2004 WORLD HERITAGE LIST NOMINATION ● JAPANLarga seal Phoca largha photo by TAZAWA Michihiro

Primary production activity by organisms such as phytoplankton occur
earlier in the waters around Shiretoko Peninsula than in any other placein the Sea of Okhotsk, the melting and breakdown of ice also occurs
earlier here than in the rest of the Sea of Okhotsk. This period of highlevel primary production coincides with the shoals of fish fry and theweaning of seal pups that need a good quality and abundant food source.
As a result, the plankton plays an important role in the life cycle ofmarine wildlife. For example, fry of walleye pollack and chum salmon as
well as pups of the larga seal all feed upon the zooplankton thatproliferate with the melting of sea ice. In addition, salmon fry that swim
downstream into the ocean have been observed to follow the abundantlevels of phytoplankton and zooplankton along the ice edge to higher
latitude areas as they feed and grow on this food source (Takahashi,2002). The coastal waters of the Shiretoko Peninsula are an important
starting point of the food chain for the integrated ecosystem thatconsists of the ecosystems of sea, river and land.

Description

As described above, the coastal waters of the Shiretoko Peninsula
support an abundant food source for high-level producers and promote adiverse biota by producing a high level of food compared to thesurrounding ocean which is not covered with ice. Furthermore, this richfood source is supplied at the right time. The nominated site is an
outstanding example representing this mechanism.

3a. 5 Plants
The majority of the vegetation covering the Shiretoko Peninsula,
including the nominated site, is in virgin condition. While the altitudechanges is only some 1,600 meters from the coast to the mountain peaks,
alpine plants such as Japanese stone pine Pinus pumila and other alpine
plant communities are developed at relatively low altitudes, and diverse
vegetation is distributed vertically at the site. In addition, the flora
contains both northern and southern species and therefore, it is rich inspecies diversity.
3a. 5. 1 Vegetation communities
With regard to horizontal distribution of the forest vegetation in the low
altitude areas of the Shiretoko Peninsula, it is a Pan-Mixed Forest Zone
according to Tatewaki (1958) and consists of a mosaic of three types offorests:
1. The cool temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest with species
such as Japanese oak Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata,
painted maple Acer mono and Japanese linden Tilia japonica,
2. The subarctic evergreen coniferous forest with species such as
Sakhalin fir Abies sachalinensis, Yezo spruce Picea jezoensis andSakhalin spruce Picea glehnii, and3. The mixed forest which is a combination of the above cooltemperate deciduous broad-leaved forest and subarctic evergreen
coniferous forest.
The fore st b elongs to the “Manchu-Japane se mixed fore st ”
biogeographic province of Udvardy which covers nearly all of Hokkaido
excluding Kuromatsunai lowland zone and areas south of this zone, as
well as southern parts of the Far East including southern Kuril Islands,
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southern Sakhalin, Ussuri Sikhote-Alin and northeastern parts of China.
Pan-Mixed Forest Zones and Manchu-Japanese mixed forests exist innorthern and northeastern parts of Europe as well as the eastern UnitedStates, however, Pan-Mixed Forest Zone of Hokkaido is clearly different
from those of other areas due to the following characteristics (Ito andKojima, 1987):
1. The flora is composed of a wide range of species.
2. Stratification is well developed.
3. There are relatively large number of woody vines and epiphytic
plants in the forest.
4. The forest floor is almost completely covered by dwarf bamboos.
In addition, the Pan-Mixed Forest Zone of Hokkaido is unlike that of theRussian Primorskii krai which is located in the same biogeographicalprovince. Compared with the forest of Russia, the forest of Hokkaido
lack Pinus koraiensis which is a major component in the forest of
Russian Primorskii while the forest of Hokkaido contains a greater
volume of deciduous broadleaf trees. In addition, the forest of Hokkaido
contains a large number of species and the volume of each species is also
different between the two areas (Okitsu, 1999; 2001). These differences
can also apply to the low altitude forests at Shiretoko Peninsula.

