Hotokenuma

Hotokenuma (仏沼) is a wetland area located in the northern part of the city of Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. The wetland is connected to the eastern shores of Lake Ogawara at the base of the Shimokita Peninsula.

Hotokenuma
仏沼
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
view of Hotokenuma
LocationJapan
Nearest cityMisawa, Aomori
Coordinates
Area737 ha (1,820 acres)
EstablishedNovember 1, 2005
Designated8 November 2005
Reference no.1543[1]

Protected area

Land reclamation projects began in the 1960s to convert the area into rice paddy fields. In the year 2002, the Ministry of the Environment classified the area to be one of the 500 Important Wetlands in Japan particularly for its diversity of avian life, particularly as a nesting area for the Japanese marsh warbler[2] Subsequently, 737 hectares of the site received national protection as a bird sanctuary on November 1, 2005, of which 222 hectares received the additional designation of a Special Protected Area.[3] This same 222 hectare portion of the site was further designated as a Ramsar Site in on November 8, 2005.[4][5]

The area is noted for its biodiversity. Per a survey made by the Ministry of the Environment in the year 2000, the area contained:[6]。

  • Flora: 52 families, 228 species
  • Mammals: 7 families, 11 species
  • Bird: 37 families, 161 species
  • Amphibians: 6 families. 7 species
  • Fish: 5 families, 8 species
  • Insects: 43 families, 274 species

Birds

Hotokenuma is home to the Japanese marsh warbler (Locustella pryeri) and the Japanese reed bunting (Emberiza yessoensis), both listed as near-threatened on the IUCN Red List.[7][8]

See also
  • Ramsar Sites in Japan

References
  1. "Hotokenuma". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "500 Important Wetlands in Japan". No. 65 Hotoke-numa. The Ministry of the Environment, Japan. 2002. Archived from the original on 2013-01-06. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  3. 国指定鳥獣保護区一覧 [List of Wildlife Protection Areas established at a National level] (PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  4. "The Annotated Ramsar List: Japan". Ramsar. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  5. "Ramsar Sites in Japan - Hotokenuma" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  6. 絶滅危惧種検索 - 環境省生物多様性センター
  7. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  8. "An oasis for rare birds". The Daily Yomiuri. Retrieved 24 March 2011.


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