Nutrients developed in forests are carried by the rivers and ultimately enrich the seas.
The forests and seas in Akita are rare examples of well-preserved river basins. The Yoneshiro River boasts a virgin beech forest that is registered as a UNESCO world natural heritage site. The Koyoshi River flows from the Dewa Mountains, and the Omono River receives water from the mountains and Lake Tazawa. Thanks to the abudant and rich-in-nutrition water from the Koyoshi River, for example, people in the Noshiro and Yamamoto areas are able to grow junsai, a kind of perennial water plant from the Nymphaeaceae family. The rivers and swamps that remain in Akita are true examples of the natural heritage of the earth.
