Kushiro Wetland Photography Contest
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Kushiro Wetland's designation as a national park, KIWC and the Kushiro-shitsugen National Park Liaison Association jointly organized a photo contest with a theme entitled Promotion of the Kushiro Wetland's Appeal. A total of 7 of the 95 photos submitted won prizes, with the Kushiro Wetland Award going to the best one. These works were exhibited at six venues in Kushiro City, Kushiro Town, Shibecha Town and Tsurui Village, which all adjoin the Kushiro Wetland, from June 20 to August 29, 2012. Some of the images were also used as posters to introduce our wetland in a display booth at the Ramsar COP 11 event in Romania in July of the same year in order to highlight the wetland's appeal to conference participants from around the world.
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Photo Exchange with a Sister Wetland
WetlandCare Australia runs its National Art and Photography Competition annually in conjunction with World Wetlands Day on February 2. Winning works from the competition and entries in the Kushiro Wetland Photography Contest were exhibited at the Lake Toro Eco-Museum Center in the Kushiro Wetland area from November 19 to 22, 2012. P Photo Exchange with a Sister Wetland hotos of the Kushiro Wetland were also sent to the Hunter Estuary Wetland (a sister wetland in Australia) via WetlandCare Australia, and a photo exhibition was held at the Hunter Wetlands Centre in late November of the same year.

Lecture to Celebrate Dr. Tsujii's receipt of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award and the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Class 4)

To celebrate his receipt of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, KIWC asked Dr. Tatsuichi Tsujii to give a commemorative lecture in Kushiro City on November 21, 2012, with the title "The Future of Ramsar Wetlands." Dr. Tsujii spoke to an audience about the regional fruits of wetlands, such as funazushi (crucian carp sushi) made with fish from Lake Biwa and peaty whisky, and highlighted how eco-friendly and wise use of these benefits could help to strike a balance between conservation and economic vitality.
The lecture also stressed that eastern Hokkaido should be promoted as a globally unique museum showcasing a variety of wetlands, and that this aspect of the region's appeal should be leveraged to support tourism and other industries

International workshop in Ramsar
An international workshop on wetlands and biodiversity conservation organized by the Ramsar Regional Centre was held in Ramsar in northern Iran over a four-day period from February 25, 2013. Approximately 60 experts and working-level officials from 26 contracting states in Central and Western Asia gathered and presented cases at the venue. It was also the hall of the signing ceremony for the adoption of the Ramsar Convention. KIWC Secretary General Yoshikatsu Kikuchi attended the workshop as a lecturer and spoke about the current situation of wetland management in the Kushiro area, wetland conservation and efforts for ecotourism. In the Kushiro area, JICA training courses have been conducted for working-level officials from Iran, and opportunities have been presented to discuss ways of developing wetland conservation exchanges between Japan and Iran. Taking advantage of his visit to Iran, Secretary General Kikuchi met the governor of Gilan and the director of Department of Environment of Iran to consider measures of wetlands protection by the future exchanges of KIWC and Anzali Wetland Management Committee.

Research and investigation briefing session
A research and investigation briefing session organized by the KIWC Technical Committee was held on March 22, 2013, in Kushiro City with the participation of 120 local residents. The Technical Committee, which researches and investigates individual themes set every three years and summarizes the results, issued a report for residents on the day. The theme was restoration of the waterfront environment as decided three years ago under the late Technical Committee Chair Dr. Tatsuichi Tsujii. As the report was completed after Dr. Tsujii's passing, the briefing session was held as a memorial with reflections on his accomplishments and dedication of the completed report to him.
At the memorial service (the first part of the meeting), Ramsar Center Japan Secretary-General Reiko Nakamura, Dr. Tsujii's friend, spoke about her memories of him. At the briefing (the second part of the meeting), Committee members Prof. Shinichi Hiruta and Mr. Shigeharu Terui reported on signal crayfish as an alien species inhabiting Lake Harutori in Kushiro City. Mr. Yasunori Takenaka (a ranger of the Kushiro Nature Conservation Office at the Ministry of the Environment) then introduced nature restoration activities conducted around the Kushiro Wetland. In the latter part of the briefing session, presenters exchanged views with participating residents, who shared their experience of work to protect Lake Harutori in Kushiro City and other efforts.

Passing of KIWC Technical Committee Chair Dr. Tatsuichi Tsujii
Dr. Tatsuichi Tsujii, who supported KIWC as Technical Committee Chair and Vice-President from its foundation onward, passed away on January 15, 2013, at the age of 81. KIWC's staff express our sincere condolences and plan to continue Dr. Tsuji's enthusiastic work in the conservation and wise use of wetlands.