Amami-Oshima: Living in biodiversity
Amami-Oshima: Living in biodiversity
Amami-Oshima is an island in the far south of Japan famed for its natural environment, home to many rare species only found here and on islands nearby. The island's biodiversity, having over 700 native species, led to it being listed as a part of UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage site in 2021. On this small island, rare animals and people live so close that accidents harming the wildlife has been happening frequently. However, thanks to the efforts of the islanders and their local veterinarian, measures to protect this biodiversity are succeeding.
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Amami-Oshima is an island in the far south of Japan famed for its natural environment, home to many rare species only found here and on islands nearby. The island's biodiversity, having over 700 native species, led to it being listed as a part of UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage site in 2021. On this small island, rare animals and people live so close that accidents harming the wildlife has been happening frequently. However, thanks to the efforts of the islanders and their local veterinarian, measures to protect this biodiversity are succeeding.
VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
#TheManilaTimes
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#Japan
#AmamiOshima
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:07 The island of Amami-Oshima lies in the far south of Japan.
00:11 [Music]
00:13 This far south the climate is subtropical, much warmer than most of Japan.
00:17 [Music]
00:19 The island with its lush natural environment, its 80% forest,
00:23 is home to a unique variety of rare animal and plant species.
00:27 [Music]
00:33 The gigantic flying spider monkey tree fern
00:36 is one of the many primitive species that flourish in these virgin forests,
00:40 untouched by human hand.
00:42 [Music]
00:46 Some of the wildlife of Amami-Oshima exist only here and on a few nearby islands.
00:51 [Music]
00:54 [Squeak]
00:55 [Birds chirping]
00:56 There's the Litz J.
00:58 Its plumage a beautiful contrast in azure blue and chestnut brown.
01:02 [Birds chirping]
01:04 [Music]
01:06 This miniature dinosaur clinging to the tree with its sharp claws is the Ryukyu tree lizard.
01:11 [Music]
01:18 The Amami rabbit is a living fossil.
01:20 It looked exactly the same over a million years ago and never evolved.
01:25 [Music]
01:35 Amami-Oshima's wildlife is astonishingly diverse.
01:38 There are over 700 species native to the island.
01:41 [Music]
01:46 In recognition of this uniquely rare ecosystem, in 2021,
01:50 Amami-Oshima with Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island,
01:55 and Iriomote Island was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
01:59 [Music]
02:07 Ito Keiko is a veterinarian who's dedicated her life to preserving the Amami-Oshima environment.
02:14 She runs this animal hospital on the island.
02:16 [Music]
02:19 Nine years ago, charmed by its natural beauty,
02:22 Ito moved here from Tokyo to look after its animal population.
02:26 [Music]
02:30 We are living inside a natural monument right alongside many rare animal species.
02:35 It's amazing to be so close to them, but this closeness also causes problems.
02:40 [Music]
02:42 Amami-Oshima has a population of about 60,000.
02:46 People have been coexisting with nature here since very ancient times.
02:50 [Music]
02:52 Recently, however, more and more animals are being harmed by human activity.
02:56 [Music]
02:58 The most common cause is accidents involving vehicles.
03:01 [Music]
03:04 Ito treats the injured animals and cares for them until they can return to the wild.
03:09 [Music]
03:14 Another issue that worries Ito is the problem of the island's cats.
03:17 [Music]
03:21 People here used to let their pets roam outside,
03:24 but for the sake of the wildlife, we have to change this way of thinking.
03:28 [Music]
03:30 The islanders always allowed their pet cats to wander freely outside the home.
03:35 But many of these pets went wild and started living in the hills,
03:39 preying on the rare creatures natives of the island.
03:42 [Music]
03:46 So far, Ito has caught and looked after over 100 cats that have gone wild.
03:51 [Music]
03:54 Before she lets people adopt her cats,
03:56 she gives careful instructions on how to care for them indoors.
04:00 [Music]
04:05 For Ito, these cats' lives are just as precious as those of the island's native animals.
04:10 Her goal is to find ways for all life to coexist.
04:14 [Music]
04:17 Our island is now recognized worldwide as a heritage site,
04:20 something to treasure and guard for the sake of future generations.
04:24 I want people in a hundred or one thousand years' time
04:27 to be able to come here and have the same amazing experience.
04:31 You could say that's become my mission.
04:33 [Music]
04:35 Thanks to the efforts of the islanders,
04:37 Amami-Oshima's astonishingly diverse natural ecosystem is safe for the foreseeable future.
04:43 [Music]
04:47 [Music]