Lowering wetland water levels proved effective in attracting more waterbirds in Yunlin County’s Chenglong Wetlands (成龍溼地) by up to 80 percent, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Nantou branch said yesterday, the International Day for Biological Diversity.
The Chenglong Wetlands used to be farmland, but the land subsided due to groundwater overexploitation and eventually, large salt marshes appeared as seawater pooled after typhoons, it said.
Thanks to the topographical mixture of farmland and fish farms, the wetlands provide diverse habitats for different waterbirds and have become a stopover site for migratory birds in different seasons, the branch said.
Photo: Chan Shih-hung, Taipei Times
However, water levels in wetland impoundments rose over the past few years due to increased water from nearby fish farms, leading to limited waterbird activities as mudflats became insufficient during dry periods, it said, citing reports from local residents.
To address the situation, the branch collaborated with the Yunlin County Government, the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute and the Chenglong Community Development Association to communicate with the local fish farming industry and conduct trials on water level adjustments by letting out wetland water from two sluices of the Hanzihliao drainage system.
The first trial was conducted in February during which the wetlands’ water levels were lowered by 5cm on average. It led to the increase in the number of waterbird visits from 172 to 317, or an 84 percent rise, the branch said, adding that the institute recorded 46 different bird species.
The second trial was in March, during which water levels were lowered by 11.5cm on average. It did not yield results that were as significant as the first one, as the construction of an external ditch at the time caused a drastic change in water levels and affected waterbird activities, it said.
During the two trials, frequently recorded bird species included grey herons, great egrets, little egrets, black-winged stilts, pied avocets, common greenshanks, black-headed gulls and northern shovelers, the branch said.
These waterbirds are important indicators of wetland biodiversity and all prefer shallow water or exposed mudflats, it added.
Starting from this year, water level management at the wetlands would be implemented monthly from September to March every year to ensure that water levels are conducive for migratory waterbirds activity, the branch said, adding that more research is required to conceive a more effective wetland management plan.
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