Mixed forest photo by MACHIDA Yasuyoshi

Description

The vegetation of the Shiretoko Peninsula is of high scientific value
since in addition to the characteristics of vegetation geography
described above, it is preserved in virgin condition and displays thefollowing characteristics (Samejima and Sato, K., 1981; Sato, K. et al.,1985):
1. A variety of vegetation, ranging from montane/cool-temperate toalpine/arctic plant communities is distributed vertically in anarrow range of altitudes from the coastal area (0 m) to mountainpeaks reaching 1,250 meters to 1,660 meters.
2. Alpine/arctic and subalpine/subarctic plant communities aredeveloped on the seashore.
3. A wide range of vegetation, including a solfatara community(plant community which tolerates acidic soils near sulfurfumaroles) is observed below the timberline.
4. The timberline is at 1,100 meters and above this altitude, there is
alpine vegetation such as Japanese stone pine scrub and various
alpine plant communities despite the low altitude.
As an example of the vertical distribution of vegetation, at the highest
mountain in the peninsula, Mt. Rausu, the upper limit for the cooltemperate deciduous broad-leaved forest is at the altitude ofapproximately 750 meters and the timberline is at approximately 1,100meters. There is montane vegetation up to 750 meters, subalpine
vegetation above 750 meters to 1,100 meters and alpine vegetation(Japanese stone pine zone) at 1,100 meters and above.
In the coastal area of the Shiretoko Peninsula, the vegetation consists
mainly of alpine/arctic to subalpine/subarctic plants which covers areas
such as rocky coasts and the surrounding area with little development ofsoil. There are Stellaria ruscifolia community, Sedum rosea - Primulamodesta var. fauriei community and Sedum kamtschaticum - Artemisia
schmidtiana community on rough rocky coasts, while in areas
surrounding the rocky coasts with some soil developed on steep faces,Mt. Rausu photo by MACHIDA Yasuyoshi

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2004 WORLD HERITAGE LIST NOMINATION ● JAPAN

there are tall-herb communities such as Saussurea riederi var. yezoensis Achillea ptarmica var. macrocephala community. At the tip of thepeninsula, Shiretoko Cape, there is an extensive area of sea-eroded
tableland. Empetrum nigrum var. japonica communities carpet theedges of the tableland facing northwest, which are swept by the winterseasonal winds, and there are Allium schoenoprasum var. yezomonticolacommunities on the gravel beds in between. These communities
resemble the combination of dwarf scrub of “heath” and rough herb
communities found on alpine wind-exposed sites in Europe. While on topof the tableland, there are montane tall-herb communities consisting of
Artemisia montana, Filipendula camtschatica and so on, while near theedges, there are subalpine tall-herb communities consisting mainly
Polygonum bistorta and Aconitum maximum (Sato, K., 1981b). However,these communities are in decline due to foraging by Yezo sika deerCervus nippon yesoensis which have concentrated in the Shiretoko
Peninsula in the last decade.

Description

Examples of plant communities that are not zonally distributed below
the timberline are solfatara and wetland vegetation. In the solfatara
surrounded by mixed forest on the mountainside of Mt. Iou and Mt.
Rausu, there is vegetation composed of alpine plants such as Japanesestone pine, Ledum palustre ssp. diversipilosum, Empetrum nigrum var.
japonica and Gaultheria miqueliana and temperate zone plants such as
Miscanthus sinensis and Hydrangea paniculata. In the area around Lake
Rausu (altitude approx. 740 m) and the Shiretoko-goko lakes (altitude239 m), there are high moors, low moors and marsh/swamp vegetationsuch as Nuphar pumilum and Menyanthes trifoliate.
The area above the timberline is extensively covered by Japanese stonepine scrub. In Honshu (the main island of Japan), Japanese stone pine
scrub usually occurs above altitudes of 2,000 meters but at Shiretoko

Japanese stone pine Pinus pumila scrub photo by MURATA Ryosuke

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Peninsula, they occur at 950 meters at some places (Okitsu, 1987) and as
low as 570 meters at Mt. Shiretoko (altitude 1,254 m) (Sato, K., 1998). In
several locations along the ridges in the montane zone (altitude
approximately 300 m to 400 m), there are some local communities ofJapanese stone pine. It is considered that the effects of the winterseasonal winds combined with topographical factors create harshconditions that favor such vegetation patterns.

With regard to the seaweed vegetation at Shiretoko Peninsula, there is aclear habitat segregation of seaweed species between shallow and deep
water areas due to the following factors: there are sheer cliffs along thecoastline; there are few artificial structure on the seashore; there is noland erosion by livestock which is causing murky water to runoff into
the sea; there is little impact of human activity. For example, on theextensively studied east coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula, seaweed
species are distributed in zonation, starting from the seashore withColpomenia sinuosa and then onto Silvetia babingtonii, Fucus distichus
ssp. evanescens, Analipus japonicus, Analipus filiformis, Chondrus
yendoi and Chordaria flagelliformis. Among these species, S. babingtonii
and F. d. evanescens develop large conspicuous communities and most of
the flat rock beds near the shore are covered with these two species.
There are also significant communities of Halosaccion firmum which isa cold current species in the intertidal zone of the flat shore in Moireushibay (Kurogi et al., 1985).

