The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has selected 21 wetland areas that are expected to be listed as wetlands of national importance in February, bringing the total number of such wetlands to more than 100, a ministry official said yesterday.
The newly selected wetlands cover a total area of 20,000 hectares in 14 cities and counties, the official said, citing an initial assessment report of national wetlands for released by the Construction and Planning Agency this year.
The new sites include one listed as a world-class wetland on the Changhua Coast, 10 listed as national-level wetlands in the Tamsui River basin, Taoyuan County’s Hsutsuo Harbor (許厝港), Nankunshen (南鯤鯓) in Tainan County and other areas, and 17 of local importance in Hisnchu, Nantou, Pingtung and other cities or counties, the report said.
In the agency’s first assessment conducted in 2007, 75 sites were identified as wetlands of national importance, the official said.
This year, the ministry’s wetlands evaluation panel selected the 28 sites as nationally important wetlands from a number of wetland areas recommended by 36 civic groups, schools and public and private institutions, the official said.
The ministry also made adjustments on the grades of the original 75 wetland sites. For example, the Jhubei Lianhua Temple wetlands — the habitat of several rare aquatic carnivorous plants — was proposed to be upgraded to a national-level wetland site with the aim of strengthening habitat protection there, the official said.
The final assessment report will be made public on Feb. 2, World Wetland Day, when a ceremony to present accreditation certificates will be held, the official said.
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