JP101Katano-Kamoike

Site Description

Wetlands

Katano-Kamoike was once a valley formed by fall of the sea level, the uplift of the land and erosion by running water. It was subsequently filled with water to form a pond. The area is covered with various aquatic plants. Around the pond there spread scrub forests such as Quercus crispula, broadleaf forests. Since the Edo Era, rice has been grown in paddy fields from spring to summer. Thanks to this fact the environment of wetlands has been preserved up to the present. But, due to the rice acreage reduction policy and the aging of farmers, rice cultivation is decreasing. As a result, Phragmites australis and other aquatic plants have grown thick and are gradually filling in the pond with their sediment (through the process of eutrophication).

Area & Coordinates

100ha 36°19′N 136°18′E
region: Kohshinetsu Hokuriku

Category

A1, A4i

Designation Type

Quasi-National Park, Wildlife Protection Area (government), National Monument, Ramsar Site

Protection Status

Protected

Conservation issues

• Agricultural intensification/expansion
• Natural events
• Consequences of animal/plants/ introductions