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Quiz:

Description Quiz
T/F Quiz
Multiple Choice Quiz

私が自然遺産屋久島について調べようと思った理由は、聞いたことがあっても行ったことがない人が多く、さらに屋久島には杉と猿以外見る価値が少ないという印象があり、深く知られていないことが多いので、広く知ってもらうため作成しました。私が選んだ「屋久島」を見て少しでも興味を持ち、多くの人に知ってもらえることを願っています。このウェブテキストを作るにあたって一番苦労したことは、屋久島のあまり知られていない天候などをいかにみなさんに興味を持ってもらいながら学んでもらえるかということに心掛け、テキスト作成に取り組んだことです。これらから学んだことは、HTMLを使ったオンラインクイズを作る際に、屋久島を調べることによってより深く知ることができたこと、私自身が今まで以上に興味を持てたことがよかったです。
＜青山学院大学　経済学部　経済学科　崎田　担＞

Pre-reading Questions:

1. 屋久島は日本の何県に属する島か。
2.　屋久島が世界自然遺産に登録されたのは何年のことか。

Yakushima　Outview
Yakushima, in the northern end of the Ryukyu archipelago, is separated from the southernmost tip of Kyushu mainland by a 120m deep, 60km wide strait. The area has a complex, sinuous boundary, which is less than 1km wide in some places. It lies in the centre of the island, with arms stretching west, south and east. The western arm extends down to the coast.

Reading Passage

Kirishima-Yaku National Park was gazetted in 1964 under the National Parks Law, comprising land on Yaku Island and Kirishima National Park on Kyushu mainland.
　

　A wilderness area designated under the Nature Conservation Law in 1975, forms a small part of the central World Heritage Site. Under the Law of Protection of Cultural Properties, 4,300ha was established as a special natural monument area and lies entirely within the World Heritage property. A forest ecosystem reserve was established in 1991, and comprises the World Heritage area and various adjacent blocks of land. The centre of Yakushima Island, and parts of the island's southern and western coastal lowlands were internationally recognised as a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1980. Yakushima was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993.

　Varies with altitude from sub-tropical, warm temperate to cool temperate, tending to sub-alpine. Mean annual temperature is 20°C in coastal areas, decreasing to 15°C inland. Air temperature can fall below zero in the mountain summit area and snowfall is common in winter. Annual precipitation is very high, varying with altitude and aspect, from 4000mm along the coast to 10,000mm inland. Humidity is also very high, averaging 73-75%, and in the rainy season, June, exceeding 80%.
　The fauna of the island is diverse, with sixteen mammal species. Four mammal sub-species, including Japanese macaque Macaca fuscata yakui and sika deer Cervus nippon yakushimae, are endemic to the island. Population size of both species is approximately 3,000. A further four sub-species are endemic to both Yaku Island and the neighbouring island of Tanegashima, including Apodemus speciosus dorsalis. Amongst the 150 bird species present, four, including Ryukyu robin Erithacus komadori komadori and Japanese wood pigeon Columba janthina janthina have been designated as Natural Monuments. There are also 15 species of reptile, eight species of amphibians and about 1,900 species of insects.

　　Yakushima occupies a strategic situation on the boundary between Holoarctic and Palaeotropic biogeographical regions. Much of its conservation value is reflected in the 200 plant species which have the southern limit of their natural distribution on the island. The altitudinal continuum of the forests across nearly 2,000m is considered to be not only the best in the Japanese archipelago, but the best remaining in East Asia. Ancient yakusugi trees are of prime conservation value to the island. Individual trees are known by name, and details of height and age are given in Anon A managment plan for the World Heritage Area was prepared in 1995. Management of the site is the responsibility of the Environment and Forestry Agency, the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Kagoshima Prefecture. To provide more effective cooperation and collaboration between these agencies, a World Heritage Area Liaison Committee is being established. It is also intended that local people become involved in the implementation of management objective. ( http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/662.pdf)

Tips etc.

この地形がおりなす気候には、実に亜熱帯から亜寒帯までが含まれ、九州から北海道の気候が一つの島で見られるということになります。そして、島の90%を占める神秘的な森や特異な生態系に1500種、日本の植物種の7割以上の植物種がひしめきあい、さらに固有種（世界で屋久島だけに自生する固有の植物）が*約40種、屋久島を南限とする植物が約140種、北限とする植物が約20種も見られるという特性から「東洋のガラパゴス」とも呼ばれています。

Notes

Japanese cedar
日本杉

separated from
離れた、隔離した

wilderness area
原生地域

Biosphere Programme
生物圏プログラム

World Heritage
世界遺産

inscribed
記す、彫る

snowfall
降雪量

precipitation
降雨量

the boundary
境界線

amphibians
両生動物

Biogeographical
生物地理学

altitudinal continuum
高度の連続

Japanese archipelago
日本列島

Web Sites

UNESCO Yakushima
Welcome to Yakushima
YAKUSHIMA　GUIDE　ASSOCIATION
Yakushima Tourism Association

www.shejapan.com > World Heritages > Yakushima

by Hiromu Sakita, Aoyama Gakuin College of Economics