今まで訪れた集落の中で、もっとも生物密度が高く感じられる与路島。
The density of living things in Yoro island is the highest among the villages I have ever visited.
与路島の浜にはアダンの防潮林、集落には大樹が茂り、遠くからは森の集落。その環境が、鳥を呼び寄せ、朝夕は、さえずりが集落に響きます。
通りには、さまざまな花があふれ、蜜に引き寄せられた黒や白の大きな蝶が飛び交います。集落の中で、間近をこんなにもの蝶が横切るのは初めての経験。アダンの根元には、落ちた実を求めて、ムラサキオカヤドカリが集まっています。がさごそと、落ち葉をとてつもない数が這い回る音が、かなり離れた場所でも大きく聞こえ、小さな生物が集まって、巨大な力を持つ怖さを感じます。そして、美しいサンゴ石垣は、ハブの棲み家で、そこかしこにあるハブ棒が、その存在を暗示します。
空き家は多いものの、住民はいるし、往来も時折ありますが、最盛時から減少し、控えめになった人間の存在と生物全体が共生する絶妙なバランスを見つけたのが与路集落。この集落では、人間も生物多様性の一要素。人の密度が低くなるのも、悪いことばかりではない。
夏の夜に咲くサガリバナ。甘い芳香に、暗闇に胞子のような白い花が浮かび上がる希少種を見るため、遠くから観光客が訪れます。
In Yoro Island, the beachis lined with Pandanus trees to control a tide-water, and large trees grow in the village. It is a forest village from a distance. The environment attracts birds, and in the morning and evening, the chirping echoes in the village.
The streets are full of various flowers. Large black and white butterflies attracted by their nectar fly around. It is my first experience to see many numbers of butterflies cross a close distance in a village. Coenobita purpureus gathers around the base of Pandanus trees where the fruits drop. The noise that coenobitas crawl on fallen leaves towards the fruits are heard loudly even at a great distance, and I felt a little scared of the enormous power of small creatures gathering together. The beautiful coral stone walls are the habitat of a poisonous snake and the sticks for driving away from a snake in the village imply its existence.
Even though there are many vacant houses, residents live and traffic is occasional. But the state of the actual village generates an exquisite balance to coexist between living things and human existence, which has decreased since the peak. Here, humans are also an element of biodiversity. It's not all bad things that people are less dense.
Barringtonia racemosa, which blooms on summer nights, is a rare species with sweet fragrances and spore-like white flowers in the dark. Tourists visit the island from afar to see it.
Rich variety of wild flowers in the village. Probably one kind of orchid.
Rich variety of wild flowers in the village. Probably one kind of orchid.
夜のサガリバナ / Barringtonia racemosa in the dark
The dinner in the inn. It mainly composes of local ingredients. The cucumber as a garnish with sashimi had an exquisite sweetness, so I asked the landlady if she had pickled it in sweet vinegar. She said she just cut the island cucumber, which she harvested in her fields. Rich ingredients from sea and land are also biodiversity.
ご感想はこちらへ / Click here for your impressions
もっと詳しく → 旅行の時間 - 奄美の集落：与路島 - 5：生物多様性（瀬戸内、奄美群島、鹿児島、日本）
When you want to know more → Time of Travel - Village in Amami Islands：Yorojima Island - 5 : Biological diversity（Setouchi, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan）
参考文献 / reference
Wikipedia
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