A site on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido is expected to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage List this summer following a recommendation by an advisory body, government officials said Tuesday.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has told UNESCO that Shiretoko would merit inclusion as a world natural heritage site because it meets the criteria in terms of ecosystem and biodiversity, Environment Minister Yuriko Koike said.
According to the assessment by the IUCN, Shiretoko is a good model in which marine and land ecosystems are correlated.