Table 2. Summary of key research priorities to support marine biodiversity, marine ecology, and marine conservation in the Ryukyus (RYS).

Research priority	Cause(s)/source(s) of need	Achievability rank (1 (low) − 5 (high)) + comments
More research on Yakutane, Miyako and Tokara island groups.	Low numbers of publications.	4. Dependent on funding to organize expeditions.
More research on Dinoflagellata.	Least studied taxon (n = 44), of ecological interest + importance.	3. Requires taxonomists and chemical and molecular equipment. Some taxa impossible to keep in culture.
More research on Echinodermata.	Understudied (n = 51). Most studies only around Okinawa Island. Includes coral predators and species of economic interest, potentially threatened.	4. Requires taxonomists and molecular equipment.
More research on Mollusca.	Relatively understudied (n = 92). Includes coral predators and species of economic interest, potentially threatened.	4. Requires taxonomists and molecular equipment.
More studies on ‘herbivory’ and ‘apex predators’.	Important in marine conservation. Understudied in the RYS. Herbivores and apex predators potentially threatened/overharvested.	5. Requires scientists focused on these topics.
More studies on marine protected areas (MPAs).	Critical for marine conservation.	2. Requires functioning MPAs. In Japan, no-take-zones are currently absent.
Implementation of new MPAs.	Critical for marine conservation.	1. MPAs are still largely seen negatively. More effort should be invested in public outreach and education.
Making Japanese literature more accessible.	Science should be accessible by international scientific community. Possibility of increased international collaboration and funding.	5. Requiring at least title and abstract submitted in English should be feasible for scientific journals. Some journals already do this. Encourage publishing in English. Research institutions should provide language support.