Potential Nesting Site Analysis of Red-crowned Cranes in Kushiro Wetland using GIS

Abstract

Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonesis), once considered extinct, have been increasing in number in eastern Hokkaido, a northern island of Japan. One of the recent concerns about the cranes has been that the habitats in eastern Hokkaido may not be large enough to accommodate the increasing number of cranes. This study focuses on the breeding areas, especially the nesting sites of the cranes to develop a simple nesting site selection model using GIS so that the model will be used to help find suitable nesting areas in other parts of the island. Geographic features in 1:25, 000 scale maps and existing nest location points were digitized and a nesting site selection model developed for Kushiro Wetland with GIS. Potential nesting areas analyzed by applying this model are small and exist only along the edge of the wetland. The result is consistent with the understanding of experts on the cranes whose breeding environment is becoming undesirable. It is expected that GIS will be also useful for the subsequent analyses required to find suitable nesting areas other than eastern Hokkaido.