[5] The Kushiro River (154 kilometres (96 mi)), which originates in Lake Kussharo, meanders through much of the park.

During the Ramsar Convention of 1980, in which Japan participated, the park was first registered as a peatland with raised bogs.

The vegetation of the park consists of reeds, sedges, peat moss wetlands, black alder thickets.

The rivers which bend freely back and forth, groups of lakes and marshes, and other wet ecosystems comprise a varied environment.

[4] The park is a valuable haven for wild species such as the red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), huchen (Hucho perryi), Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii) and dragonfly (Leucorrhinia intermedia ijimai).