Kushiro Mire boasts one of Japan's most outstanding
natural environments and serves as an important habitat for
wildlife. The mire is important for human beings, too, serving
as a reservoir through its water retention and purification,
providing flood control as a retarding basin, and moderating
the regional climate. The mire is a precious asset that should
be conserved now and in the future.
The recent expansion of economic activities in the catchment
basin has resulted in a marked decrease in the mire area,
and the mire vegetation has changed rapidly from colonies
of reed and sedge to alder forest. Nature is destined to change,
and the mire cannot escape its transformation to land. However,
the recent changes have had a negative impact not only on
wildlife, but also on humans. It is urgent that we develop
countermeasures based on various practical investigations
and evaluations for the conservation and recovery of the mire.
Kushiro Mire extends over the catchment basin of the Kushiro
River. Residents of this basin, citizens' groups, private
companies and administrative bodies all relate to the mire
in various ways. Even so, very few of the exchanges and instances
of cooperation among these groups are based on their various
relationships with to the mire, and this can be a major problem.
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Kushiro Mire (July
1997)
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