Primula cuneifolia photo by Shiretoko Museum

Description

The alpine vegetation of the Shiretoko mountain range creates astunning and beautiful landscape, despite the relatively low altitude of
the vegetation. Large communities of alpine plants are foundparticularly on Mt. Onnebetsu, Mt. Chinishibetsu and along the ridgefrom Mt. Rausu to Mt. Iou, in addition to areas around Mt. Shiretoko. In
wind-exposed sites there is less snow cover on the ground, preventing
the development of Japanese stone pine scrub. In these areas, there are
Arcterica nana - Loiseleuria procumbens community (dwarf scrub on
alpine wind-exposed site) and Viola kitamiana community (alpine
herbaceous communities including the endemic Viola kitamiana andArenaria merckioides which only grows in Hokkaido on wind-exposed
gravelfield). Viola kitamiana community is of special interest as theyare unique to the Shiretoko mountain range and are only found in windexposed gravelfield such as volcanic gravelfield of Mt. Iou, Mt. Higashi,Mt. Chienbetsu and Mt. Minami and the wind-exposed saddle between
Mt. Onnebetsu and Mt. Chinishibetsu. On the snow-patches, there areSanguisorba stipulata - Juncus beringensis communities (herbaceouscommunities on the edge of flowing water from snow-patches),
Phyllodoce communities (dwarf scrub on snow-patches consisting ofPhyllodoce caerulea, P. aleutica, P. caerulea forma yesoensis and so on),Saxifraga merkii - Carex flavocuspis communities (herbaceous
communities on the gravel grounds at the bottom of snow-patches). In
areas with avalanches, there is Saussurea riederi var. yezoensis - Carex
scita var. riishirensis community (alpine/subalpine forb communities,
tall-herb community on moist snow-patches). The high moors of Futatsu
pond (altitude 1,320 m) and Shiretoko swamp (altitude 920 m) are both
located above the timberline and they contain alpine plants such as
Bryanthus gmelinii, Loiseleuria procumbens and Juniperus communis
var. montana in addition to Sphagnum species (Sato, K., 1981a).

Geum pentapetalum
photo by Ministry of the Environment

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2004 WORLD HERITAGE LIST NOMINATION ● JAPAN

3a. 5. 2 Flora - terrestrial and marine
The vascular plant flora on land and the seaweed flora of the Shiretoko
Peninsula contain a unique mixture and distribution of northern andsouthern species.

Description

Saxifraga merkii
photo by Ministry of the Environment

Pentstemon frutescens
photo by Ministry of the Environment

The vascular plant flora is diverse as there are many northern species inalpine plants, while in plants excluding alpine plants, southern species
co-exist in large proportion. The flora contains 104 families, 817 species,
59 varieties and 18 breeds and alpine plants (Kawano, 1971) account for
more than one quarter of them with 233 species (Sato, K. et al., 1985).
The species in the alpine flora of the Shiretoko Peninsula have thehighest proportion of northern plant groups and the lowest proportion ofsouthern plant groups from East Asia among the “Four major mountain
ranges in Hokkaido”, that consist of Mt. Daisetsu, Hidaka mountain
range and the Yuubari mountains together with Shiretoko Peninsula.
The northern plant group species are distributed mainly in the tundra of
the polar areas of the northern hemisphere i.e. the polar areas in Eurasia
or Asia-North America, the North Pacific region and Northeast Asia orNorth Asia. The southern limit for most of these species is Hokkaido or
the mountain areas of Honshu. It is suggested that Hokkaido’s alpine
flora was developed under the influences from three different routes:
The northeast route from Kamchatka/North America via the Kuril
Islands; the north route from the far eastern area of the continent viaSakhalin; and the south route via the Korean Peninsula and Honshu(Tatewaki, 1963; 1967; Watanabe, 1971). The fact that the alpine flora ofthe Shiretoko Peninsula contains many species which belong to thenorthern plant group thought to have migrated via the Kuril Islands andSakhalin during Ice period supports the above theory.
In addition, the following species are excellent examples of the isolated
distribution of the Shiretoko alpine flora:• Artemisia laciniata : A species of arctic element; the domestic
distribution is limited to Mt. Oohira, Rebun Island and Shiretoko Capein Hokkaido.
• Chrysanthemum vulgare var. boreale: A species of Eurasiatic element;
the domestic distribution is limited to Rishiri and Rebun Islands andShiretoko Peninsula.
• Aconitum maximum: A species of northern Pacific element; thedomestic distribution is limited to Shiretoko Peninsula.
• Astragalus japonicus : A species of northern Pacific element; thedomestic distribution is limited to Mt. Shari and Shiretoko Peninsula.
• Cochlearia oblongifolia: A species of northern Pacific element; thedomestic distribution is limited to Nemuro and coastal cliffs ofShiretoko Peninsula.
• Stellaria ruscifolia: A species of Asiatic element (North eastern AsiaHimalayan element); the domestic distribution is limited to mountainzones in mid-parts of Honshu and several locations in Hokkaido.
• Arenaria merckioides : A species of Japanese element; the domestic
distribution is limited to Akan and Shiretoko Mountain range inHokkaido.

