World heritage recommended Amami and Okinawa UNESCO to field survey September 6 19:15
A field survey by experts from UNESCO's advisory bodies will be conducted from next month on Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture, which is recommended by the government for registration as a World Natural Heritage Site, and northern Okinawa Island.
The government has found that Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture and forests on the northern Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture are home to unique creatures such as Amami rabbits and Yanbaru Kina. As a precious area that remains, we have submitted a recommendation letter to UNESCO requesting it to be registered as a World Natural Heritage.
In response to this, field surveys will be conducted by experts from the UNESCO advisory body, IUCN = International Union for Conservation of Nature, from the 5th to the 8th of next month.
In the survey, in addition to the natural environment, local officials will also be asked about ecosystem conservation efforts, etc. Based on the results of this survey, at the World Heritage Committee to be held next summer, It is expected that registration will be accepted.
The government submitted a recommendation for this area once, but at that time IUCN advised that there was a division in the recommended area and there were concerns about the sustainability of the ecosystem. I have withdrawn once.
After that, the region was revised and the management system for biological protection was improved, and the recommendation was submitted again in February.