Coastal Area 14205 Sandy beaches, central Sea of Hyuga-nada

Basic Information References

Reason(s) for selection Criteria

Characteristics References

These waters extend along the sandy shores from the southern Sea of Hyuga-nada in Miyazaki Prefecture and the vicinity of the mouth of the Mimigawa River through the mouth of the Hitotsuse River to the vicinity of the mouth of the Oyodo River. These waters are important as the waters in front of a loggerhead turtle spawning ground (Iwamoto et al., 1985; Iwamoto et al., 1991; Ministry of the Environment, 2001). Hitotsuba Lagoon at the mouth of the Oyodo River in the city of Miyazaki is home to highly diverse benthic organisms and bird species, including 36 species of shellfish (rare species commonly can be seen here), 34 species of decapods, and 39 bird species (Miura et al., 2005).