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Site description (2001 baseline):

Extent of this site: to the south is Ilan County Road 30; to the west is Han County Road 25; to the north is the Provincial Highway 7; and to the east is the Provincial Highway 2. This area contains the Dongshan River. The area is also called Wushierjia (means 52 ha), because historically, the Ilan People once reclaimed and cultivated an area of about 52 ha here. Before the 1980s, the water channel of the Dongshan River twisted and turned, which made the drainage of the water from torrential rains of typhoons very difficult, and thus caused flooding disasters which created the freshwater wetlands nearby. Later, the dredging of the Dongshan River continued according to the Dredging Plan of Provincial Rivers. The Wushierjia Wetlands consists of the nearby paddy fields and the marshes formed from abandoned cultivated fields. Because of the abundant food resources and the location of the wetlands, each year, large numbers of the Scolopacidae, Charadriidae and waterfowl spend the winter here. All lands in this area are privately owned. Due to high costs of land acquisition and opposition from landowners, the government has found it difficult to establish a bird reserve in this area. Wushierjia Wetlands is located close to the Dongshan River Scenic Area. Integrating the two areas together would provide greater diversity in scenic spots for tourist activities and ecological education.

IBA Al criterion species: Black-faced Spoonbills • BFS are frequent visitors to this area as they fly back and forth from the river mouth of the Lanyang River; a maximum of 5 birds was recorded in December 1999. • Baikal Teal winters in mixed flocks with Green-winged Teal. • Chinese Egret, Saunders’s Gull, and Spoon-billed Sandpiper have been recorded occasionally. • There are abundant bird resources, with 206 species recorded. The best time to observe birds is between October and December, when large flocks of the Anatidae and Kentish Plover pass through on their way south.

• There is a high density of cultivated land. • By the end of 1986, nets for catching waterfowl were strung everywhere along the Ilan coast area, particularly in the Wushierjia area. • There is a serious problem with fill dirt. Piles of wasted soil and gravel have been dumped in the area since 1989, which has caused serious damage to the ecology of the marshes. In 1994, all types of wasted soil and gravel were deliberately dumped to fill in large areas of land. Businessmen planned to fill the land and hoped the government would change the land zoning to a residential and industrial district in this area. • In 1999, developers applied for land of less than 2 ha each time to avoid the environmental impact assessment and legitimize the construction of a dormitory for labourers. • Brokers have been speculating in land since the area is close to the Dongshan River Scenic Area. • The government of Ilan County might include the Wushierjia Wetlands as part of the project of urban planning in Lizejian. • Establishing a bird reserve is opposed by local residents since it would interfere with the landowners’ rights and interests.

Lobbying Activities: • In 1994, the 1994 Planning examples of environmentally sensitive areas at the coast of Taiwan which included the Wushierjia Wetlands to be an ecologically sensitive area. • In 1999, the Wild Bird Society of Ilan held an activity for joint signing of a document “establishing an environmentally friendly county and IBA as an indicator, and opposing the construction of the labourers’ dormitory at Wushierjia”. • Legislation: In 1990, 67 ha were proposed as a waterfowl reserve by the Ilan County Government. The project was rejected by the Council of Agriculture (COA) since it concerned private land. • Ding-Nan Chen, the ex-magistrate of Ilan County, strongly approved the idea of establishing a waterfowl reserve. Between 1992 and 1995, the Ilan County Government submitted Advice for establishing a waterfowl reserve at Wushierjia Wetlands to the COA. However, due to the boycott by landowners, local senators, and the Ilan County Council, the project was rejected again by COA. In 1992, great opposition formed when local residents united as a self-help group, forcing the Ilan County Government to abandon the project. • During 1996 and 1999, all concerned businesses enthusiastically demanded the right to build a dormitory for laborers on the area. • In 21 September, a public hearing was held to discuss the project on the wetlands of the Wushierjia area. Still, the local residents were opposed to the idea of establishing a bird reserve.

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