Ramsar Convention-listed wetland Lake Tobuto

Lake Tobuto is a stopover, wintering, and breeding site for migratory birds. In November 2005, the lake was registered as a Ramsar Convention Wetland of International Importance. The lake, which is 27.3 km in circumference and 900 hectares in area, is derived from the Ainu word "tauput (the mouth of the swamp)." Part of the lake is brackish water, a mixture of river and ocean water leading to the Sea of Okhotsk, and it fosters a wide variety of ecosystems.