KAGOSHIMA -- More than 100 insects, including a number of rare stag beetles, were found dead entrapped in illegal devices on Amami Oshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture in July.
Other illegal traps, designed especially for insects, were found in August in another area on the island, a place the government has proposed for inclusion on the World Natural Heritage site list in 2020. The prefectural police have launched an investigation on suspicion of violation of the Natural Parks Law.
According to the Environment Ministry's Amami Wildlife Conservation Center, in early July local residents found several electric lights tied to tree branches in mountains designated as a special protection area. The lights lure insects into hitting against a board hung from the tree, then fall into a chemical-containing jug. A total of 10 such traps have been found. It is believed they were set to collect insects for specimens.
The center's officials inspected the traps and found more than 100 dead insects, including long-horned beetles and dragonflies, in the jugs. A species of stag beetles endemic to Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima islands, rhaetulus recticrnis, was found among the trapped insects.
The center and local governments jointly conducted night patrols and found in mid-August about a dozen of another kind of trap, in which bananas and pineapples are placed in stockings tied to trees. Such traps were designed to catch insects alive by luring them with the scent of fruits. While the traps were found outside the special protection area, setting one in that area requires authorization. About 100 similar traps were discovered in the summer of 2017.
The ministry has asked the Kagoshima prefectural police to investigate the case of the traps found in July.
"It's a vicious crime targeting a rare species," an Amami Police Station official said. "We will conduct an investigation on the case while sharing information with the relevant authorities."
Violators face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 500,000 yen.
In response to the cases, local governments decided to install 30 infrared cameras and other equipment mainly in the special protection area by the end of the current fiscal year. The Forestry Agency, which manages national forests, is also planning to install six cameras.
"If such cases of illegal insect collecting becomes widespread, it could become an obstacle to registration on the list of World Natural Heritage sites," said Yasuhito Chiba, the center's official in charge of the world natural heritage issue.
In April, the police arrested a pet shop owner and others on suspicion of catching a rare frog, rana ishikawae, on Amami Oshima. The suspects had not obtained the required authorization for their activities.
In 2013, five local governments, including the city of Amami, set up ordinances to ban collecting rhaetulus recticrnis stag beetles. On the internet however, stag beetles of that species, believed to have been caught before the ban was imposed and having gone through many rounds of breeding, have been traded at prices in the several thousands of yen.
"Rare stag beetles can be sold at high prices in Japan. Those criminal activities aim for illicit sales," said Koichi Goka, a section head of the National Institute for Environmental Studies. "These endemic species can survive only in the environment of the island. If they are collected in large numbers, they could become extinct. We should strengthen surveillance networks and take strict measures."
UNESCO arm inspects sites
A UNESCO advisory body conducted field inspections in October in connection with the government's proposal to have "Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island" registered as a World Natural Heritage site.
Experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) visited the four islands from Oct. 5-12 to check their nature conservation state. Based on the IUCN's findings and other factors, the World Heritage Committee is expected to decide whether to register the site around the summer of 2020.
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