Marine biodiversity research in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan: current status and trends

Marine biodiversity research in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, reveals significant gaps and biases that hinder conservation efforts. The study found that research is heavily concentrated on certain taxa (e.g., Pisces, Cnidaria) and sub-regions with larger human populations or marine research stations, such as Okinawa and Yaeyama, while understudied areas like Tokara, Miyako, Yakutane, and Amami Oshima lack adequate data. Additionally, the Ryukyu Islands lag behind other major coral reef regions in studies on critical topics like marine protected areas and herbivory, despite their high endemism and anthropogenic threats. The analysis of 1995-2017 Web of Science literature and OBIS records highlights the need for broader, more equitable research to address these gaps and protect critically endangered species.

Reimer, J. D., Biondi, P., Lau, Y. W., Masucci, G. D., Nguyen, X. H., Santos, M. E. A., & Wee, H. B. (2019). Marine biodiversity research in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan: current status and trends. PeerJ, 7, e6532. Portico. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6532