Yambaru National Park (やんばる国立公園, Yanbaru Kokuritsu Kōen) is a national park in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Established in 2016, it is located in and around the forested region of Yambaru at the northern end of Okinawa Island. The park comprises a land area of 13,622 ha (33,660 acres) in the villages of Kunigami, Ōgimi, and Higashi together with 3,670 ha (9,100 acres) of the surrounding waters. The day of establishment, 15 September, coincides with the anniversary of the 1983 discovery of the endangered endemic Yambaru long-armed scarab beetle (Cheirotonus jambar) (ヤンバルテナガコガネ).[1][2][3]
| Yanbaru National Park | |
|---|---|
| やんばる国立公園 | |
 | |
  Yambaru National Park Location of Yambaru National Park  Yambaru National Park Yambaru National Park (Japan) | |
| Location | Yanbaru, Okinawa, Japan |
| Coordinates | 26°48′21″N 128°15′57″E / 26.805801°N 128.265925°E |
| Area | 173.52 km2 (67.00 sq mi) |
| Established | 15 September 2016 |
| Governing body | Ministry of the Environment (Japan) |
Future plans
editFuture extension of the Park is contingent upon the reversion of land currently occupied by the US military as the Northern Training Area. The northern part of Okinawa Island that corresponds with Yambaru was in 2016 submitted for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the serial nomination Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island.[2][4] In 2021 was inscribed to World Heritage List.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ やんばる国立公園について [About Yanbaru National Park - Summary] (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Wild forest area in northern Okinawa designated as 33rd national park". The Japan Times. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ Ministry of the Environment, Japan (2015). "Cheirotonus jambar". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T54143047A54143052. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T54143047A54143052.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island". UNESCO. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
External links
edit- (in English) Yambaru National Park - National Parks of Japan
- (in Japanese) Yambaru National Park - National Parks of Japan
- (in Japanese) Map of Yanbaru National Park