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Site description (2001 baseline):

Extent of this site: includes the Dachia River mouth south for about 3.5 km to the Chingshui canal, and to the west outside the Gaomei sea wall extending seaward on the sand flats for about 1.5 km. This area is situated on the west side of Taichung County’s Chingshui Township and to the side of Taichung Harbor’s oil depot. The area was formed in few years by silt and sand accumulation resulting from the establishment of the Gaomei sea wall after the Taichung Harbor was constructed in 1976. In addition, the southern shore of the Dachia River estuary is actively being eroded with material being washed into the Taiwan Strait forming tidal areas. The characteristics of the partially isolated wetlands in the interior of this area are derived from the soil texture, plant cover, and freshwater inputs; the wetlands can be divided into estuary, marshy areas, sandy areas, cobble areas, and muddy areas. This site contains the largest currently known colony of the plant Bolboschoenus planiculmis in Taiwan, with an area of about 5 ha; it is stably spreading and flourishing. The coastal area windbreak forests of Ironwood Casuarina equisetifolia have grown into dense stands covering 176 ha. This is the only and largest protection forest around Taichung Harbor. The forest is luxurious and dense, forming excellent bird habitat. In addition to the natural resources, the cultural resources are also abundant in Chingshui Township including the relics of the Niumatou. In the future, a plan can combine preserving both the Gaomei Wetland and this area’s cultural customs.

IBA Al criterion species: Black-faced Spoonbill, Chinese Egret, Saunders’s Gull: • Black-faced Spoonbill, 13 birds in May 2000; • Chinese Egret, 6 birds in May 2000; • Saunders’s Gull, with a stable population overwintering here. Date Jan. 1997 Jan. 1997 1998 Winter 1999 Winter 2000 No. of Saunders’s Gull 255 232 94 125 95 • At this site 135 species in 34 families have been recorded including 9 species of protected birds: Black-faced Spoonbill, Chinese Egret, Osprey, Painted Snipe, Eastern Collared Pratincole, Little Tern, and Black-naped Tern.

Non-bird biodiversity: • Thirty species of crab in 7 families, and 136 species of plants in 45 families have been recorded here. • In addition to having the largest extent of the Bolboschoenus planiculmis in Taiwan, there is also the endemic Hydrophila pogonocalyx, and the endemic viviparous mangrove, Kandelia candel, where a 2-ha rehabilitated area of the species stands.

• The Taichung County Government is planning to establish a 35-meter wide sea wall at the Gaomei Wetland in 2001. The construction area will base on the existed sea wall and extend outward to the sea. The planned sea wall is going to take a 2-lane road of 10-meter width. The bottom of the planned sea wall is 35-meter width with slowly descending slope and cover two-third of the existed stand of Bolboschoenus planiculinis. In addition, the planned sea wall will stand next to where Hydrophila pogonocalyx grows. The construction will be initiated on 18 April and finished at the end of August. • In April 1995, the Taichung Harbor Bureau planned to form the 78-ha Taichung Harbor No. 2 Electronic Designated District on the northern sand-sediment area of Taichung Harbor (the southern side of the Gaomei Wetlands). In October 1996, the project of building Haidu Power Plant was formally announced. The project shifted the oil-burning generators to coal-burning one. This would threaten the Gaomei Wetland ecology, which prompted NGOs and the public to together voice their opposition. In November 1998, the EPA ignored the misgivings of the public were still suspending and recklessly letting the Haidu Power Plant pass the EIA conditionally. If this generating facility is built on this site, it will seriously influence the ecology of the habitat and surroundings. • In November 1996, sand and gravel were dumped on the Gaomei Wetlands sea wall, creating a pile which measured 80 x 60 x 2 m, partly burying the rare Bolboschoenus planiculmis. • There are large amounts of discarded materials which end upon the sand flats. • The fire power plant creates air and water pollution. • The riverbed of the Dachia River has suffered from excessive gravel extraction, adversely affecting the estuarine ecology.

Lobbying activities: • The Taichung County government originally had the intention of making the Gaomei Wetland a public wildlife reserve, but because currently the land belongs to the Taichung Harbor Authority, the Authority is inclined to use this land as an industrial area, so the establishment of a reserve is still under suspension. Legislation: • On 27 December 2000, the Taichung County government completed the plan to change the zoning of the Chingshui Townships Gaomei land, and in February 2001, the Gaomei Birdwatching Area was slated to open then.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kaomei Wetlands (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kaomei-wetlands-iba-taiwan-china on 26/11/2024.