Okinawa World Natural Heritage Web Site

The Ryukyu Islands comprise a region that is key to biodiversity

In 2013, the international non-governmental organization Conservation International (CI) designated 34 regions around the world as “biodiversity hotspots.” This designation indicates an area that is particularly biodiverse on a global scale, but whose abundant biodiversity is threatened with destruction. Japan as a whole was one of the regions selected. Furthermore, 228 areas around the country were designated key locations for maintaining biodiversity on international standards (key biodiversity areas, KBA). The largest number of these were located in the Yambaru region and the Yaeyama Islands, including Iriomote Island.