Shiretoko is located in the northeast of Hokkaido in Japan. Due to its geographical conditions, ice breaks come to the Shiretoko Peninsula every winter. These ice breaks are key in the entire nature in Shiretoko as they bring plankton, fish, birds, dolphins, orcas, whales and salmon. The nutrients that salmon carry contribute to vegetation, beer, bears and more.
In addition, the Japanese people used to coexist and utilise nature for a long time by fishing, hunting, and forestry. This connection between people and nature is also one of the reasons why Shiretoko became a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.
Even though I just stayed in Shiretoko for three weeks, I saw many kinds of wildlife. On the other hand, global warming clearly affects the ecosystem and people's lives. For instance, warmer water prevents salmon and many fish from getting close to the coastlines. So, fewer salmon cause a lack of food for bears, birds and more terrestrial organisms. This makes wildlife get closer to the people's residential areas and wildlife accidents.
For the rest of my LiA, I will work close to the forest reforestation projects and teams that work for bears and salmon.
These are the pictures that I took in the three weeks!