Sobo, Katamuki and Okue Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2017, in Japan. This site, part of the Sobo–Katamuki–Okue mountain range, is characterised by steep mountains. Forests cover 85 per cent of this site. The use of forest resources, including wood production, shiitake mushroom cultivation and coal production, has remained sustainable. Owing to high forest biodiversity, research on fauna and flora in the mountain range has long been conducted, and the area has become an important base for biodiversity in the region.