Beimen (14293)
Taiwan, China, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Beimen
Central coordinates: Latitude: 23.2667, Longitude: 120.1167
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 32.86619
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Extent of this site: North from the Jishui River; south to the Jiangjun River; the eastern border is Provincial Highway 17, and the western border is the western edge of the sand flats of Wangyie Harbor. Beimen is about 30 km north of Tainan City and is a coastal wetland. The terrestrial landscape of this area consists mainly of salt fields as well as aquaculture ponds, scattered among which are several fishing villages. Within the west side of this area and the sand flats of the Wangyie Harbor is a lagoon where the fisheries are abundant. In the northeastern portion of the lagoon, there’s a mud swamp with an area of about 50 ha where the largest pure stand of Black Mangrove in Taiwan is situated. However, due to the human activities, currently there are only about 10 ha of the Black Mangrove forest and there’s need of urgent action to conserve this area.
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 A1 criterion species: Saunders’s Gull, Black-faced Spoonbill Eash year Saunders’s Gull winter here; Time 1997 Nov. 1998 Jan. 1999 Jan. 2000 Dec. 2001 Mar. No. of SG 73 39 120 15 40 • Black-faced Spoonbills: maximum number of 9 birds (2001.1.13). IBA A4i criterion species: Great Cormorants roost here from November to March each year, with a maximum of 292 birds (21 February 1998). • At this site, 121 species have been recorded. • Black-winged Stilts can be seen throughout the year. They breed here in summer with a maximum of 377 birds (21 February 1998). • Great Egrets roost at Beimen from September to March, with a maximum of 292 birds (21 February 1998). • From September to May, Dunlins are winter migrants, with a maximum of 6,740 birds (20 December 1997). • The Whiskered Tern can be seen throughout the year, but mainly as a winter migrant, with a maximum of 2,001 birds (11 April 1998). Non-bird biodiversity: • This is one of the major oyster cultivation areas in Taiwan. • This was once the northernmost distribution of the mangrove Lumnitzera Lumnitzera racemosa and it is highly regrettable that it has been eradicated here. • Investigations reveal that there are 7 species of fiddler crabs, including the endemic Uca formosensis.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (52%) | not utilised (17%) | urban/industrial/transport (3%) | water management (16%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 25 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 25 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 25 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 25 | |
| Forest | 1 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: • There is illegal opening fishponds. • There is filling in of wetlands. • There is a plan for an international airport here. • Industrial and municipal wastewater is being discharged into the Jishui River. • There’s pressure from tourism development. The Taiwan Tourism Administration’s plan to promote the development of the Hsuangchun Recreational Area has imposed great negative impacts on this area. However, due to the shortage of the personnel and budget, there is no power for the management and administration, and consistently no way to open it to the outside.
Additional information
References: • 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. • Yuan, H. Y. 1998. Plan of investigation and research on the qualified wildlife refuge on the coastal area of western Taiwan from the ecological standpoint. Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. • Wetlands Taiwan. 1999. Instructive Manual on the Coastal Wetland Ecology of Southwestern Taiwan. Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.