Roughly half the undeveloped tracts of land near populated areas, or "satoyama," host more than five types of endangered flora and fauna, according to an Environment Ministry survey released Wednesday.
Described as the buffer area between urban and pristine natural areas, satoyama such as forests and fields make up around 40 percent of Japan's land and are clearly of great importance to much of the nation's wild plants and animals, the report says.
Satoyama were found to be of critical importance to many of the nation's 1,994 endangered plants and 668 endangered animals, officials said.
Forty-nine percent of satoyama host five or more endangered animal species, while 55 percent host endangered plant species, the survey shows.
In addition, there are more than 1,000 groups around the nation, such as bird-watching and nature-walking organizations, that depend on these areas, with more than a third located in major urban areas.
The survey was the first comprehensive study of satoyama and will be used in a ministerial revision of its biodiversity preservation strategy later this fiscal year.