Raising awareness for conservation of Japan's most extensive evergreen forest

The Yambaru World Heritage Conservation Center Ufugi Nature Museum is a facility designed to raise public awareness of the outstanding universal value of northern Okinawa Island (Yambaru)—inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site on July 26, 2021—as well as the diverse wildlife that makes up its rich natural environment and the attractions it offers. Originally opened in 1999 as the Yambaru Wildlife Conservation Center Ufugi Nature Museum, the facility was reopened in 2026 as a World Heritage center.

"Yambaru" refers to the northern part of the main island of Okinawa, a region home to one of Japan's largest subtropical evergreen forests. Yambaru is an area of exceptional biodiversity, hosting approximately 1,000 species of vascular plants, some 3,800 species of insects, and around 20 percent of Japan’s native reptiles. Furthermore, animals such as the Yambaru rail bird and the Yambaru long-armed scarab beetle , as well as plants such as the Okinawa sekkoku orchid, are endemic species found only in the forests of Yambaru.

Inside the center, visitors can readily learn about the nature of Yambaru, a World Natural Heritage site, through large-scale models, an immersive four-screen theater showcasing beautiful imagery, and forest dioramas. Preserved specimens of mammals and birds—including the Ryukyu giant rat and the Yambaru rail, both now protected due to the impacts of predation by invasive species and habitat loss—are also on display.

Visitors are kindly asked to make a voluntary contribution in lieu of a standard admission fee. These contributions go to the Yambaru World Natural Heritage Fund (Ufugi Fund), managed and operated by the Yambaru Nature Experience Activity Council, and are used to support activities that contribute to the conservation and appropriate use of the Yambaru region’s irreplaceable natural environment. If you support this mission, the museum would deeply appreciate your contribution.