National Parks of Taiwan

Longluan Lake(龍鑾潭) is about three kilometers to the south of Hengchun and is a semi-natural irrigation reservoir with water surface area of 175 hectares. The marshes, fish ponds, paddy fields, dry fields, wasteland, tussocks and woods around it provide an ideal habitat for wild birds. The marshes contain many water organisms that provide an excellent source of food for birds, making the lake a paradise for the birds of south Taiwan. Every autumn, tens of thousands of Little Egret. (Egretta garzetta.白鷺鷥) stop off at the lake during their migration and, in winter, thousands of geese and ducks and other water birds arrive to spend the winter.

In 1994 Taiwan’s first nature center was opened on the west bank of the marshy area, providing environmental education and a place for bird watching. In 2003, a manmade island approximately 100 meters long was built on the left side of the lake to counter the effect of the winter winds and, in total, ten sets of dead wood were placed on the island and at the water’s edge to provide habitat for wild birds. Most of the wood had rotted and was also insufficient and needed replacing and increasing. Also, the channel near the nature center was heavily silted and in need of clearing.

The dead wood could only be placed manually, therefore, on May 27 the park HQ mobilized male staff members, susbtitute military service personnel and interpretation and conservation volunteers, around 20 people in all, and completed the placing of the dead wood using a work camp method. It is hoped that the improved habitat will attract large numbers of birds of the Laridae(鷗科) and Ardeidae(鷺科)families, Common Kingfishers(Alcedo atthis翠鳥) and Ospreys(Pandion haliaetus魚鷹) to the lake and increase the variety of birds visitors can observe there.

Translated by：Kevin Lax
Source：Kenting National Park Headquarters