Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
---|---|
Location | Ryukyu Islands, Japan |
Criteria | Natural: X |
Reference | 1574 |
Inscription | 2021 (44th Session) |
Area | 42,698 ha (164.86 sq mi) |
Buffer zone | 24,467 ha (94.47 sq mi) |
Coordinates | 28°16′45″N 129°22′42″E / 28.27917°N 129.37833°E |
Location of Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island in Japan |
Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (奄美大島、徳之島、沖縄島北部及び西表島) is a serial UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of five component parts on four Japanese islands in the Ryūkyū (Nansei) island chain.[1] The site was selected in terms of biodiversity (World Heritage criterion x) for having a diverse ecosystem of plant and animal species that are unique to the region.[2]
History[]
First selected as a candidate site in 2003, the original nomination was added to the Tentative List in 2016; after initial IUCN evaluation, in 2018 the nomination was withdrawn for revision, prior to resubmission the following year; after further evaluation, in 2021 IUCN recommended inscription in July of the revised nomination.[3][4] UNESCO voted to list it as a World Heritage Site in 2021.[5]
Components[]
The serial World Heritage Site comprises five component parts on four islands:[6]
ID[7] | Component | Archipelago | Prefecture | Image | Central point | Area (ha) |
Buffer zone (ha) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1574-001 | Amami-Ōshima Island 奄美大島 |
Amami Islands | Kagoshima | 28°16′45″N 129°22′42″E / 28.27917°N 129.37833°E | 11,640 | 14,663 | |
1574-002 | Tokunoshima Island (a) 徳之島 |
Amami Islands | Kagoshima | 27°45′48″N 128°58′02″E / 27.76333°N 128.96722°E | 1,724 | 1,813 | |
1574-003 | Tokunoshima Island (b) 徳之島 |
Amami Islands | Kagoshima | 27°51′48″N 128°55′46″E / 27.86333°N 128.92944°E | 791 | 999 | |
1574-004 | Northern part of Okinawa Island 沖縄島北部 |
Okinawa Islands | Okinawa | 26°43′29″N 128°13′12″E / 26.72472°N 128.22000°E | 7,721 | 3,398 | |
1574-005 | Iriomote Island 西表島 |
Yaeyama Islands | Okinawa | 24°19′34″N 123°48′31″E / 24.32611°N 123.80861°E | 20,822 | 3,594 |
Biodiversity[]
Within the total area of 426.98 square kilometres (164.86 sq mi) are found some 1,819 vascular plants, 21 terrestrial mammals, 394 birds, 21 amphibians, 36 terrestrial reptiles, and 267 inland fish, including endemics such as the Amami rabbit, Okinawa rail, and Iriomote cat.[4] Of the above, 189 species of vascular plant are endemic (c.10% of the total number of species found), as are 13 terrestrial mammals (62%), 5 birds, 18 amphibians (86%), 23 reptiles (64%), and 14 inland fish.[8] Of the 6,153 insect species found, 1,607 are endemic.[8]
Endemic taxa[]
Endemic taxa include the following, with EDGE species marked with an asterisk (though an EDGE species, Iriomote's Kampira Falls frog is not listed below, since it is found also in Taiwan):[8]
In addition to the above, Okinawan avian subspecies found in Yanbaru (the northern part of Okinawa) include those of the Ashy minivet, Brown-eared bulbul, Brown hawk-owl, Collared scops owl, Japanese bush warbler, Japanese paradise flycatcher, Japanese pygmy woodpecker, Japanese tit, Japanese white-eye, Large-billed crow, Narcissus flycatcher, Oriental turtle dove, Ruddy-breasted crake, Ruddy kingfisher, and Varied tit; similarly, but found in the Yaeyama Islands (which include Iriomote), are endemic subspecies of the Brown-eared bulbul, Emerald dove, Japanese pygmy woodpecker, Japanese tit, and Japanese wood pigeon.[8][9]
Protection[]
Areas of the Site and species living within are protected by a raft of complementary measures, including designation as National Parks (Amami Guntō National Park, Yanbaru National Park, Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park), Forest Biosphere Reserves (Amami Guntō Forest Biosphere Reserve, Yanbaru Forest Biosphere Reserve, Iriomote Forest Biosphere Reserve), Wildlife Protection Areas (Yuwan-dake Wildlife Protection Area, Yanbaru (Ada) Wildlife Protection Area, Yanbaru (Aha) Wildlife Protection Area, Iriomote Wildlife Protection Area, plus twenty-four Prefectural Wildlife Protection Areas), and Natural Monuments (thirty National, and a further twenty-two Prefectural Monuments).[10]
See also[]
- List of World Heritage Sites in Japan
- List of National Parks in Japan
- Protected Forests (Japan)
- Wildlife Protection Areas in Japan
- List of Natural Monuments of Japan (Okinawa)
- List of Natural Monuments of Japan (Kagoshima)
- Japanese Red List
References[]
- ^ "Southwest Japan islands added to UNESCO World Heritage list". The Japan Times. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Four Japanese islands added to Unesco World Heritage list". timeout.com. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "History of Effort Toward Inscription on the World Heritage List". Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b IUCN (ed.). "IUCN World Heritage Evaluations 2020 and 2021 (WHC/21/44.COM/INF.8B2)" (PDF). UNESCO. pp. 3–13. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Four natural and three cultural sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Nomination of Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern Part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island for inscription on the World Heritage List" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. p. iii. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island : Multiple locations". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Nomination of Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern Part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island for inscription on the World Heritage List" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. p. xxvi–xxxiii, 44–89. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Birds of Yambaru" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. March 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (Annexes)" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. January 2019. pp. 2-29 ff. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
External links[]
- Ryukyu Islands
- Geography of Kagoshima Prefecture
- Geography of Okinawa Prefecture
- World Heritage Sites in Japan