Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) than non-owners. These findings imply that it is difficult to achieve consensus regarding outdoor cat management, especially in town and rural areas; however, outdoor cats from these areas move to the forests and pose a threat to the endangered species. Communication efforts with both cat-owners and non-owners should fill these attitudinal gaps among stakeholders and lead to effective management. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

Changes in visits to green spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Focusing on the proportion of repeat visitors and the distances between green spaces and visitors' places of residences

Through a quantitative approach, this study aimed to clarify the changes in the number of visitors and visits to green spaces according to green space type before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the changes in the proportion of repeat visitors and the distance between green spaces and visitors' places of residence. We used KDDI Location Analyzer, which performs novel analysis using mobile phone GPS and census data. The study area included 10 target sites (urban parks and nature trails in the backcountry) located in the Sapporo metropolitan area in Japan. The survey period included snow-free seasons from 2019 to 2021, and 2019 was considered the period "before the pandemic." The results revealed that the number of visits during the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, except for those of urban parks near the city center. In 2020, the proportion of repeat visitors increased for all 10 target sites. In addition, since the outbreak of the pandemic, distances between all urban parks and visitors' residences decreased. The same trend was observed for nature trails in the backcountry close to the city center. These findings indicate a generally decreasing trend in the number of visits to green spaces as many people have been refraining from visiting the site since the outbreak of the pandemic. Contrastingly, the number of visits by repeat visitors who reside close to the target sites has increased in some cases, which compensated for the general decreases

Price premiums for wildlife‐friendly rice : Insights from Japanese retail data

Integrating the benefits associated with biodiversity into market mechanisms can play an important role in conservation practice. Food labeling is a widely used measure that highlights biodiversity conservation benefits to the market. However, few studies have explored the effects of labels on staple agricultural products that are associated with agro‐ecosystem conservation. We evaluated the biodiversity price premium of wildlife‐friendly rice by analyzing data from retail stores in Japan. The results showed a significant positive impact of biodiversity‐relevant labels on rice prices. Specifically, rice with this type of labeling had about 20% price premium as compared with rice that did not. The results also showed that outcome‐based certifications have the potential to work well in the market. The findings highlight the role of conservation marketing in agro‐ecosystem conservation and its potential to help balance biodiversity conservation and food security

Flagship species and certification types affect consumer preferences for wildlife-friendly rice labels

Wildlife-friendly food labels are used to reduce information asymmetry and thus enhance agrobiodiversity conservation via marketing mechanisms. The labels make different claims depending on the certification requirements and conservation targets. However, little is known about consumer preferences for the different claims on the labels. Here, we evaluated consumer preferences for wildlife-friendly labels, with a focus on inputand outcome-based claims, by applying a choice experiment. Our results showed that consumers preferred fish labels with outcome claims to those with input claims; in contrast, consumer utility was not increased by outcome claims but by input claims in bird labels. The differences in preferences for certification requirements and for flagship species highlight the importance of strategic certification and labelling in encouraging people to conserve biodiversity. Our empirical evidence provides insights to balance biodiversity conservation with food security through conservation marketing

Sanitation is the greatest concern in outdoor cat management but ecological message frames promote biodiversity conservation in Japan

Message framing contributes to an increase in public support for invasive species management. However, little is known about people's preferences for the multiple objectives of management within different contexts relating to the challenges and benefits of invasive species management. We examine Japanese citizens' preferences for the goals of free-roaming unowned cat (Felis catus) management in three contextual frames by applying experimentally controlled information and the best-worst scaling technique. Our results indicate that the ecological frame highlighting the ecological impacts of free-roaming unowned cats on native ecosystems significantly increases Japanese citizens' concern about cat predation, although the frame did not change the preference ranking of goals. There are differences in the effects of message framing depending on cat ownership. The best-worst scaling technique shows that Japanese citizens prefer to maintain a sanitary environment, followed by the prevention of zoonotic diseases. Although the ranking of sanitary environmental management does not depend on cat ownership, the ranking of the other goals differs depending on cat ownership. The findings highlight the importance of strategic message framing and its prioritization in encouraging public support for invasive species management