Sarobetsu Wetlands
The Sarobetsu Wetlands are one of the country’s largest marshland areas and a valuable habitat for a great variety of animal, bird, and plant species.
The wetlands formed over several thousand years, beginning about 6,000 years ago as a large coastal lagoon, a shallow body of water that slowly became separated from the ocean by buildups of sand shaped by tidal action. Over the ensuing millennia, aquatic plants and vegetation grew in and around the lagoon. Dying plants withered and decayed, but never completely decomposed because of the lagoon's brackish water. Plant material gradually built up in the lagoon, resulting in vast peatlands.
The Sarobetsu Wetlands, today, are a characteristically diverse coastal wetland area with a rich eco-system featuring dune thickets, lakes, peat bogs, low-lying moors, and a wealth of plant and animal life.
Visit the nearby Sarobetsu Wetland Center (7 km, Route 444) to learn more about the history and nature of the wetlands.