Kushiro Shitsugen National Park
Encyclopedia
is a national park
located in the east of the island of Hokkaidō
, Japan
. It was designated as a national park on 31 July 1987, and is the 28th and most recent of Japan's national parks. The park is known for its wetlands ecosystems.
Kushiro Shitsugen covers an area of 268.61 km² and contains the largest tracts of reedbeds in Japan. During the Ramsar Convention
of 1980, in which Japan participated, the park was first registered as a peatland with raised bogs. In 1967, the wetlands themselves had been designated as a national natural monument
. For that reason, access is strictly limited and the landscape, most typical of Hokkaidō, has been preserved.
Reeds
, sedge
s, peat moss wetlands, black alder
thicket
s, rivers which bend freely back and forth, groups of lakes and marshes, and other wet ecosystems comprise a varied environment. The park is considered to be a valuable haven for wild species such as the Red-crowned Crane
, huchen
(Hucho perryi), Siberian salamander
(Salamandrella keyserlingii) and dragonfly
(Leucorrhinia intermedia ijimai), among others.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located in the east of the island of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was designated as a national park on 31 July 1987, and is the 28th and most recent of Japan's national parks. The park is known for its wetlands ecosystems.
Kushiro Shitsugen covers an area of 268.61 km² and contains the largest tracts of reedbeds in Japan. During the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
of 1980, in which Japan participated, the park was first registered as a peatland with raised bogs. In 1967, the wetlands themselves had been designated as a national natural monument
Natural Monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
. For that reason, access is strictly limited and the landscape, most typical of Hokkaidō, has been preserved.
Reeds
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
, sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
s, peat moss wetlands, black alder
Black Alder
Alnus glutinosa is an alder native to most of Europe, including all of the British Isles and Fennoscandia and locally in southwest Asia....
thicket
Thicket
A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large amounts of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in the shelter of the maternal plants.In some conditions the...
s, rivers which bend freely back and forth, groups of lakes and marshes, and other wet ecosystems comprise a varied environment. The park is considered to be a valuable haven for wild species such as the Red-crowned Crane
Red-crowned Crane
The Red-crowned Crane , also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane , is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world...
, huchen
Huchen
The huchen or Danube salmon is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is the type species of its genus...
(Hucho perryi), Siberian salamander
Siberian salamander
The Siberian salamander, Salamandrella keyserlingii, is a species of salamander found in Northeast Asia. It is found primarily in Siberia, in wet woods and riparian groves. There are also outlying populations in northern Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and also in northeastern China and on the Korean...
(Salamandrella keyserlingii) and dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
(Leucorrhinia intermedia ijimai), among others.
Related cities, towns and villages
- Kushiro SubprefectureKushiro Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan.-Towns and villages by district:* Akan District** Tsurui* Akkeshi District** Akkeshi** Hamanaka* Kawakami District** Shibecha** Teshikaga* Kushiro District** Kushiro* Shiranuka District** Shiranuka- History :...
- Kushiro, HokkaidōKushiro, Hokkaidois a city located in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Kushiro Subprefecture, as well as the most populous city in eastern Hokkaidō....
- Kushiro, Hokkaidō (town)Kushiro, Hokkaido (town)is a town located in Kushiro District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. As of March 31, 2008 it has an estimated population of 21,602 and an area of 252.57 km².- History :*1920 Kushiro Village split from old Kushiro Town...
- Shibecha, HokkaidōShibecha, Hokkaidois a town located in Kawakami District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō of Japan. As of March 31, 2008 it has an estimated population of 8,567 and an area of 1,099.41 km²....
- Tsurui, HokkaidōTsurui, Hokkaidois a village located in Akan District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō. As of December 31, 2007 it has an estimated population of 2,596 and an area of 571.84 km².Tsurui is a breeding ground for the Red-crowned Crane, one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan....
- Kushiro, Hokkaidō