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Ogasawara Islands

Ogasawara Islands

The property numbers more than 30 islands clustered in three groups and covers surface area of 7,939 hectares. The islands offer a variety of landscapes and are home to a wealth of fauna, including the Bonin Flying Fox, a critically endangered bat, and 195 endangered bird species. Four-hundred and forty-one native plant taxa have been documented on the islands whose waters support numerous species of fish, cetaceans and corals. Ogasawara Islands' ecosystems reflect a range of evolutionary processes illustrated through its assemblage of plant species from both southeast and northwest Asia, alongside many endemic species.

Îles d’Ogasawara

Le bien compte plus de trente îles qui forment trois groupes et couvrent un total de 7 939 hectares. Elles offrent une grande variété de paysages et hébergent une faune riche, dont la roussette des Bonins qui est en danger critique d'extinction et 195 espèces d'oiseaux dont beaucoup sont en danger. On a décrit 441 taxons de plantes indigènes sur ces îles et leurs eaux comptent de nombreuses espèces de poissons et de cétacés, ainsi que des espèces coralliennes. Les écosystèmes des Iles d'Ogasawara reflètent tout un éventail de processus évolutionnaires, combinant des espèces de plantes d'Asie du Sud-Est et d'Asie du Nord-Ouest ainsi que de nombreuses espèces endémiques.

Ogasawara Islands,日本

小笠原群岛(Ogasawara Islands,日本)由三组共30多座岛屿组成,覆盖面积7393公顷。岛屿自然景观丰富多样,是一种属于极危物种的蝙蝠——小笠原大蝙蝠(Bonin Flying Fox),以及195种濒危鸟类等大量动物栖息的家园。在这些岛屿上已发现并记录了441种当地特有的植物类群,在其周边水域中生活着种类繁多的鱼类、鲸目动物和珊瑚。小笠原群岛的生态系统体现了一系列的生物进化过程,主要表现在这里不仅有着来自东南亚地区与西北亚地区的植物物种,同时还生长着大量当地特有物种。

source: UNESCO/ERI

Острова Огасавара

Территория заповедника насчитывает более 30 островов, объединенных в три группы. Его площадь составляет около 7393 га. Острова архипелага отличаются разнообразием ландшафтов. Чрезвычайно богата и местная фауна: здесь встречается бонинская летучая лисица, одна из разновидностей летучих мышей, находящихся под угрозой полного исчезновения. Птицы насчитывают 195 исчезающих видов. На островах документально засвидетельствовано существование четыреста сорока одного природного таксона. В окружающих архипелаг водах обитают многочисленные виды рыб, китообразных и кораллов. Экосистемы островов Огасавара отражают широкий спектр эволюционных процессов. Это можно наблюдать в сообществах видов растений, одни из которых берут свое происхождение в юго-восточной или северо-западной Азии, а многие другие являются эндемичными.

source: UNESCO/ERI

Islas de Ogasawara

Este sitio cuenta con más de treinta islas que forman tres grupos y abarcan una superficie de 7.393 hectáreas. Los variados paisajes insulares albergan una rica fauna, como el “zorro volador” de Bonin, un murciélago que se halla en grave peligro de extinción, y 195 especies de aves, muchas de las cuales también corren el riesgo de extinguirse. Se han catalogado 441 taxones de plantas nativas en estas islas y sus aguas albergan numerosas especies de peces, cetáceos y corales. Los ecosistemas del archipiélago de Ogasawara reflejan toda una serie de procesos de la evolución natural, puestos de manifiesto por la combinación de especies vegetales características del sudeste y noroeste de Asia con numerosas especies endémicas.

source: UNESCO/ERI

小笠原諸島
聟島列島、父島列島、母島列島、火山列島、西之島の5つの区域にある30以上の群島からなり面積は7,393haである。絶滅危惧種のオガサワラオオコウモリや195種の絶滅危惧種の鳥類を含む、多くの動物相の生息地である。また、約100種の陸生貝類が確認されており、その90%以上が固有種である。周囲の海域には数多くの魚類やクジラ類、サンゴが生息している。小笠原諸島の生態系は、多くの固有種と並んで、東南・北東アジアに由来する植物種からなる植物群落など、さまざまな進化の過程を明確に映し出している。

source: NFUAJ

Ogasawara eilanden

Dit gebied beslaat een oppervlakte van 7.939 hectare en telt meer dan 30 eilanden, geclusterd in drie groepen. De eilanden bieden een verscheidenheid aan landschappen en zijn de thuisbasis van een schat aan fauna, waaronder de Bonin Flying Fox - een ernstig bedreigde vleermuis - en 195 bedreigde vogelsoorten. Tot nu toe zijn er 441 inheemse plantensoorten gevonden op de eilanden, waarvan de wateren talloze vissoorten, walvisachtigen en koralen onderhouden. De ecosystemen van de Ogasawara eilanden weerspiegelen een waaier van evolutionaire processen, geïllustreerd door de verzameling plantensoorten uit zowel het zuidoosten als het noordwesten van Azië en de vele inheemse soorten.

