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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Extent of this site: located in Zhouhsi of Hualien County, encompasses Forest Compartment 32 to 37 of the YuIi Division, Hualien Forest District Administration Area. It’s about 32 km long driving from Hungyeh Village, WanJung Village, Hualien County, along the Ruisui Forest Road. The entire area is under the administration of Taiwan Forestry Bureau.
The site is on the east side of the main backbone of the Central Mountain Range, with slopes in the entire area being steep and precipitous, except the places near mountain ridges which are somewhat flat and smooth. Elevational distribution is extremely broad; low-elevation areas are broadleaf forests, while high areas are mixed coniferous-broadleaf forests. Average annual precipitation is about 3,900 mm.
A2 criterion species: 10 endemic species are commonly seen here including: Steere’s Liocichla, White-throated Hill Partridge, Formosan Yuhina, Formosan Bulbul, Taiwan Firecrest, Swinhoe’s Pheasant, Formosan Whistling Thrush, White-eared Sibia, Formosan Blue Magpie, and Mikado Pheasant.
• To the present, as many as 53 species have been recorded. In total there are six endangered species, 14 rare species, and 18 other protected species for a total of 38 species.
Non-bird biodiversity: • The Formosan Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa and the Formosan Black Bear Selenarctos thibetanus formosanus are endangered protected species found here. The record of the Formosan Clouded Leopard is based on evidence from National Taiwan Normal University’s Prof. Guangyang Lu and others who spotted tracks of large cats in dry riverbed within the reserve three times, so it was deduced to occur here.
• There are seed forests of the Formosan red cypress Chamaecyparis formosensis, Taiwan yew Taxus mairei, and Taiwania Taiwania cryptomerioides.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
• Fengping River is facing imminent construction of a dam. The Yuli Shihfeng Electric Company has a plan for a hydropower station on the lower reaches of the Fengping River. Although the planned power station is located outside of the reserve, the impacts on the ecology and environment of the reserve and upstream sections of the river need to be evaluated and estimated.
• Trash is left by mountaineering activities.
• There is mineral extraction. The permits to extract minerals on quite a lot of lands within and nearby the reserve have been issued. In the reserve on the upper edge of the mountain top, extraction has already ceased and the mines have been abandoned because the mineral resources are depleted. But because mining has occurred here, the mining itself has caused extensive damage to the reserve, most evident by the destruction of the vegetation and landscape.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Legislation:
• In 1981, based on the Taiwan Forest Management and Administration Law, the Yuli Wildlife Nature Protected Area was established.
• In 1992, the scope of the protected area was broadened to include all the upstream watershed area of Fengping River.
• In January 2000, based on the Wildlife Conservation Law, the Yuli Wildlife Refuge was formally announced as the 12th wildlife refuge in Taiwan. Important conservation targets are the virgin forests and the precious wildlife resources.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yuli Wildlife Refuge (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yuli-wildlife-refuge-iba-taiwan-china on 22/11/2024.
