湿地—入谷集落の水田
南三陸の入谷集落には、数多くの里山があります。里山とは、山林の端と小規模の農耕コミュニティが重なり合っており、自然とともに暮らすことに重きが置かれる地域のことです。入谷はかつて金鉱で栄えましたが、今日では、（美しい棚田が示す通り）稲作および牛の飼育を中心に行っています。
稲の苗は春に植えられ、初夏には田に水が張られます。稲は夏の終わりに穂をつけ、秋に収穫されます。季節に応じて、入谷の水田は多様な野生生物のすみかにもなります。アマガエル、ニホンアカガエル、毒を持つアカハライモリ、ヒルは皆、典型的な夏の住民です。水を張った田にはゲンゴロウ、ガムシ、ミズカマキリをはじめとするさまざまな昆虫も見られます。
Wetlands—Iriya’s Water-Filled Rice Fields
The Iriya district of Minamisanriku contains a number of satoyama, areas where the edges of mountain forests overlap small-scale agricultural communities and particular emphasis is placed on living in step with nature. Iriya once boasted flourishing gold mines but today focuses on rice cultivation—evidenced by its lovely terraced rice fields—and cattle farming.
Rice is planted in spring, and the paddies are filled with water in early summer. The plants mature at the end of summer, and the rice is harvested in autumn. From season to season, Iriya’s rice fields also serve as a habitat for various species of wildlife. Japanese tree frogs, Japanese brown frogs, toxic Japanese fire-belly newts, and leeches are all typical summer residents. A range of insects, notably diving beetles, water scavenger beetles, and water stick insects, can be found in the flooded rice fields as well.
