Hiking's
so fun!
Phew.
Are we
there
yet?
Woah!
It's a
deer!
My
water
bottle!
Stop!
Stop!
Wow!
Roll, roll
Well, because
there are too
many
Japanese
deer, they
are causing
problems.
Oh.
What!
Why?
Huh?
Not
really
kids.
That's
good
for the
deer!
Cool!
What do
you mean
"not surprised"?
Deer numbers
are increasing
all over Japan.
Ah. I'm
not
surprised.
What do you think happens when there are too many deer?
Aw. Where do
I make my nest now?
The deer eat too
much of the bark
off trees, which
makes the trees die
The number of plants
that deer like to feed
on decreases
Crops get eaten
in the fields
I wonder why
Oh no! I wanted to
there are so
eat that too...
many deer?
From microbes that
cannot be seen with
the naked eye to
gigantic whales,
there are a great
variety of living
things in the natural
world.
Wolves?!
One reason
is because
wolves are
extinct.
Wolves were hunted to
extinction
These living things
maintain the
balance of the earth
by all performing
their own roles.
in Japan in the
early 20th century
because they preyed
on livestock.
Now that there are
no more wolves to
eat deer, the
balance of living
hings in forests
around Japan
has broken down.
I always
wondered
who cleaned
up all the
fallen leaves
in the forest.
These wonderful
relationships
between living
things is called
biodiversity.
Oops!
Of course.
Wow! Even
though
they're so
small.
Why don't you
put that knowledge
into action,
by picking up
your water bottle!!!
Mushrooms do an
important job by
breaking
down fallen
leaves to
make soil.
In the natural
world,
all kinds of
living things
have an
influence
on each
others' lives.
That's
right Hiroto!
Now if
you
understand
all that...
So all
living
things are
important,
aren't they!
....the
relationships
between
them will
get put out
of balance.
So does
this
mushroom
have a
role too?
If that
mushroom
goes extinct,
it might
damage
the forest in
a big way,
just like
the extinction
of the wolf has.
If the number of
living things
decreases because
people have
changed nature
too much or
polluted it...