The appeal of migratory birds
Migratory birds travel long distances across international borders under their own steam. For example, the Arctic Tern, which features on the logo of our organization, Birdlife Asia, breeds in the Arctic and migrates tens of thousands of kilometers to the Antarctic. Why does it do this? And how does it manage to fly so far? I think there's something romantic about migratory birds. I like swans, and I like fish. But compared to other living things, migratory birds live their lives on a vast scale. This is what makes the subject so romantic.
Source: BirdLife International
Migratory birds are a sign from nature
Now that I know a bit about migratory birds, even when I'm in Tokyo I'll notice certain birds around me and think, Ah, that bird's arrived, so I'm aware of their movements, aware of them living around me. In mid-August, Bullheaded Shrikes begin to call. When I hear this, I think, Ah, it's the start of autumn. Soon after this, Swallows fly off. Ah, they're flying home to the south, I think. In around November, I can hear Thrushes cooing, and I know they've returned from Siberia. Once you learn a bit about them, you then start to anticipate their arrival. In early May, various birds return from the south. At this time, whenever I go home from my office, I naturally strain my ears. If I'm lucky, I can hear the distinctive call of the Lesser Cuckoo. Not only does this bird migrate at nighttime, but also its call is loud, so it's unmistakable. It's as if it's saying, "I'm back again this year!" (laughs) Birds can tell you a lot about the changing seasons without you having to travel far, and they also make you aware of how we're connected to the rest of the world.
Birds recognize no borders
There's still a lot we donŐt know about where migratory birds come from and where they go. Recently, satellite tracking methods have been developed, as a result of which small transmitters are being attached to migratory birds allowing scientists to track them with the aid of artificial satellites. Every day we know immediately where they're flying. This is fantastic.
Once, in an effort to find out more about the Japanese Cranes that fly off from Kagoshima, I followed them in a motor glider. This was extremely difficult. I followed them as far as the end of Tsushima Island, but because humans can't cross international borders without permission, I had to turn back. But the Cranes flew on. So I suggested talking with the Korean authorities and signing a Japan-Korea Migratory Bird Protection Treaty (laughs). For humans, crossing international borders is serious business.
Using satellite tracking has enabled us to learn relatively easily about the routes followed by migratory birds. We call these routes followed by migratory birds flyways. Birds choose the easiest routes over which to fly. So we suggested a program called the Flyway Network that would involve linking the various places birds fly to by having experts from each of these places get together to organize ways of protecting the environment along the routes followed by migratory birds. We already have several of these networks, including one for Cranes as well as one for Wild Geese and Ducks.
This flyway program has been underway for around ten years with funding provided by the Japanese and Australian governments. North and South Korea and Russia are also involved, so when we get together in the same room for meetings we say, "We're not going to discuss anything political here. Birds don't recognize international borders, so let's ignore them ourselves." (laughs)
WhatŐs interesting is that when we start talking about birds we forget about things like borders altogether. From the moment we sit down at the table, all we talk about is birds. And whenever we go out to look at birds we all get excited. We talk about ways to protect them, for example. We get quite carried away at times talking about various projects, such as sharing equipment and publishing identification manuals together.
Japan's role
As you can see by looking at the globe on the left, flyways (bird migration routes) tend to extend along a north-south axis, and so experts in Europe and Africa, for example, have begun interacting with each other in an extremely lively fashion. In the case of North, South and Central America, this interaction is being spearheaded by experts in Canada and the United States. But what about Asia? Japan has to play a more central role, and much is expected of us, but for some reason this country just doesn't seem to be any good at leading international efforts of this kind.
Japanese people will off go to places like Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia with the intension of actively interacting with the locals. But when they get there they find that young people from countries such as Germany, Sweden, and the UK are living there and throwing themselves into all kinds of activities. Recently one also comes across Japanese who've adopted the same approach, but we've a long way to go before we reach the same level as Europe. BirdLife Asia is engaging in various activities with the aim of doing this kind of thing and more.
Things children can do
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in the UK has over a million fee-paying members and receives between two and three billion yen each year in charitable donations. The RSPB uses some of this money to help protect the natural environment around the world in places like India and Thailand. I think one of the reasons they're able to do this is because so many young people in the UK have actually experienced living in a natural environment. In conjunction with the broadcasting corporation the BBC, the RSPB runs massive campaigns such as Spring Watch and Autumn Watch in which children participate, which is one reason why they're so enthusiastic in their activities.
If people come to enjoy nature when they're children, even if their interest wanes when they're in junior and senior high school, many of them regain an interest once they become adults. If these children then go to take up leading positions in the public service or private corporations, the awareness of the importance of support for the protection of the natural environment will change dramatically. In the first place, I think taking children when they're still young and impressionable to the mountains, to the seaside, to see flowers, and to see birds is extremely important. It's not study, so they donŐt have to learn the names of birds. Simply familiarizing them with the different calls and behavior of the various species of birds will be enough to change Japan 20 or 30 years in the future.
Problems facing migratory birds
I'm extremely concerned at the fact that summer birds have disappeared. Around 30 years ago, if one went into the forest in the morning near Karuizawa in June one would hear the calls of some 30 different species of birds. Because there were so many different birds calling at the same time it was impossible to distinguish between them and impossible to explain to people which was which. Now, however, if one goes to Karuizawa at the same time of year it's possible to explain quite easily that "the one that just called over there is a Meadow Bunting, and the one that called over there is a Cuckoo." Personally, I suspect this decline is to do with chemical substances (environmental estrogen). For various reasons, I think the natural environment is suffering. The summer bird population has fallen to about one-tenth of what it was 20 years ago. People all over the world are saying the same thing. So there's talk of people around the world working together maybe starting this year to determine the extent of the problem.
What is the key to solving these problems?
We all agree that "nature conservation" is important but when it comes to deciding what regions we should prioritize it starts to get quite difficult. I think the only way to go about it is to do what BirdLife International is doing, which is to protect IBAs (Important Bird Areas). The fact is only birds are capable of measuring the natural environments around the world according to the same yardstick. Birds are also near the top of the food chain, so in that sense they're also useful indicators.
In addition, the fact that in Japan so much energy has been devoted to the issue of global warming is because everyone has taken an interest in the subject. In order for interest to grow, I think it's important that people with a range of different perspectives become involved. Regrettably, many of the people who are interested in wild birds aren't interested in people (laughs). Recently, people involved in education and communication, for example, have started to take an interest in environmental issues. People with different perspectives will open new doors, enabling us to follow new roads.
Thirty years ago, no one had heard of the Wild Bird Society. People reacted by saying, "Why do we need to protect birds?" These days the bird watching population is increasingly quite dramatically. With this in mind, in 20 or 30 years time things might be quite different from today.
What kind of planet is Earth?
In my opinion, "Earth is a single planet with no international borders." Birds fly around with no concern for things like borders. When people get together to discuss problems relating to birds they all think the same thing: international borders and the like are irrelevant.
Furthermore, I think the awareness and receptiveness of Japanese people to the environment is incredible. When they hear a Japanese Bush Warbler singing, Japanese people go quiet, but Europeans don't realize a Japanese Bush Warbler is there unless they see it with their own eyes (laughs). So it's important to share this uniquely Japanese sensibility and knowledge with people around the world. I'd also like to see this lead to individuals, corporations, and countries all around the world cooperating to protect the habitats where birds live.
