Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Extent of this site: the northern border is the Yuliao River; the southern border is the Zhoushui River; the eastern border is the southern section of the Tacheng seawall; and the western border extends from the levee out towards the Taiwan Strait for 3 km.
The Tacheng Wetlands is under the administration of Tacheng Village; in the north the Yuliao River empties into the sea, and in the south is the Zhoushui River estuary. The livelihood of the village is mostly offshore fishing and fish-pond aquaculture. On the mud flats there is mostly oyster cultivation. Most of these economic activities are concentrated within 1 km of the coast when the tide is low and do not impose great impacts on bird habitat and movements.
Within the intertidal zone about 97% of the land is mud flats, sand flats, and salt flats, while 3% is occupied by fish ponds.
The Tacheng Wetlands is a coastal mud flat wetland, with the bird community comprised mainly of the Scolopacidae, Charadriidae, and Laridae. The data on bird resources at this are lacking only because there have been few investigations here. In the past 5 years, however, the WBFT has performed bird censuses in this area, and has discovered that the population of Saunders’s Gull is relatively stable, and other species of the Scolopacidae and Charadriidae are numerous. Therefore, the Tacheng Wetlands is an important waterbird habitat, and it is worthwhile continuing the investigations and monitoring.
IBA Al criterion species: Saunder’s Gull
• In recent years, the number of Saunderss Gull’s varies quite a lot when comparing with that of each year. It is estimated the average number for this area is about 100 birds, and the population is considered stable. The most recent 5 years of data on Saunders’s Gull (SG):
Date Feb. 1996 Jan. 1997 Dec. 1998 Jan. 1999 Dec. 2000
No. of SG 76 105 33 88 100
• A total of 89 species has been recorded at this site.
• Rare and protected species include Chinese Egret, 2 birds; Peregrine Falcon; and Little Tern.
• Other protected species include: Brown Shrike and Black-billed Magpie.
• The maximum number of Tufted was 62 birds.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
• Currently there is a threat posed by the expansion in the number and extent of illegal aquaculture ponds in the area.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Lobbying activities:
• The 1994 Planning examples of environmental/v sensitive areas at the coast of Taiwan designated the Changhua County/Yunlin County Zhoushui Estuary as an ecologically sensitive area.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tacheng Wetlands (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tacheng-wetlands-iba-taiwan-china on 23/12/2024.
