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Site description (2001 baseline):

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.

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.

• 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.

Lobbying activities: • In 1964, Taisugar constructed about a 10-km sea wall, enclosing the mud beaches between Beigang’s Hsiyu and Liujiao’s water canals, forming 1030 ha of reclaimed lands for advancing the combined activities of agriculture and ranching. In 1972, Taisugar established a farm area with the goal of managing agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and ranching. In 1976, they began to plant sugar cane. In 1990, they stopped the aquaculture, and in 1993, the no.2 wastewater treatment plant was built. • The 1994 Planning examples of the environmentally sensitive areas at the coast of Taiwan listed the Aogu Wetland as an ecologically sensitive area. • At the end of 1998, the Council of Agriculture coordinated with Taisugar to set aside 1,000 ha of Aogu farmland for the planned Aogu Natural Ecology Park. • The Executive Yuan is planning to include the Aogu Wetlands into the Marine Area of Yulin and Chiayi National Scenic Area.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Aogu Wetlands (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/aogu-wetlands-iba-taiwan-china on 23/11/2024.