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Ministry sanctions two Penghu wetland parks

The Ministry of the Interior yesterday declared two sites in Penghu County as government-protected national and regional wetlands.

The recognition of the renowned Cingluo Village (青螺) wetlands birdwatching site and the Caiyuan Wetlands Park (菜園) signified the ministry's approval of Penghu's ecological preservation efforts and may propel them toward becoming eco-tourism parks, officials said.

The Cingluo wetlands, which cover an area of 100 hectares at the northern coast of Husi Township (湖西鄉), are one of Penghu's most important eco-sensitive areas.

The county government began conservation efforts by planting gray mangroves (Avicennia marina) in front of the village temple, Jhenwu Temple.

It also experimented with three other types of mangroves. Though growth was slow, the plantation is now the biggest mangrove reserve in Penghu.

The wetlands can be divided into four areas from north to south: the Cingluo hooked coastal area, the mangrove recovery area, Cingluo fish farm and the Hongluo Bay (紅羅灣) tidal area.

Caiyuan Wetlands Park is located in inner Makung Bay. Its low elevation provides abundant water resources. In 1971 a reservoir was built there, which was followed in 1993 by the military's creation of the Twin Lakes Park (雙湖園) artificial wetlands, a reserve with bridges and birdwatching facilities.

The county planted gray and red mangroves (Kandelia obovata) in the park, and had promising results.

The wetlands park also covers 100 hectares and consists of the Hsing-Jen Reservoir and forest, Twin Lake mangrove recovery area, Caiyuan fish farm and the Caiyuan tidal area.

Penghu Environmental Protection Society president Lin Chang-hsing (林長興) said that the Cingluo wetlands possessed abundant ecological resources.

Though parts of the wetlands currently lack connections to major roads, the availability of water activities such as rowboats make the reserve a potential tourism hotspot, he said.
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