A wetland and forest park project by Sun Yat-sen University has won an award from the America Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the first time a local project has received an honor from the institute, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday.
The Emerging Natural Paradise-Aogu Wetland Forest Park Master Plan, one of three low-elevation forest parks planned by the government, won an Award of Excellence in the analysis and planning category.
The project is located on land that was reclaimed from the sea in Chiayi County’s Dongshih Township (東勢) in the 1960s, but later became a wetland. The plan was designed to help the wetland function as both a water resource and a flood plain.
The project also included ecological restoration through which the park can become a habitat for migratory birds, including the endangered black-faced spoonbill, said Lu Shiau-yun (陸曉筠), a marine environmental and engineering assistant professor at the university.
The 1,600 hectare wetland, which is a flood plain for the Beigang River (北港溪), can also improve water resources and help prevent flooding, Lu said.
The wetland designs can also increase utilization of fresh water. In addition, the coastal wetland is expected to resolve a wastewater issue caused by a pig farm in the area because the water can be cleaned after running through a new artificial wetland.
Other key strategies include improving the low diversity of the original forestation, using native tree species, replanting windbreak forests and reducing soil salinity.
The park is scheduled to open on Dec. 17, with an artificial wetland of 5 hectares, a bicycle path and a walking trail still to be completed.
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