The Effectiveness of Plant Protection Under Japan's Natural Monuments System

All of the national natural monuments concerning plants were examined to reconsider the management effectiveness. Two aspects of management effectiveness were addressed by this research: 1) The management of existing natural monuments (are the existing natural monuments effectively managed?); and, 2) The location and target of existing natural monuments (will the natural monument network represent and effectively retain regional and national biodiversity?). All natural monuments were classified into the single tree, the population and the community. There is the most number of the single tree in three types. The natural monument network protected only a minority of regional and national biodiversity. Almost all the natural monuments are conserved from the destruction of habitat. However, many natural monuments have the problems in their conservation. For example, the problems are trample, extraction, succession, natural disaster and so on. The natural monument policy must shift from ad hoc conservation to strategic planning for the achievement of conservation targets.