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Site description (2015 baseline):

Cie Ding Wetland used to be known as Chu-Hu Saltpans. It includes a wide variety of wetland habitats including mudflats, mangroves and abandoned saltpans and sand dunes. Along with the Wu-Shu-Lin saltpans in Young-An, it was the main saltpan in Kaohsiung. These saltpans began production in 1943 and were closed in 1970. In 1976 the City Government allocated the southern portion of the saltpans as part of the Xingda Harbor Fishery Special Area. Xingda Harbor was built in 1987 and used to pump sea salt into Chu-Hu saltpans. The elevation of the wetland is above sea level, and currently only the western side has deep water and mangroves growing along the tidal channels (Cheng 2013).

The entire Cie Ding wetland is relatively flat, with Roads 1-6 and 1-1 separating it into northern and southern sections. The northern section lies near Lower Cie Ding village and is about 82 hectares in size. There is an earth dike in the middle of the wetland. The western part of the wetland has relatively deep water, and lies near to Ci-Lo village and a hill (known as “Big Mountain” to the local people) with groves and graves. The entrance off Jen-Ai Road is where residents habitually burn paper money to worship the deities. It was originally planned that the area south of Road 1-1 would become a special zone for the yacht industry but this plan has not been realized. The Marine Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government intends to develop the area for tourism (Lin, 2013).


Despite the pressure from development, Cie Ding Wetland is still the largest wetland with the most diverse and abundant waterfowl in Kaohsiung. More than 15,000 migrant birds winter at the site each year, and surveys have recorded over 150 species at the wetland. They include Black-faced Spoonbill, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, Eastern Marsh-Harrier, Chinese Egret, Greater Painted-snipe, waders (Scolopacidae and Charadriidae), etc. The dominant species is Kentish Plover, with a maximum count of more than 8,000 (Chiehting Ecological and Cultural Association, 2011; Shie 2013).

Cie Ding Wetland is closely associated with Young An Wetland (IBA-TW030), which lies to the south. When the birds are disturbed at one wetland, they fly to the other one for refuge. This behavior is particularly apparent for Kentish Plover. In the past, these two wetlands were both part of the Rou Port inner sea. Although the construction of Xingda Harbor changed the local landform, they are connected as important habitats for migrant birds (Lin 2013; Cheng 2013).

During a 33-month survey from April 2010 to December 2012, 120 species and 161,850 individuals were recorded at Cie Ding Wetland, with a trend for the total number of birds to increase slowly during the three years. In winter, raptors such as Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) are present, and this IBA is also an important habitat for migratory waders, with Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) being the most abundant species. This IBA is also an important breeding habitat for Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) and Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum).

The Endangered Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) is a locally common winter visitor in Taiwan, with half of the world population counted in south-eastern Taiwan every year. It occurs in almost every estruay in Taiwan on migration but in cold winter it is found only in Chiayi and Tainan counties. However, Black-faced Spoonbill has been recorded in this IBA since 2012 and the number increased dramatically recently. The annual peak counts from 2011 to 2013 are 34, 56 and 154 and the peak count to date in 2014 is 212 in February.








There are five main issues affecting the conservation of Cie Ding Wetland:

The first and most important issue is the construction of Road 1-4. In 2013, in response to requests by local people, the Kaohsiung government planned to develop Road 1-4, running north to south right through the center of the wetland. The road is planned to be 30 meter wide, connecting Ju-kuang Road in the north with Road 1-1 in the south, which would complete the transportation network in Cie Ding urban area. However, Road 1-4 would divide the Cie Ding wetland into half, running through the earth mound and the mangroves, which are important habitat for birds. The development of the road would affect the habitat of Black-faced Spoonbill and other birds, which has gained nationwide attention. Several environmental groups have come together to make public statements of objection. The Urban Planning committee of Kaohsiung has responded by developing three alternative plans, and these and the original plan will be subject to environment impact assessments before the final decision is made. Since Cie Ding wetland has been declared as a “National Important Wetland”, it is important to understand how the proposed road would impact the bio-environment of this area. Despite three special committee meetings, the decision on the road development has not yet been finalized, and the case was submitted to EIA meetings in February 2014.
The second issue relates to the saltpans in the south of the wetland. These were once zoned as an industrial area, where it was planned that a yacht construction industry area would be created by infilling the saltpans with soil. The planned yacht industry has been relocated to another region, but the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau now has plans to develop this area with tourism infrastructure comprising 1000 villa hotels. There is an urgent need to request the government to rezone this area as a park, where the birds are protected from human activities (for example, the temples there regular organise ceremonies with firecrackers that may frighten the birds).

The third issue is unregulated tourism activities. If management of tourist access can be improved and the environmental awareness of the tourists can be enhanced, this will reduce incidents that may harm or disturb the birds.

The fourth issue is the vision for the area among the local people. Currently, traditional economic activities and real estate development are viewed as the model for the future. The local people have not yet realized the potential benefits of environmental tourism, and the resources they have in their local area for this type of tourism.

The fifth issue is that stray dogs are being fed, and their numbers are increasing in the area. The stray dogs visit the wetland and disturb the habitat of the birds.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Qieding Wetland, Kaohsiung City (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/qieding-wetland-kaohsiung-city-iba-taiwan-china on 27/12/2024.