Imuta-ike. 08/11/05; Kagoshima; 60 ha; 31°49'N 130°28'E. Natural Habitat Conservation Area, Natural Monument. In Satuma-sendai city, outflowing to the Sendai River and surrounded by a small cluster of volcanoes, the freshwater crater lake Imuta-ike of Iimori Mountain forms a crucial component of its surrounding lake-low moor ecosystem. At the northwest, the peat 'islands' are considered a national natural monument serving an ideal for Phragmites japonica, Zizania latifolia Manchurian Wild-rice, and Nymphea tetragona Pygmy Water Lily. The lake is a conservation priority for many species of dragonfly including IUCN Redlisted critically endangered Libellua Angelina. It is also a breeding site for Spot-billed duck and habitat for various other waterfowl. Scarcity of human settlements in the area has kept its pristine environment, although water is utilized for irrigation downstream. The city government established a Ecosystem Preservation Museum to raise public awareness of the site's diversity, especially the peat plant communities, using interpretive panels, models, visual images and training sessions. Annually, about 35,000 tourists visit the site for sight-seeing, finishing and canoeing. Ramsar site no. 1544. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

Last publication date: 08-11-2005