Region

Chain of islands in Japan recommended as World Heritage site

UNESCO has recommended that a chain of islands in southwestern Japan with dense subtropical forests be added to the list of natural World Heritage sites.

The area covers some 43,000 hectares, comprising Amami-Oshima Island and Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture as well as the northern part of the main Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture.

Kyodo News reports that the listing is expected to be officially approved during an online World Heritage Committee session between July 16 and 31.

The Unesco advisory body had assessed that the islands are crucial for the preservation of biodiversity and sought protective measures, such as preventing traffic accidents involving animals and capping the number of tourists on Iriomote Island.

The registration of 2020 candidate sites, including the southwestern Japan islands, has been delayed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year's World Heritage Committee session will evaluate candidate sites for 2020 and 2021.

The Japanese government initially submitted its proposal for the islands to be declared heritage sites to the Unesco in February 2017.

It said the diverse ecosystems were home to rare endemic animals and birds such as the Amami rabbit, the Iriomote cat and the Okinawa rail.

However, it withdrew the proposal in June 2018 on the advice of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a Unesco advisory body.

It then revised the designated area by including a forest within a former US military site in northern Okinawa that was returned to Japan in December 2016 and reinforced measures against invasive species before resubmitting the proposal in February 2019.

If registered, the southwestern Japan islands would become the fifth natural World Heritage site in the country after the Ogasawara Islands, which were added to the World Heritage list in 2011.

There are currently 23 World Heritage sites in Japan including cultural properties.

Japan is also awaiting a decision by a Unesco advisory body on a World Cultural Heritage candidate, the Jomon Era archaeological sites in the country's north, which includes the Sannai Maruyama village ruins in Aomori Prefecture dating back around 5,900 years.

The decision regarding the 17 archaeological sites across Hokkaido and Aomori, Akita, and Iwate prefectures is expected to be delivered later this month.

Reacting to the news of the pending listing, Amami Mayor Tsuyoshi Asayama said it was inspiring amid the coronavirus pandemic and pledged to continue efforts toward the registration of the site.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said they will engage in the development of a sustainable region that was worthy of world natural heritage, so that the precious natural environment can be left to their descendants a 1,000 years from now.

The director general of a non-profit organisation that promotes eco-tourism on Tokunoshima Island, Mutsumi Minobe, said he hoped people would still be living alongside forests where the Amami rabbit dwells after 1,000 years.

Meanwhile, Yusuke Takayama, 39, who engages in activities to protect the Iriomote cat, expressed concern about potential "overtourism" as well as improper feeding and traffic accidents involving the rare wildcats.

"We need bold measures such as capping the number of visitors entering the island," he said.

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories