The Ogasawara Islands refer to the 30 clustered islands
of various size scattered over the North-Western Pacific
Ocean. Located along the Izu-Ogasawara Arc Trench
System, they make up three main groups of islands. The
Ogasawara Archipelago consists of Mukojima,
Chichijima. and Hahajima islands. The designated
property also includes three other individual islands,
Nishinoshima, Minamiwoto, and Kita-iwoto. Together, the
area forms a part of Ogasawara National Park. Only two
of these islands are inhabited, Chichijima and Hahajima.
The property was inscribed on the World Heritage List in
2011.
Formed by the protrusions of an ancient underwater
volcano, the island is mainly made of sheer cliffs and
subtropical forests. There are over 440 species of native
vascular plants with an exceptional endemic rate as high
as 70%. Additionally, the islands are home to over 100
native snail species, of which 90% are endemic. Its
ecosystem is outstanding for ongoing evolutionary
processes, high levels of endemism, and speciation
through adaptive radiation.
Thus, the islands are extremely valuable in terms of the
scientific study of these processes. The different islands
of the archipelago exemplify diverse ecological
processes, including the evolution of the land snail fauna
and its low extinction rates. Combining the central study
of endemism, adaptive radiation, and evolution of marine
species into terrestrial species, the Ogasawara Islands
are the center of this valuable evidence. Protection over
this significant, yet fragile island environment, is of critical
importance for conservation of the Ogasawara Islands.
