UNESCO decided Monday to add a chain of islands in southwestern Japan with dense subtropical forests to its natural World Heritage list, Japanese government officials have said.
The World Heritage Committee of the U.N. organization decided during an online session to list the 43,000 hectare area, comprising Amami Oshima island and Tokuno Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as the northern part of the main Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture.
The decision follows the recommendation in May by a UNESCO advisory panel that the islands — which have diverse ecosystems and are home to rare animals and birds including the Amami rabbit, the Iriomote cat and the Okinawa rail — be added to the list. Animals and plants in the areas evolved during the formation processes of the islands, as they are detached from mainland Asia.