For 10 or 12 days every two years, a country somewhere in the world finds itself host to the remarkable sight of radio and TV crews following a group of scientists into some of the wildest, least visited parts of the landscape, all in the name of conservation and wise use of wetlands. More particularly, this event is designed to raise awareness and focus attention upon peatland ecosystems. Peatlands are a form of wetland which has in the past suffered from a strange type of cultural neglect - societies around the world have thought so little of peatlands, or mires, as they are also known, that their widespread destruction has gone largely unnoticed. Equally unremarked have been the many functions and benefits which mires have provided in their natural state, and it is only with the loss of these functions that the value of these places becomes appreciated.

The biennial Field Symposium meetings of the International Mire Conservation Group represents the coming together of many of the world's leading specialists in mire conservation issues. The meetings are designed to raise awareness, at all levels from government to local communities in the host country, about the urgent need for, and benefits resulting from, the wise use and conservation of mire resources. The 7th IMCG Field Symposium is to be held in Japan, at the kind invitation of our Japanese colleagues, and will examine many issues of land use in relation to Kushiro Mire and other peatland systems in Japan.

As this is to be the first IMCG Symposium to be held in Asia, it is hoped that this meeting will form the basis of an increasing awareness of the valuable contribution this whole region of the globe can make towards the protection and sustainable use of these overlooked and undervalued environments. The interest already generated in Japan for this event suggests that, this summer, Kushiro could be host to an even of major significance for mire conservation and wise use in this region of the world.

Richard Lindsay
Chairman
IMCG

On April 26, Akan Town opened the Akan International Crane Center. Besides detailing the life and history of the Red-crowned Crane, the Center was established with the aim of facilitating studies of its ecology and behavior, so that the results could be, in turn, used to further promote the protection of the Red-crowned Crane.

Akan Town is located to the northwest of Kushiro City, a city in eastern Hokkaido, and stretches from north to south. The town is known as the birthplace of the artificial feeding for the Red-crowned Crane. The Akan International Crane Center was built adjacent to the artificial feeding station.

The Center consists of three segments: a main building, outdoor aviaries and an annex, the "Tancho Observation Center," which is open only when the cranes stay over the winter. The main building has two sections: exhibition and research sections. The exhibition section houses a visual display room, which vividly depicts the ecology and behavior of the Red-crowned Crane. The images shown, originally produced by the Center, provide various views of the Red-crowned Crane in all four seasons. There is also an exhibition room where a variety of panels and visual presentations offer easy-to-understand descriptions of Red-crowned Cranes' ecology, behavior, and their habitats. In the library, visitors can read books and magazines about cranes, wetlands and conservation and watch a wide selection of videos.

The outdoor aviaries keep a pair each of Black-necked Cranes and Red-crowned Cranes to study their ecology and behavior. In a large aviary, visitors can appreciate the Red-crowned Crane pair in semi-natural surroundings. The Tancho Observation Center is open from November through March and about 100 wild cranes can be observed.

The Akan International Crane Center is a new type of institution, promoting protection of the Red-crowned Crane through two approaches: crane research and public education through the use of exhibitions. The Center will strive to protect cranes, in cooperation with other facilities, preservation groups and researchers related to not only the Red-crowned Crane, but also the other species of cranes.

Akan International Crane Center

Red-crowned Crane(right)　 　　　Inside the center(left) Photo by Kimiya Koga　　Photo by Teruo Sato

With the cooperation of Sanesu Management Systems Co., Ltd., the first Internet provider in Kushiro City, KIWC has opened a home page on the Internet. The latest KIWC Newsletter and tourist information within the city are now available on the KIWC Home Page. Information related to wetlands in the Kushiro region, KIWC back issues, and other informative content will gradually be introduced.

　Home page address is as follows:

http://www.marimo.or.jp/AREA/kiwc/

Information on 1996 International Conferences The 2nd Conference on National Parks and Protected Areas of East Asia Organizers: IUCN-CNPPA-EA Steering Committee and Japanese Organizing Committee for the Second Conference on National Parks and Protected Areas of East Asia Assisting Organizations: Environment Agency, Forestry Agency, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Hokkaido Prefecture, Kushiro Organizing Committee for the 2nd Conference on National Parks and Protected Areas of East Asia, Japan Environment Corporation, Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund, Relevant Nature Conservation Organizations Date: July 1 (Mon.) - July 5 (Fri.), 1996 Place: Kushiro Tourism & International Relations Center Theme: Mobilizing Community Support for National Parks and Protected Areas in East Asia Participants: 150 (50 from overseas and 100 from Japan) The 7th IMCG Field Symposium in Japan 1996 Organizers: Organizing Committee for the 7th IMCG Field Symposium in 1996, Kushiro International Wetland Centre Date: August 26 (Mon.) - September 6 (Fri.), 1996 Place: Kushiro Tourism & International Relations Center, Ramsar Sites in the Kushiro Region Theme: Conservation & Management of Mire Ecosystems - The Wise Use of Mire - Participants: 80 mire researchers (40 from overseas and 40 from Japan) The 14th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture Organizer: Architectural Institute of Japan / PLEA 1997 Japan Committee Supporters: Japan Solar Energy Society, Japan Institute of Architects, Japan Federation of Architects and Building Engineers Associations, City of Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Environment Agency Sponsor: OM Solar Association Date: January 8 (Wed.) - January 10 (Fri.), 1997 Place: Kushiro Tourism & International Relations Center Theme: Sustainable Communities and Architecture - Bioclimatic Design in Cold Climates - Participants: 800 (100 from overseas, 700 from Japan)

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