Natural Habitat Conservation Areas in Japan


Natural Habitat Conservation 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 Law for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Both managed protection zones and buffer monitoring zones are established.

Designated Natural Habitat Conservation Areas

As of March 2012, nine Natural Habitat Conservation Areas have been designated.
Natural Habitat Conservation AreaPrefectureMunicipalityArea
First EstablishedImageCoordinates
Handa Tokyo bitterling Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Handa miyako-tanago seisokuchi hogoku		TochigiŌtawara60.6
1994
Mount Kita Callianthemum hondoense Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Kitadake kitadakesō seisokuchi hogoku		YamanashiMinami-Alps38.5
1994
Zennōji Nagaoka Abe's salamander Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Zennōji Nagaoka Abe sanshōuo seisokuchi hogoku		KyōtoKyōtango13.1
2006
Ōoka Abe's salamander Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Ōoka Abe sanshōuo seisokuchi hogoku		HyōgoToyooka3.1
1998
Yamasako Polemoniaceae Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Yamasako hanashinobu seisokuchi hogoku		KumamotoTakamori1.13
1996
Kitaobasama Polemoniaceae Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Kitaobasama hanashinobu seisokuchi hogoku		KumamotoTakamori7.05
1996
Imuta-ike Libellula angelina Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Imuta-ike bekkōtonbo seisokuchi hogoku		KagoshimaSatsumasendai153
1996
Mount Uegusuku Kikuzato's brook snake Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Uegusuku-dake Kikuzato sawa-hebi seisokuchi hogoku		OkinawaKumejima600
1998
Yonehara Platypleura albivannata Natural Habitat Conservation Area
Yonehara Ishigaki-niinii seisokuchi hogoku		OkinawaIshigaki9.0
2003

Complementary measures

Natural Habitat Conservation Areas are one element in a network of complementary protected area systems. 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; Nature Conservation Forests under the National Forest Management Bylaw; and Protected Waters under the Preservation of Fisheries Resources Law. Areas are also protected in accordance with three international programmes: the World Heritage Convention ; Man and the Biosphere Programme ; and the Ramsar Convention.