North Section of Bagua Mountain (14283)
Taiwan, China, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: North Section of Bagua Mountain
Central coordinates: Latitude: 24.0333, Longitude: 120.5833
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 16 to 256
Area of KBA (km2): 61.85581
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Extent of the IBA: the northern and eastern borders are Provincial Highway 14 (Changnan Road north to Changhua City, then east to Fenyuan Village); the southern border is the boundary between Huatan and Datsun Village, along Changhua County Road 74 to its intersection with Provincial Highway 14; and the western border is County Road 137 (from Changhua City along Shanjiao Road to Huatan Village). The Bagua Mt. plateau is made of red clay; both the eastern and western slopes are incised with erosion gullies, but the terrain of this area, in general, is smooth. The Bagua Mt. forest compartment belongs to low-elevation second-growth forest. Historical records of the Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle passing through Bagua Mt. are found in Taiwan General History by Heng Lien: each year on Tomb-sweeping Day (usually in early April) there are flocks of raptors moving from the south to the north. The people of Changhua call them the “southern route raptors”. But when conservation concepts had been not yet been promoted, there was the terrible expression, “9,000 southern route raptors killed out of 10,000”. Fortunately after 5-year promotion by Wild Bird Society of Changhua, raptor watching at Bagua Mt. has become a favored activity of the people of Changhua City, and the capturing of raptors has almost disappeared. The Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle was even selected by the people of Changhua County to be their county bird.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: IBA A4iv criterion species: On the spring passage of Grey-faced buzzard Eagles (GBE) through Bagua Mt. about 20,000 birds annually have been recorded during 1991-2000. Year 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 No. of SG 20737 ND ND 18733 16189 18900 19283 19369 15124 20212 13995 Note: ND refers to No Data. • A total of 105 species have been recorded at this site. • In addition to the Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle, there are 12 protected species recorded: Crested Serpent Eagle, Asian Crested Goshawk, Besra Sparrow Hawk, Grey Frog Hawk, Osprey, Emerald Dove, Collared Scops Owl, Brown Hawk Owl, Melodious Laughing Thrush, Brown Shrike and Fairy Pitta.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (75%) | energy production and mining (1%) | not utilised (3%) | tourism/recreation (3%) | urban/industrial/transport (14%) | water management (3%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 95 | |
| Forest | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: • Construction on the eastern bypass for Changhua City has begun. It passes through the heart of the IBA territory (Yinghang Mt.); this is an important roosting area for Grey-faced Buzzard Eagles. • The planned underground tunnel of the high-speed railway is going to pass this IBA site. • The Taiwan Aboriginal Daluwan Sustainable Development Council planned to establish Aboriginal Cultural Interaction and Economic Development Center near the locally called Fanshekou which is also an important stopover site for the northward migrating Grey-faced Buzzard Eagles. • There is illegal dumping of trash and construction debris.
Additional information
References: • Hsiao, C. L. 1991. Investigation on passage migration of spring Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle at Bagua Mt. and Tatu Mt. Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan 1991 Ecology Research Report No. 11. • Chu, D. G. and C. M. Chou. 1995. Investigation of Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle migration. WBFT, Conservation Research Series No.9. • Guan, Y. T. 1995. Investigation of the avian resources at Baguan Mt. designated scenic area. Taiwan Tourism Administration, Bagua Mt. Designated Scenic Area Administrative Office. • Hsiao, C. L. 1996. Investigation of Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle migration. Wild Bird Society of Changhua Bird Conservation Research Series: Southern Route Raptor No. 2. • Hsiao, C. L. 1997. 1996 Investigation on passage migration of spring Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle at Bagua Mt. Southern Route Raptor No. 3. • Chen, L. C. et al. 1997. Edited results of investigation on the biological resources of Changhua County. Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute. • Guan, Y. T. 1998. Report on the 1997 Spring Migration of Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle at Bagua Mt.. Southern Route Raptor No. 4. • Li, C. H. 2000. Investigation report on the 2000 spring migration of Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle at Bagua Mt. Wild Bird Society of Changhua Conservation Research Series: Southern Route Raptor No. 8. Changhua County Government. Compilers Tien-Ti Wu, Te-Chieh Chen