Niigata City to host first Ramsar wetland mayors summit in Japan

By AI, Created 11:40 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Niigata City will host the 5th Wetland City Network Mayors Conference from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2026, bringing Ramsar-accredited mayors and experts to Japan for the first time. The event highlights Niigata’s rare mix of dense urban life, major rice production and wetlands that still support more than 10,000 wintering swans.

Why it matters: - Niigata City is using the conference to showcase a model of urban development that protects wetlands while supporting agriculture, tourism and civic identity. - The summit brings global attention to Ramsar’s Wetland City Accreditation, a framework built around the sustainable use of wetlands in and near cities. - Niigata’s recognition matters because the city pairs a large urban area with one of Japan’s strongest wetland and rice-growing landscapes.

What happened: - Niigata City will host the 5th Wetland City Network Mayors Conference from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2026. - The conference will be held in Japan for the first time. - Mayors and experts from Ramsar-accredited Wetland Cities will gather in Niigata. - Niigata City received Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation in 2022, becoming the first city in Japan to do so alongside Izumi City. - The city is introducing its wetland history and landscape ahead of the conference.

The details: - Niigata City is a two-hour Shinkansen ride from Tokyo and faces the Sea of Japan. - The city is shaped by the Shinano River and the Agano River. - Niigata has an international airport, a seaport, Shinkansen service and highway networks. - The city has the largest rice paddy area in Japan. - More than 10,000 swans migrate from Siberia to Niigata each year and winter in lagoons, rivers and rice paddies. - Niigata says the sight of swans near the city center is rare internationally. - The Port of Niigata historically linked inland water transport with maritime shipping. - The port became a Hub International Port in 1995 and an International Strategic Bulk Port in 2011. - The region once contained many lagoons that supported transportation, fishing and reed harvesting. - Flood risk pushed the area toward major civil engineering projects starting in the 18th century. - Around 1870, most of the city area was used for rice cultivation, much of it in marshy paddies prone to flooding. - The Yokota-gire flood in 1896 and the later Kizu-gire flood triggered the Ohkouzu Diversion Channel project. - The diversion channel was completed in 1922 and reduced the risk of major flooding. - Large drainage pumping stations after World War II enabled land consolidation. - By 1955, rice paddies had been transformed into dry fields with straight roads and irrigation and drainage channels. - Sixteen lagoons remain today, including Sakata Lagoon, Fukushima Lagoon and Toyanogata Lagoon. - The lagoons have shifted from working landscapes to places for biodiversity, recreation and community life. - Sakata Lagoon was designated a Ramsar Site in 1996. - Conservation and restoration efforts followed, with local residents involved in improving water quality. - The Wetland City Accreditation was created to encourage the “wise use” of wetlands in urban areas. - Niigata City plans to use the accreditation as an international brand to support tourism, urban development and civic pride. - The city also wants to promote itself as a “Rural-Urban Environmental City.” - Future updates will focus on the city’s ecosystem, culture, food and sake. - The Wetland City Network includes 74 cities in 27 countries with Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation. - The Mayors Conference promotes information exchange and cooperation among city leaders, government officials and international experts.

Between the lines: - Niigata’s pitch is that wetlands do not have to sit outside city life; they can be part of a working urban economy. - The city’s combination of flood control, rice production and habitat protection shows how environmental management can reshape a region over time. - Hosting the conference gives Niigata a platform to turn conservation history into a tourism and branding asset.

What’s next: - Niigata City will host delegates, mayors and experts at the end of November and beginning of December 2026. - The city says it will share more about the wetland ecosystem and its links to local culture in future updates. - Niigata is expected to use the conference to deepen international cooperation and promote its wetland-city identity.

The bottom line: - Niigata is positioning its wetlands not as preserved leftovers, but as the core of its global identity, economy and future planning.