Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island
Nansei 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 |
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
History
First selected as a candidate site in 2003, the original nomination was added to the
Naming dispute
In the long history of the campaign for registration, this candidate site was renamed at least twice. When a panel of natural scientists formally added it to Japan's tentative list of nomination, it was given the name of Ryūkyū Shotō.[7] This followed a convention of natural sciences but is inconsistent with the official definition provided by the Japanese government, which excludes the Amami Islands from the Ryūkyū Shotō. Moreover, the Amami Islands and Kagoshima Prefecture as a whole voiced a strong opposition to having the label Ryūkyū imposed on themselves.[8] As a result, the candidate site was renamed to Amami–Ryukyu.[9] In late 2015, UNESCO's committee recommended Japan "from a technical perspective" to use an accurate designation of the areas under nomination. In response, the candidate site was renamed again to the current, highly descriptive name in 2016.[10]
Components
The serial World Heritage Site comprises five component parts on four islands:[11]
ID[12] | 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.[13] Of the 6,153 insect species found, 1,607 are endemic.[13]
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):[13]
In addition to the above, Okinawan avian subspecies found in
Protection
Areas of the Site and species living within are protected by a raft of complementary measures, including designation as
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
- ^ "Description of the Property". Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ . 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.
- ^ "Southwest Japan islands added to UNESCO World Heritage list". The Japan Times. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Aratana sekai shizen isan kōhochi no kangaekata ni kakawaru kondankai matome" 新たな世界自然遺産候補地の考え方に係る懇談会 まとめ (PDF) (in Japanese). 21 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Mizutani Motoo 水谷知生 (2009). "Nansei Shotō no chiiki meishō no rekishiteki oyobi seijieki haikei" 南西諸島の地域名称の歴史的および政治的背景 [Historical and Political Background of Geographic Names in the Nansei Shoto Area]. Chirigku hyōron 地理学評論 [Geographical Review of Japan] (in Japanese). 82 (4): 300–322.
- ^ "Heisei 25 nendo dai 1 kai Amami Ryūkyū sekai shizen isan kōhochi kagaku iinnkai giji gaiyō (jogen yōsei jikō tō)" 平成25年度 第1回奄美・琉球世界自然遺産候補地科学委員会 議事概要 (助言・要請事項等) (PDF) (in Japanese). 27 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Heisei 28 nendo dai 1 kai Amami Ōshima, Tokunoshima, Okinawa-jima hokubu oyobi Iriomote-jima sekai shizen isan kōhochi kagaku iinnkai giji gaiyō (jogen yōsei jikō tō)" 平成28年度第1回 奄美大島、徳之島、沖縄島北部及び西表島 世界自然遺産候補地科学委員会 議事概要 (助言・要請事項等) (PDF) (in Japanese). 2 November 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.