Yuli Wildlife Refuge (14310)
Taiwan, China, Asia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2001

National site name: Yuli Wildlife Refuge

Central coordinates: Latitude: 23.3333, Longitude: 120.3000

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 900 to 3443

Area of KBA (km²): 114.14452

Protected area coverage (%): 99.71

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Extent of this site: located in Zhouhsi of Hualien County, encompasses Forest Compartment 32 to 37 of the YuIi Division, Hualien Forest District Administration Area. It’s about 32 km long driving from Hungyeh Village, WanJung Village, Hualien County, along the Ruisui Forest Road. The entire area is under the administration of Taiwan Forestry Bureau. The site is on the east side of the main backbone of the Central Mountain Range, with slopes in the entire area being steep and precipitous, except the places near mountain ridges which are somewhat flat and smooth. Elevational distribution is extremely broad; low-elevation areas are broadleaf forests, while high areas are mixed coniferous-broadleaf forests. Average annual precipitation is about 3,900 mm.

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: A2 criterion species: 10 endemic species are commonly seen here including: Steere’s Liocichla, White-throated Hill Partridge, Formosan Yuhina, Formosan Bulbul, Taiwan Firecrest, Swinhoe’s Pheasant, Formosan Whistling Thrush, White-eared Sibia, Formosan Blue Magpie, and Mikado Pheasant. • To the present, as many as 53 species have been recorded. In total there are six endangered species, 14 rare species, and 18 other protected species for a total of 38 species. Non-bird biodiversity: • The Formosan Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa and the Formosan Black Bear Selenarctos thibetanus formosanus are endangered protected species found here. The record of the Formosan Clouded Leopard is based on evidence from National Taiwan Normal University’s Prof. Guangyang Lu and others who spotted tracks of large cats in dry riverbed within the reserve three times, so it was deduced to occur here. • There are seed forests of the Formosan red cypress Chamaecyparis formosensis, Taiwan yew Taxus mairei, and Taiwania Taiwania cryptomerioides.

Delineation rationale: 2015: coordinates changed from 23d23mN 121d14mE (2001 IBA) to 23d20mN 120d18mE (2015 IBA).

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	90
Other	3
Wetlands(Inland)	1
Artificial - Terrestrial	1
Grassland	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: • Fengping River is facing imminent construction of a dam. The Yuli Shihfeng Electric Company has a plan for a hydropower station on the lower reaches of the Fengping River. Although the planned power station is located outside of the reserve, the impacts on the ecology and environment of the reserve and upstream sections of the river need to be evaluated and estimated. • Trash is left by mountaineering activities. • There is mineral extraction. The permits to extract minerals on quite a lot of lands within and nearby the reserve have been issued. In the reserve on the upper edge of the mountain top, extraction has already ceased and the mines have been abandoned because the mineral resources are depleted. But because mining has occurred here, the mining itself has caused extensive damage to the reserve, most evident by the destruction of the vegetation and landscape.

Additional information