Source: unesco.nl

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Chichijima Island Group © Japan Wildlife Research Center
Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The Ogasawara Islands are located in the North-Western Pacific Ocean roughly 1,000 km south of the main Japanese Archipelago. The serial property is comprised of five components within an extension of about 400 km from north to south and includes more than 30 islands, clustered within three island groups of the Ogasawara Archipelago: Mukojima, Chichijima and Hahajima, plus an additional three individual islands: Kita-iwoto and Minami-iwoto of the Kazan group and the isolated Nishinoshima Island. These islands rest along the Izu-Ogasawara Arc Trench System. The property totals 7,939 ha comprising a terrestrial area of 6,358 ha and a marine area of 1,581 ha. Today only two of the islands within the property are inhabited, Chichijima and Hahajima.

The landscape is dominated by subtropical forest types and sclerophyllous shrublands surrounded by steep cliffs. There are more than 440 species of native vascular plants with exceptionally concentrated rates of endemism as high as 70% in woody plants. The islands are the habitat for more than 100 recorded native land snail species, over 90% of which are endemic to the islands.

The islands serve as an outstanding example of the ongoing evolutionary processes in oceanic island ecosystems, as evidenced by the high levels of endemism; speciation through adaptive radiation; evolution of marine species into terrestrial species; and their importance for the scientific study of such processes.

Criterion (ix): The property's ecosystems reflect a range of evolutionary processes illustrated through its rich assemblage of plant species from both a Southeast Asian and a Northeast Asian origin. There is also a very high percentage of endemic species in selected taxonomic groups, resulting from these evolutionary processes. Within the flora it is an important centre for active, ongoing speciation.

The Ogasawara Islands provide valuable evidence of evolutionary processes through their significant on-going ecological processes of adaptive radiation in the evolution of the land snail fauna as well as in their endemic plant species. The examples of fine-scale adaptive radiation between and sometimes within the different islands of the archipelago are central to the study and understanding of speciation and ecological diversification. This is further enhanced by the relatively low extinction rates in taxa such as the land snails.

It is the combination of both the concentration of endemism and extent of adaptive radiation evident in the Ogasawara Islands which sets the property apart from other places illustrating evolutionary processes. When taking into account their small area, the Ogasawara Islands show exceptionally high levels of endemism in land snails and vascular plants.

Integrity

The boundaries of the serial property cover the key values of the property and are well designed. The zonation and the legal protection provide an appropriate framework, while the boundaries of Ogasawara National Park serve as a functional overall buffer zone. Marine protected areas are partly included, contributing to more effective management of the terrestrial-marine interface and thus integrity. Integrity issues are mostly related to external threats, most importantly invasive alien species. The effects of invasive alien species and historic logging have already altered many of the archipelago's habitats. Future invasions have the potential to compromise the very values the Ogasawara Islands have been recognized for and therefore need careful and continuous attention. Possible future air access, as well as increased visitation and corresponding development potentially have strong and even irreversible effects in a fragile island environment. Control of access to the islands and of alien invasive species, two in part overlapping issues, is of critical importance for the conservation of the archipelago.

Protection and management requirements

The majority of the property is state-owned and under the authority of various agencies. Some land is owned by Ogasawara Village with some other areas privately owned. The property contains five legally designated categories of protected area managed by three national Government agencies and is surrounded by the much larger Ogasawara National Park serving as a functional buffer zone. The property is protected through seven pieces of national legislation which overlap in jurisdiction and objectives specifying the mandate of the Ministry of the Environment, the Forestry Agency and the Cultural Agency. Any jurisdictional conflicts are resolved through an interagency Regional Liaison Committee structure.

The 2010 multi-agency Ogasawara Islands Management Plan and companion Ogasawara Islands Ecosystem Conservation Action Plan cover a wide area of 129,360 ha and include controls beyond the property such as ship navigation routes. The plans deal with critical issues such as access to the islands and control of alien invasive species. Management activities are detailed for the different island groups within the property with clear coordination mechanisms and monitoring plans prescribed. The plan is based on scientific knowledge and includes timetabled and prioritized actions.

The property benefits from strong links and dialogue between researchers, managers and community. Particularly commendable is the role of the Scientific Council and the approach to research which is adaptive and management-oriented. Local involvement and the maintenance of community benefits are crucial elements in the management of this remote archipelago.