■2005 JICA Training Course "Conservation, Restoration and Wise Use of Wetland Ecosystems and Their Biological Diversity"

From May 16 to June 24, 2005, a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) group training course on the "Conservation, Restoration and Wise Use of Wetland Ecosystems and Their Biological Diversity" was held. JICA Obihiro International Centre was the administrative institution, and the Nature Conservation Bureau of the Ministry of the Environment and the KIWC were the hosting institutions.
This course, which was the second session for this theme, was provided for six participants from six countries (Colombia, Laos, Nepal, Oman, Tanzania and Thailand) who were researchers and mid-level administrative officers involved in environmental and nature conservation. Various case examples were presented in the course, illustrating approaches to the restoration and rehabilitation of damaged environment in Japan, from the Kushiro wetlands in Hokkaido to coral reefs and the mangrove coast in Okinawa, in order to conserve ecosystems and biological diversity in wetlands. Participants took part in many practical training programs such as environmental education and eco-tours, and learned sustainable use of natural resources in wetlands through firsthand experience.
During their stay in the Kushiro region, the participants were able to interact with many citizens through home visits, and discussions with university students studying about eco-tourism and environmental conservation.

■2005 JICA Training Course "Management for Eco-tourism and Sustainable Use of Natural Parks "

From August 22 to September 30, 2005, a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) group training course on "Management for Eco-tourism and Sustainable Use of Natural Parks" was held with the JICA Obihiro International Centre as the administrative institution and the Kushiro International Wetland Centre (KIWC) as the hosting institution.
In the current fiscal year, the third group training course was held, in which six people from six countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kyrgyz, Mongolia, Nepal, Romania and Tajikistan) participated. The participants were all mid-level administrative officers involved in tourism and environmental conservation in their respective countries. During the program, which took participants to various natural parks in eastern Hokkaido and even as far as Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture, there were numerous activities for the participants to take part in, including hands-on eco-tour programs, lectures on natural park systems and concepts of ecotourism, and observation of Hokkaido's environmental education programs. The course included a visit to Hamanaka Kiritappu Junior High School and observation of the wetland recovery project taking place at Hokkaido Shibecha High School, which gave the participants a chance to exchange ideas with young people.
The participants gave presentations at the end of the course describing action plans to make practical use of what they learned through these programs to introduce and utilize eco-tourism in their own countries.

■Implementation of the 2005 River Environment Observation Tour

The River Environment Observation Tour was held again in fiscal year 2005, subsidized by the Foundation of River & Watershed Environment Management's River Environment Fund. This year it was held twice, once for citizens (adults) and once for the Kushiro Wetlands Little Rangers (children). The October 10th (Sunday) program gave adults the chance to observe the environment around Lake Kussharo, the source of the Kushiro River, while riding on rafts. Later, they played a card game by Lake Toro in which they learned about the environmental conditions necessary for Red-crowned crane habitats and then took canoes to observe the natural environment around the middle of Kushiro River and compare it with what they saw upstream. The weather was good on this nice autumn day and allowed the 19 participants, including three foreign citizens, to have a good time while learning about river environments.
On November 3rd, the children's event was held. A total of 31 people participated, including 27 Kushiro Wetlands Little Rangers, and they took a hike to observe the natural environment around Lake Toro. They also participated in beach seining, and when everyone worked together to pull up the net, the children were excited to see many different kinds of fish, from large carp to tiny pricklebacks (the fish were released back into the river after observation). They then took canoes from the lake down the Kushiro River and observed wildlife around the riverside and the flow of the water.