Aogu Wetlands (14289)
Taiwan, China, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Aogu Wetlands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 23.4833, Longitude: 120.1667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 1
Area of KBA (km2): 136.92918
Protected area coverage (%): 4.83
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Extent of this site: comprised of the downstream section of the Beigang River, its estuary and sand flats and the southern shore of the Dapai River Estuary at Taiwan Sugar Corp. (Taisugar)’s Dongshih Farms and Liujiao. In the north is the north edge of the Beigang River estuary and includes the aquatic areas of Tongshanzhou, Botsiliaoshan, and Waishandingzhou; the border in the south is Liujiao’s Dapai River estuary; the eastern border is Provincial Highway 17; and to the west is the Taiwan Strait. Within the site, the Dongshih and the Aogu Farms are seaside reclaimed, cultivated land belonging to Taisugar. The environment of the farms is both complex and diverse. During the areas early development period, 800 x 800 m fields were laid out, with each bordered by water supply ditches and canals, all of which was surrounded by wind-protection forests. The eastern and central portions of the site are mostly sugar cane fields. On the west, against the sea is a broad, vast marshland; to the south is a vast saltwater lake with Kandelia Kandelia candel and Black Mangrove Avicennia manna; to the northeast are freshwater ponds; the north edge is a roosting area for Egrets. Because of the environmental diversity, this IBA site absolutely is important habitat for wild birds. Besides the habitats of cultivated lands, grassy marshes, and ponds, about half of the remainder is made up of coastal sand flats in a vast estuarine tidal zone formed by estuaries of Liujiao’s Dapai River, the Beigang River and other rivers.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: IBA criterion A1 species: Black-faced Spoonbill Time Jan. 1994 Jan. 1995 Mar. 1996 Dec. 1997 Jan. 1998 May 1999 May 2000 Jan. 2001 No. of BFS 2 8 No data 2 2 9 7 3 Record of Saunders’s Gull during 1989 and 2001: (of the estimated 2,000 Saunders’s Gull in the world, about 100 in this area) Time 1989 Jan. 1993 Dec. 1994 Jan. 1995 Jan. 1996 Jan. 1997 Dec. 1998 Dec. 1999 Jan. 1999 Nov. 2000 Feb. 2001 Jan. No. of SG 20 80 10 33 114 25 150 112 22 26 75 IBA A4i criterion species: Great Cormorants Year 1991 Jan. 1993 Feb. 1994 Jan. 1995 Jan. 1995 Dec. 1996 Feb. 1996 Nov. 1997 Nov. 1998 Jan. 1999 Jan. 1999 Dec. 2000 Jan. 2001 Jan. No. 186 136 210 210 300 600 1000 800 230 196 650 328 198 • A total of 223 species have been recorded here, including 22 protected species: Chinese Egret, 5 birds; Greater Spotted Eagle, Black-faced Spoonbill, Black Stork, Osprey, Painted Snipe, Little Tern and Brown Shrike. • It is worth mentioning the Black-winged Stilt, whose nests are supported by the natural growth in the grassy marshes; 1994 was the first year that 10 pairs were discovered breeding here, with subsequent stable growth in their numbers: 1995, 55 birds; 1996, 144 birds; 1997, 83 birds; 1998, 82 birds; 1999, 300 birds; and 2000, 100 birds. So it is evident that this area is important for this growing species, and although the numbers do not reach the IBA criteria, there is potential for the future. Non-bird biodiversity: • At this site, 290 species of plants have been identified, with the only surviving mangrove being Black Mangrove Avicennia marina.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%) | not utilised (17%) | water management (6%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 48 | |
| Marine Neritic | 48 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: • At Beigang Estuary, there is one area where the Air Force has an amphibious target range, and fighter planes use this area for bombing practice. • In this area, the government is actively promoting development of an industrial zone, a harbor, and an airport plan that would completely develop the entire area. • Nearby at the Budai salt fields is the proposed site of the eighth petroleum cracker, which will seriously degrade all aspects of Aogu wetland organisms. • In the coastal area there is pumping of shallow ground water which is leading to land subsidence.
Additional information
References: • Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society. 1994. Bird investigations on the wetlands along the southwesten coast in Taiwan. Council ofAgriculture. Executive Yuan. • Wetlands Conservation Workgroup. 1994. 1994 Planning examples of the environmentally sensitive areas at the coast of Taiwan- bird, mangrove, and wetland investigations. Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan, Taiwan. • Weng, R. H. Personal unpublished data. Wetlands Taiwan. Bird Database. • Wild Bird Society of Kaohsiung. 1995. 1995 Final report on the conservation area demonstration plan of the coastal environmentally sensitive areas- proposed strategies for the planning of Aogu Wetlands, Chiayi County. Environmental Protection Administration. • Cheng, C. C. and R. Z. Chen. 1995. Analysis of bird communities at Aogu. Proceedings of the Second Coastal and Wetland Conservation Conference. WBFT. • Geography Institute, National Taiwan University. 1995. Investigations and research on the sensitive areas of coastal wetlands, sand dunes, sand flats, and lagoons- investigation and analysis of the coast resources and environmental factors of the western Taiwan. Environmental Protection Administration. • Wetlands Taiwan. 1999. Instructive Manual of the Coastal Wetlands of Southwestern Taiwan. Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.