or Natural Habitat Protection Areas in Japan are designated by the Ministry of the Environment to protect species of flora and fauna designated National Endangered Species, in accordance with the 1992 Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Both managed protection zones and buffer monitoring zones are established.[1] [2] [3] [4]
As of March 2018, nine Natural Habitat Conservation Areas have been designated.[4]
| Natural Habitat Conservation Area | Prefecture | Municipality | Area (ha) (managed) | First Established | Image | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handa Tokyo bitterling Natural Habitat Conservation Area Handa miyako-tanago seisokuchi hogoku | 60.6 (12.8) | 1994 | 36.9109°N 140.0813°W | |||
| Mount Kita Callianthemum hondoense Natural Habitat Conservation Area Kitadake kitadakesō seisokuchi hogoku | 38.5 (38.5) | 1994 | 35.6743°N 138.2391°W | |||
| Zennōji Nagaoka Abe's salamander Natural Habitat Conservation Area Zennōji Nagaoka Abe sanshōuo seisokuchi hogoku | 13.1 (3.9) | 2006 | 35.5992°N 135.0709°W | |||
| Ōoka Abe's salamander Natural Habitat Conservation Area Ōoka Abe sanshōuo seisokuchi hogoku | 3.1 (3.1) | 1998 | 35.5121°N 134.7145°W | |||
| Yamasako Polemonium kiushianum Natural Habitat Conservation Area Yamasako hanashinobu seisokuchi hogoku | 1.13 (1.13) | 1996 | 32.8°N 131.1°W | |||
| Kitaobasama Polemonium kiushianum Natural Habitat Conservation Area Kitaobasama hanashinobu seisokuchi hogoku | 7.05 (1.94) | 1996 | 32.8°N 131.1°W | |||
| Imuta-ike Libellula angelina Natural Habitat Conservation Area Imuta-ike bekkōtonbo seisokuchi hogoku | 153 (60) | 1996 | 31.8169°N 130.4683°W | |||
| Mount Uegusuku Kikuzato's brook snake Natural Habitat Conservation Area Uegusuku-dake Kikuzato sawa-hebi seisokuchi hogoku | 600 (255) | 1998 | 26.3769°N 126.77°W | |||
| Yonehara Platypleura albivannata Natural Habitat Conservation Area Yonehara Ishigaki-niinii seisokuchi hogoku | 9.0 (9.0) | 2003 | 24.5°N 124.25°W | |||
Natural Habitat Conservation Areas are one element in a network of complementary protected area systems.[1] Others include Wilderness Areas and Nature Conservation Areas under the Nature Conservation Law; Natural Parks under the Natural Parks Law; Wildlife Protection Areas under the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law; Natural Monuments and Special Natural Monuments under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties 1950; Protected Forests under the National Forest Management Bylaw; and Protected Water Surfaces under the Preservation of Fisheries Resources Law.[1] Areas are also protected in accordance with three international programmes: the World Heritage Convention (see Yakushima, Shirakami-Sanchi, Shiretoko, Ogasawara Islands, and Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island); Man and the Biosphere Programme (see Mount Hakusan, Mount Ōdaigahara, Mount Ōmine, and, Shiga Highland, Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu-jima, Aya, Minami-Alps, Tadami, Minakami, and Sobo, Katamuki, andŌkue); and the Ramsar Convention (see Ramsar Sites in Japan).[1]