Off the northeast coast of Taiwan, Huaping Islet, Mianhua Islet and Pengjia Islet form a group collectively known as the Three Northern Islets. The isles fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the Zhongzheng District of Keelung City. When President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Pengjia on September 7, 2012 and reiterated the Republic of China’s (ROC) sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands, which lie 76 nautical miles farther to the east, the once obscure Three Northern Islets immediately captured the attention of citizens throughout Taiwan.
Located 33 nautical miles north of Keelung, Pengjia has an area of approximately 1.14 square kilometers, while Mianhua measures 0.12 square kilometers and Huaping, at only 0.03 square kilometers, is the smallest of the group. All three islets were created by volcanic eruptions. Today, the igneous rock substrates in the surrounding waters provide a good habitat for coral, seaweed and other bottom-dwelling organisms, resulting in the creation of a highly diverse coral reef ecosystem.
In 1994, the Keelung City Government (KCG) commissioned the Wild Bird Society of Keelung to conduct ecological surveys of the Three Northern Islets. The society recorded the presence of rarely seen birds, insects and geological formations. Of particular interest were sightings of breeding pairs of bridled terns and brown noddies—two bird species protected under the ROC’s Wildlife Conservation Act—on Mianhua and Huaping. Accordingly, the KCG designated those islets as wildlife refuges in 1996. As a result, they are off-limits to the general public and can only be accessed by research teams approved by the KCG.
While Pengjia does not have similar wildlife restrictions, those who would like to visit must apply to the Coast Guard Administration, which is responsible for administering the islet. Pengjia is the only one of the isles to show signs of human habitation, as fishermen began living there as early as during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Today, Pengjia’s population consists of members of the Coast Guard and workers at the islet’s meteorological observatory and lighthouse.
In the past, Mianhua was home to 44 goats that were shipped to the lonely islet to provide an emergency food source for any fishermen who might be shipwrecked in the area. The goats were later found to pose a severe threat to breeding seabirds and native plants, however, and were transported back to Taiwan proper in August 1996. Mianhua’s vegetation has recovered in the ensuing years, as the top of the islet is now covered with beautiful Chinese wormwood shrubs, which are known to botanists as Crossostephium chinense. Mianhua is also known for its sea caves, many of which extend above the waterline.
Tiny Huaping has distinctive rocks with a high metal content that oxidization turns green, iron grey, purple, red and yellow. Although it stands just 53 meters above sea level at its highest point, Huaping’s rocky reefs and steep, jagged terrain make the islet a good sanctuary and breeding ground for seabirds.
With sponsorship from the Marine National Park Headquarters (MNPH), in September 2012 the Wild Bird Society of Keelung began giving presentations on the beauty of Pengjia, Mianhua and Huaping to local elementary and junior high school students to familiarize them with the ecology and landscape of the islets. That may be just the beginning of the MNPH’s efforts to conserve the islets, however, as the park headquarters is considering the establishment of a marine protection zone around them that would have conservation powers equivalent to those of a national park. Once obscure, the Three Northern Islets are becoming known as another example of the beauty and diversity of Taiwan’s natural environment.
Write to Cindy Chang at bwjiang01@mofa.gov.tw
Japanese beautyberry, a rare plant species found on Mianhua Islet (Photo Courtesy of Wild Bird Society of Keelung)
Brown boobies take flight from the waters off the Three Northern Islets. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Bird Society of Keelung)
Mianhua Islet is known for its striking stone pillar and sea caves, many of which extend above the waterline. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Bird Society of Keelung)
Huaping Islet’s rocky reefs and steep, jagged terrain make it a good sanctuary for seabirds. (Photo Courtesy of Wild Bird Society of Keelung)
Acroporidae coral. The waters off the Three Northern Islets provide a good habitat for coral, seaweed and other bottom-dwelling organisms. (Photo Courtesy of Marine National Park Headquarters)