Coastal Area 21901 Koshikijima Islands

Basic Information References

Reason(s) for selection Criteria

Characteristics References

These are the waters in the vicinity of the Koshikijima Islands. While Namako and Kai ponds, coastal lagoons on the north of Koshikijima Island, are separated from the sea by land, seawater still enters and pond water escapes to the sea through beds of relatively big stones. This results in a unique environment in which their water’s salt content is nearly the same as that of seawater. They are home to a species similar to Sargassum piluliferum. They are important as large seaweed beds that still remain after the rocky-shore denudation that began in 1970. They also are one of the few habitats of Eurasian oystercatcher (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). Kai ponds are connected to Namako Pond through a channel and characterized by their purple sulfur bacteria with a red pigment.