Japanese Parliament members from the Committee on Environment speak with Fish and Wildlife Service staff in Fairbanks, Alaska. - USFWS photo, August 2007

Six Japanese Diet (Parliament) members and four other Japanese government officials met with Arctic National Wildlife Refuge biologists for a brief meeting in August, 2007. Also attending were Service employees from Yukon Flats and Kanuti Refuges, and the Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office. The Diet members were from the Committee on Environment within the House of Representatives, which deliberates on environmental matters including wildlife and park management. The Japanese delegation wished to visit the Refuge to learn how a United States land management agency is responding to climate change.

Arctic Refuge staff presented an overview of current management efforts, including the Service’s recent climate change forum in Anchorage, the new strategic habitat conservation approach to respond to a changing arctic, and other management strategies. Refuge biologists also discussed the potential effects of climate change on arctic animals and their habitats.

During the question and answer session that followed, Diet members expressed particular interest in wildland fire management. They questioned why Alaska Refuges do not suppress more fires, in view of the methane and CO² released in large forest fires, and the potential effects on global climate. The Refuge Manager described the significant role wildland fire plays in the boreal forest, and he explained that Arctic Refuge is managed for a natural fire regime.

After further conversations between Service staff and the Japanese officials about potential impacts of climate change in the arctic, the afternoon concluded on a very cordial basis with parting comments and an exchange of books and pamphlets. The meeting was rewarding for all participants. Service employees shared their knowledge and experience of climate change in the arctic, and they learned about the environmental interests and concerns of the Japanese.