Tadami (Japan)

Covering an area of 78,000 hectares, the Tadami biosphere reserve is located at the eastern edge of the Echigo mountains, the western edge of Fukushima Prefecture, and the southern part of the Tohoku region in Honshu. It consists of low relief, middle relief and high mountains (over 600 metres) as well as a gravel plateau and the floodplains of the Tadami and Ina river basins. Some 32 species of mammal have been recorded, as well as 145 bird species and 10 species of reptile. In 2007, the town of Tadami announced an initiative a entitled ‘The Capital of Mother Nature’ aimed at reminding local residents of the value of their natural environment.