Prior to 2005, most Ramsar designations in Japan covered sites
primarily acting as habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds,
however since then, sites designated ‘‘have expanded to include
wetlands such as marshlands, lakes, salt marshes, tidal flats, seagrass/
seaweed beds, beaches, mangrove forests, and groundwater
systems, which reflect the abundance and diversity of Japan’s wetlands’’
(Japan Ministry of Environment, online).