Taiwan Today

Taiwan’s wildlife refuges are ensuring the survival of some of the country’s most endangered species.

Less than an hour away from downtown Taichung City lies Gaomei Wetlands Wildlife Refuge, one of central Taiwan’s most striking areas of natural beauty. Established in 2004 and stretching out into the sea off the coast of Qingshui District, the refuge is home to a diverse, flourishing ecosystem. Among the species present are as many as 127 types of bird, including the endangered black-beaked gulls and black-faced spoonbills, as well as 47 varieties of fish.

“The diversity of the species found in Gaomei justifies its status as a wildlife refuge,” said Wu Chien-wei (吳建威), director of Taichung City Government’s Coastal Resources and Fisheries Development Center (CRFDC), which is tasked with managing the sanctuary.

Taiwan’s first green space set aside for the protection of native species was the Mao Islet Seabird Refuge created in 1991 in outlying Penghu County. Since then, a further 19 have been established, with the most recent being the 2014 creation of the Taoyuan Guanxin Algal Reefs Ecosystem Wildlife Refuge in the northern metropolis. These protective spaces are divided into three zones—core, buffer and sustainable use—based on the levels of protection they offer under the Wildlife Conservation Act.

Although Gaomei covers a sizeable 701 hectares, tourists are confined to an elevated scenic boardwalk stretching through the core and buffer zones to minimize any disturbance to the area’s animal inhabitants. When fully completed in 2013, the 691-meter structure became one of the refuge’s most distinctive features. Moving off the boardwalk, however, will land visitors with a warning or stiff fine. “We’ve tried to strike a balance between developing ecotourism and protecting nature,” Wu said. “We want people to visit so they can appreciate Taiwan’s beauty, but they must respect the environment.”

The policy seems to be working, with more than 1.5 million tourists visiting Gaomei in 2018. Human impact on the refuge has concurrently lessened; whereas 35 people were fined for trespassing in the year of the boardwalk’s completion, last year that number was zero.

Community Activism

Gaomei may perhaps be the best known wildlife sanctuary in Taiwan, but others are home to equally impressive arrays of flora and fauna. These include the Wuweigang Waterbird Refuge in the northeastern county of Yilan and the Feitsui Reservoir Yellow-margined Box Turtle Wildlife Refuge in New Taipei City.

Local communities surrounding the 103-hectare Wuweigang have proved indispensable in its development. One of the major wetlands in Taiwan and a prime stopover location for migratory birds in autumn and winter, the area was threatened by a proposed coal-fired power plant in the 1980s. Activists managed to oppose the plan, however, pushing Yilan County Government to in 1993 designate the land a wildlife refuge, ensuring no such ideas could ever be revived.

Four years later the Wuweigang Cultural and Education Promotion Association (WCEPA) was founded, which monitors the local environment and educates the public about conservation efforts. Much of its work, including monthly bird population surveys, is conducted by volunteers. “We invite school children on our research trips to try and teach the next generation about the importance of wildlife conservation,” said Liang Chih-hsiung (梁智雄), director general of the WCEPA.

Academics have also made key contributions to protecting the country’s animals. Lu Dau-jye (盧道杰), an associate professor at National Taiwan University (NTU) School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, has worked tirelessly to support Wuweigang, having advised the WCEPA since its inception on recommended conservation practices. “I like to talk with volunteers and find out about any new developments in the local community that might affect the environment. Then I can provide advice on actions that might be necessary,” he said.

Partnership between Lu and WCEPT is mutually beneficial, with the association receiving advice from a leading expert in conservation and the academic getting to use the group’s manpower to put his methodologies into practice. “Local volunteers know the most about the sanctuary’s environment. They can identify and most importantly locate different species better than anyone else,” Lu said.

Poaching Patrol

The Feitsui Reservoir turtle refuge is another sanctuary that has benefited from the expertise of an experienced academic, according to Weng Yi-ling (翁億齡), senior technical specialist at the Forestry Bureau’s office in Yilan’s Luodong Township, which is tasked with managing the 1,296-hectare location. The area owes its legal status to Chen Tien-hsi (陳添喜‬), the country’s foremost turtle expert and an associate professor of wildlife conservation at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology in southern Taiwan, who called for the creation of a wildlife reserve around the reservoir in response to wide-scale poaching of the endangered turtles.

According to Weng, turtle smuggling to neighboring countries remains an existential threat to the animals even after the establishment of the refuge. To combat this, monthly poaching patrols are conducted by a team of specially trained policemen and staffers from the Forestry Bureau and Taipei Feitsui Reservoir Administration.

The patrols, which often involve checking on some of the reservoir’s most inaccessible locations, have proven successful. In 2015, the team removed about 60 turtle traps in a single month, but such devices are now rarely seen. “Catching the poachers red handed isn’t always possible, but taking the traps has certainly deterred them,” Weng said.

Other refuges are changing for the better as well. The CRFDC is considering introducing new tactics to Gaomei, such as putting a daily cap on visitor numbers in peak seasons to prevent soil compression. By contrast, Wuweigang is looking to increase tourist footfall by promoting cultural and leisure activities with low-environmental impact, such as surfing and seine fishing in a sustainable-use zone. “Developing tourism can create opportunities and help provide jobs for local young people, who in turn can monitor the sanctuary,” NTU’s Lu said.

Although they have each established their own path to success, Taiwan’s wildlife refuges are united in their desire to protect the country’s fauna. Thanks to public and private sector efforts in cooperation with civil society, these animal sanctuaries are well placed for a sustainable future. “Habitat conservation is at the heart of maintaining biodiversity,” Lu said. “And it requires continued cooperation by all if it’s to be a success.”

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw