【Designated by the City：Natural Monument (Flora)】Plant Communities of Karimata

It is a natural forest growing on the hills behind the Karimata settlement. On the east side is a sheer cliff that drops to the ocean, and in the distant, Ogami Island can be observed. This plant community is a narrow line of growth along the shoreline, stretching from the north to south, and is the largest area of natural forest found within the Miyako Islands. With Isozu/Oshiro Utaki and other sacred sites dotting the area, the whole area of the plant community is protected as a sacred site.
There are numerous species of vegetation growing in the communities which have developed well, adapting to the varying environment of the topography and geography of the location. Found at the northeastern shores are communities of fan flowers, coast cotton trees, common garcinia, Chinese lantern trees, blush macaranga, and the Tabunoki. At the talus and the steep angles are Ryukyu-gaki, Akatetsu, and the Ryukyu ebony communities. Confirmed at the shoulder and to the settlement are plant communities of Terihaboku, Tsugemodoki, and Kuroyona.
In addition, found in this area are most of the forest vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, and birds) inhabiting the Miyako Islands, and we are able to observe the ecology of these animals.
Not only is this location a sacred place and a tide-water control forest, but the plant communities of Karimata is an important natural monument that teach us about the locations where the vertebrates of the forest inhabit, and to observe the plant life of those growing in the regions of Ryukyu limestone.