Viola kitamiana photo by MURATA Ryosuke

Another significant species is the Viola kitamiana which is endemic tothe Shiretoko Mountain range.
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On the other hand, the vascular plant flora excluding the alpine plants
contains many southern species, and among them, there are somespecies with isolated distribution. The following are examples of isolated
distribution in Shiretoko Peninsula:• Apocynum venetum var. basikurumon (listed as “Endangered” on
Ministry of the Environment Red List: EN, MoE Red List) (Tohyama,1958), which is distributed on the Sea of Japan-side coastline fromTohoku area to Hokkaido, is limited to coastal cliffs;• temperate zone plants such as Daphniphyllum macropodum var.
humile, Calanthe tricarinata (EN, MoE Red List), Calanthe nipponica(EN, MoE Red List) and Ilex crenata var. paludosa, that covernorthwards along the heavy snowfall areas on the Sea of Japan-side of
Hokkaido, are limited to forests in the montane zone (Tatewaki, 1954;
Sato, K. et al., 1985); and• large trees of Katsura tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum (LR, IUCN RedList), which is endemic to Japan, in the montane zone.

Description

It is considered that the differences in climate and topography between
western and eastern parts of the peninsula also have an effect on thedistribution of plants. Distribution of temperate zone ferns such as
Asplenium scolopendrium, Asplenium incisum and Osmunda japonica
are limited to the Sea of Okhotsk side while Athyrium yokoscense grows
only on the Nemuro Strait side (Sato, T. et al., 1997). Similarly,
Daphniphyllum macropodum var. humile is only distributed on the Seaof Okhotsk side of Mt. Rausu (Nakagawa, 1988).
In the coastal waters of the Shiretoko Peninsula, there are both cold
current-based seaweeds (which distribute also around the Kuril Islandsand Sakhalin) and warm current-based seaweeds (which are mainly
distributed around Hokkaido and further south). The seaweed flora isunique in that it contains many species of warm current-based seaweeds
in spite of being situated in a seasonal sea ice area. Among the 134species (Chlorophyceae 28; Phaeophyceae 41; and Rhodophyceae 65) ofseaweed recorded along the Rausu coast and the area around Utoro(Kurogi et al., 1985), there are 32 species of warm current-based
seaweed, which is the same level as the 29 species of cold current based

Kelp forest photo by KURASAWA Eiichi

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2004 WORLD HERITAGE LIST NOMINATION ● JAPANseaweed. It is considered that this unique distribution is a result of thefollowing conditions: the southern shift of the Soya warm current insummer; the southern shift of the East Sakhalin Current (cold current)
in winter; and the both currents end up approximately in this area. Whilethe coastal waters of the Shiretoko Peninsula belong to the temperatezone in terms of seaweed distribution, it can be classified as a boundary
temperate zone strongly influenced by cold currents.
The coastal waters of the Shiretoko Peninsula are also habitats for somerare seaweeds. Cymathaere japonica (listed as “Rare” on Fisheries
Agency Data book: R, FA Data book) is an isolated species with a limited
distribution range. The domestic habitat is limited to the coastal area ofRausu town (Kawashima, 1994). Akkesiphycus lubricum is a primitive
type of kelp, which is found only in a limited area. The southern limit forthis species is in Kushiro, eastern part of Hokkaido. In 1944, it was foundin Akkeshi and later, in 1968, distribution near Shiretoko Peninsula wasconfirmed (Kurogi, 1968; Kurogi and Yamada, 1970).

3a. 6 Animals
Description

The nominated site supports a diverse population of animal species,
combining northern species from Sakhalin and southern species from
Honshu. In addition, almost all the terrestrial mammals and birds that
historically inhabited Hokkaido are preserved at the nominated site due
to its pristine virgin nature.
3a.6. 1 Terrestrial mammals
Terrestrial mammals that inhabit the Shiretoko Peninsula are classified
in six orders, 12 families and 35 species (Shiretoko Museum, 2000).
Among them, three species of one family of Chiroptera are listed as
Endangered (EN) or Lower Risk (LR) in the IUCN Red List, and further
five species of the same family and one species of Insectivora, total ofnine species of two orders, are listed as Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable(VU) in the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment.
The topography of the Shiretoko Peninsula is complex and there arevarious types of vegetation within a narrow range of altitudes from thecoastline to the mountain peaks of approximately 1,600 meters above sea

Brown bear Ursus arctos photo by Shiretoko Nature Foundation42