Overview
are areas of national forest in Japan so designated in an effort to conserve biodiversity. Japan's Protected Forest system includes three categories of protected forests: Forest Biosphere Reserves; Biotic Community Protection Forests; and Rare Population Protection Forests. Some of these national forests are linked by a network of Green Corridors that are also included in the system. Established in 1915, the system was overhauled in 2015 and expanded in 2019.
Background
Forests cover approximately two-thirds of Japan, extending over some ; of this, according to the , c.54% is classed as "natural forest", "planted forest" comprising most of the remainder. In terms of ownership, 58% of all forest is in private hands, state-owned represent 30%, with the remaining 12% otherwise publicly owned, by prefectural and municipal governments, etc.
Currently, forests are protected under a number of different systems and laws: as Natural Parks under the Natural Parks Act, Nature Conservation Areas under the Nature Conservation Act, Wildlife Protection Areas under the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Act, Natural Habitat Conservation Areas under the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Act, under the , Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties—and as Protected Forests and Green Corridors. Protected Forests date back to an ordinance of Taishō 4 (1915), with the first such forest established the following year, in Kamikōchi. By 1932, there were 93 Protected Forests covering a combined area of .
As of 1 April 2018, there were in total 666 Protected Forests, covering an area of , approximately 4% of the total forested area of the country, and 13% of that represented by national forest. As of 1 April 2019, a network of 24 Green Corridors, established to connect Protected Forests and facilitate interaction between discrete populations, represented a further of national forest.
Forest Biosphere Reserves
As of 1 April 2018, 31 have been designated, covering an area of .
Biotic Community Protection Forests
As of 1 April 2018, 95 have been designated, covering an area of .
Rare Population Protection Forests
As of 1 April 2018, 540 have been designated, covering an area of .
Green Corridors
As of 1 April 2019, 24 have been designated, covering an area of .
See also
* Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) * 100 Terraced Rice Fields of Japan * Flora of Japan
External links
* Links to regional Protected Forest listings