Hapen and Fushan (14273)
Taiwan, China, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Hapen and Fushan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 24.7667, Longitude: 121.5667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 400 to 1419
Area of KBA (km2): 9.77951
Protected area coverage (%): 37.86
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Extent of this site: the north portion of the Fushan Botanical Garden, and the south portion of the Hapen Nature Reserve. It is bounded on the north by Ayu Mt. with the height of 1419 m, on the south by Hongtsi Mt., and on the west by Chihliangchiu Mt. On the east side is the watershed of the Zukeng Creek, a branch of the Lanyang River, and on the west is the Hapen Creek watershed, an upstream portion of the Nanshih River; from east to west, the area stretches 4.3 km. The Hapen Nature Reserve encompasses an area of 332.7 ha, including national forests which straddle the boundary between Taipei and Ilan Counties, separated into the Wenshan forest administrative district compartment No. 72 and No. 15’s second small compartment, and the Lanyang Forest District’s administrative compartment No. 54, 56, and 57. The Fushan Botanical Garden encompasses 409.5 ha and has milder slopes; within the garden there are about 16 km of tourist trails, promoting outdoor education. This site has a temperate, humid climate; the terrain is undulating. Because this area is secluded, and transportation is not convenient, most of the area maintains the most complete mid- to-lower elevation broadleaf forest in Taiwan, with the dominant plants of the Lauraceae and the Fagaceae families.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: IBA A2 criterion species: 8 endemic species are commonly seen here: including Formosan Whistling Thrush, White-throated Hill Partridge, Formosan Blue Magpie, White-eared Sibia, Formosan Yuhina, Formosan Yellow Tit, Swinhoe’s Pheasant and Steere’s Liocichla. • At this site 141 species of birds have been recorded, among which are the rare Tawny Fish Owl, Indian Black Eagle, Asian Crested Goshawk, Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike, Formosan Blue Magpie, Mandarin Duck, and Spotted Scops Owl. • In fall, flocks of passing wild Mandarin Ducks will stop and rest at the Fushan Botanical Garden. Non-bird biodiversity: • 515 species of vascular plants in 329 genera and 124 families are recorded at the Fushan Experimental Forest. • Commonly seen wildlife include the Formosan Reeve’s Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi micrurus, Formosan Wild Boar Sus scrofa taivanus, and the Emerald Green Tree Frog Rhacophorus smaragdinus.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (1%) | not utilised (97%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 13 | |
| Grassland | 1 | |
| Forest | 83 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: • There is pressure from recreational activities; although there are frequent mountain patrols of the Experimental Forest, tourists still illegally enter the protected areas. • There are still illegal hunting and felling of trees.
Additional information
References: • Chang, F. H. Wang, Y. Wang, Y. Lin , G. Lu, L. Severinghaus, and G. Hsu. 1986. Investigations of the Natural Resources of the Hapen area. Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. • Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. Nature Conservation Page- Nature Reserves of Taiwan: http://www coa.gov.tw/external/preserve. • Jin, H. B. et al. 1996. Research on the Fushan Forest Ecosystem. Taiwan Sustainable Ecological Research Communication, 2nd period. Compilers Woei-horng Fung, Ming-liang Chiang