The life in Lake Biwa 2

There are not only under water animals like fish and shells live in Lake Biwa but also birds and insects above the water as well.

Birds

about 340 species of birds inhabit Shiga Prefecture. Japan is home to 633 bird species, so more than half the bird species of Japan can be seen in Shiga Prefecture.

Lake Biwa and attached lake Nishinoko are registered under the Ramsar Convention as Internationally important wetlands. One of the convention’s conditions for registration is that a wetland regularly support 20,000 or more water birds, but more than 100,000 water birds can be found around Lake Biwa resting and collecting food in the winter.

Insects

Lake Biwa is known for its numerous insects. Particularly many aphids can be found in areas with reeds and dragonflies and ladybugs gather to eat these aphids.

You can see about 100 species of dragonflies in Shiga Prefecture, which is half the total number of species of Japan. Shiga Prefecture is rare for having so many kinds of dragonflies. Lake Biwa with its many tributaries is a perfect environment for these many dragonflies.

Plants

Submerged plants, such as Hydrilla verticillate, as well as emergent plants like reeds, thrive in Lake Biwa, and these plants provide oxygen and habitats for many other creatures.

The reeds around Lake Biwa are special for several reasons.

Reeds along the lake are not only picturesque but they provide a place to study the lake environment.

Reed-rich marshes change according to the four seasons and create unspoiled landscapes which are integral to the culture and society of and around the lake. Lake Biwa provides a place where people can study living things in a unique environment.

A place for birds and fish to live and reproduce and a place for rare floodplain plants to grow.

The marshlands are an important habitat for birds, fish and many other organisms. As the water level changes according to the season and weather, the marshes create a perfect place for floodplain plants to thrive.

Providing for the reed industry and other resources

Reeds used to be a very important resource for people’s lives. Today, Biwa area is still one of the two major reed industrial areas of Japan, manufacturing marsh reed screens and so on.