Izunuma and nearby lakes (15272)
Japan, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Izunuma and nearby lakes
Central coordinates: Latitude: 38.7167, Longitude: 141.1167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 40
Area of KBA (km2): 19.8948
Protected area coverage (%): 57.45
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is formed on the borderlines of plains and hilly districts in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture. Lake Izunuma and Lake Uchinuma area used to be a vast wetland spreading along the Hasamagawa river, but repeated reclamation works have shaped the present form of lakes. Underwater and floating leaved plants thrive in the shallow waters, while emergent plant zone with Phragmites australis and others expands along the lakes. Salix forests are formed outside the emergent plant zone, along banks and inflowing rivers. In some parts of its extensive open water surface, muddy bottoms of the lakes are exposed like tidal wetlands in the drought season. Most of the flat lands around the lakes are rice paddy fields, and low hills around the lakes are utilized as afforestation areas for Cyryptomeria japonica, Quercus serrata and Castanea crenata secondary forests, fields, residential areas and for other versatile purposes.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 50 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 50 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Only in the future | |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Ongoing |