National Scenic Area, Coastal Protection Area, Major Wildlife Habitats

Chiayi County Government

The wetland is situated at the southern side of Beigang Estuary. It extends east to the manmade forest area, west to the sea levee, north to the southern levee of Beigang River and south to the Lieojao Big Drainage Ditch Levee. It also covers the protection forest to the north and the marsh area to the south.

The wetland used to be a plot of land reclaimed from the sea by Taiwan Sugar Corporation for farming, fishery and animal husbandry, including sugar cane plantations and rice fields, fish ponds, marshes, intertidal zones and mangroves. It has also become habitats for a wide variety of species. Many rare bird species stop over at the site every year. Due to excessive pumping of groundwater and consequent land subsidence, soil salinization and seawater intrusion, the fish ponds and old farms have formed a natural reservoir. With its water level changing dramatically in different climatic conditions, it has become a closed wetland with water all year round. The wetland can be characterized as costal saline lake and lake with low salinity, fish pond, shrimp pond, marshes and a small freshwater pond as well as rice paddy field.

There are six types of habitat in this wetland environment: paddy fields, dry farmlands, windbreak forests, marshes, deep water swamps and mudflats. The diversity of vegetation has attracted a wide variety of bird species corresponding the economic activities of the residents. For instance, rice paddy field attracts terrestrial birds to find food here whereas in post-harvest period or irrigation, the wet environment attracts more water birds. The Ardeidae and Laridae are found in fish ponds. The Scolopacidae and Charadriidae gather after water is released during the recovery stage of the fields.

Black-faced Spoonbill, Oriental White Stork.

Black-shouldered Kite, Common Kestrel, Little Tern, Common Pheasant, Painted Snipe.

Eurasian Curlew, Brown Shrike, Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus.

There is an Air Force marine shooting range at Beigang Estuary, and boomers often maneuver shooting practice, which severely impacts wild birds' foraging and breeding in the wetland. In the past, land subsidence has occurred due to over-extracted underground water in the wetland. Nowadays, the habitat of terns and teals is affected by man-made forests in the wetland. The invasive species Poecilia velifera, Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), and Tilapia (Oreochromis hybrid) also affect native fishes.

Forest Bureau, Council of Agriculture; Agriculture Department, Chiayi County Government; Wetland Taiwan.