Amami Guntō National Park replaces Amami Guntō Quasi-National Park
History
On 15 February 1974 the Amami Guntō Quasi-National Park was founded on Amami Ōshima. On 7 March 2017 the Amami Guntō National Park was established and it subsumed the former Amami Guntō Quasi-National Park. The Amami Guntō National Park includes parts of the municipalities of Amagi, Amami, China, Isen, Kikai, Setouchi, Tatsugō, Tokunoshima, Uken, Wadomari, Yamato, and Yoron.
The designation of the new National Park, alongside that of Yanbaru National Park, is part of the movement to have Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.The Amami Wildlife Center is managed by Japan's Ministry of the Environment to protect and preserve the natural ecosystem of the Amami Islands.