300px, Aya laurel forest (Ayagawa River) The Aya Biosphere Reserve (established in 2012) is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

in the south of

Kyushu Island is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It harbours one of the country’s largest remaining lucidophyllous forests. The forest shows high biodiversity and embraces many indigenous species. Forest therapy and traditional recycling based agriculture in Aya Town are an ecotourism draw to the Biosphere Reserve.

Ecological characteristics

Aya Biosphere Reserve consists of a plateau containing high relief mountains (over 600m), low relief Mountains (200–400 m) and Shirasu (deposits of volcanic ash and sand) layers, as well as a flat alluvial plain around the confluence of the Ayakita and Ayaminami Rivers. It is located near the centre of

Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...

in Southeastern Kyushu, where the Kyushu Central Mountains and the Miyazaki Plain meet. Lucidophyllous forests within the Biosphere Reserve consist of many species endemic to Japan. Lucidophyllous forests in East Asia are unique as they have lain on the border of two floras (one is formed by mainly tropical evergreen trees, and the other by temperate deciduous trees) since the

Cretaceous Period The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ninth and longest geologi ...

when

angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit. T ...

were first born (143 - 65 million years ago). Forests account for 88% (12,839ha) of the total area of the Biosphere Reserve out of which about 16% (2,330ha) are natural lucidophyllous forests and about 25% (3,675ha) are secondary lucidophyllous forests (secondary vegetation). 1033 botanical species, 145 fungal species, 70 avian species and 19 mammal species have been identified in the Biosphere Reserve. The area around Aya Town is the southern limit of habitats for the

Japanese serow The (''Capricornis crispus'') ( 羚羊) is a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate. It is found in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu. The serow is seen as a national symbol of Japan, and is subject to p ...

and

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

Socio-economic characteristics

The Biosphere Reserve includes Aya Town in the transition zone, which has a population of 7,283. The core area is made up of the preserved district of the Aya Forestry Ecosystem Protected Area and is included in the Kyushu Central Mountains Quasi National Park. The area has never been used for human activities and is the object of scientific studies on the structure, function and dynamics of the lucidophyllous forest. The transition zone is mainly used for organic agriculture, and Aya Town is the first community in the country to develop a traditional recycling-oriented agricultural system, put in place in 1988. Ecotourism, including “forest therapy” (for healing purposes) and forest environmental education, is actively developed.

Sources

References

External links

English brochur of Aya UNESCO Ecopark

Aya in UNESCO website
{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2020 Biosphere reserves of Japan Protected areas of Japan Miyazaki Prefecture

Ecological characteristics

Socio-economic characteristics

See also

Sources

References

External links