TAIPEI｜Guandu Nature Park : Unique Local Ecosystem

Guandu Natural Park is located at the confluence of the Tamsui and Keelung rivers; this park consists mainly of wetlands, marshes, and hills. The facilities here include a nature center, trains, and bird watching areas. Various educational activities are also organized to introduce visitors to the ecology of wetlands.

|Information

|Origin
The area is located to the north-west of Taipei and south-west of Guang-du plain , at the convergence of Keelung River and Danshui River , and is a typical river-mouth wetland. Local scenery has withstood tremendous changes in the last thirty years.

Earlier vegetations found growing in mud beaches are cyperus malaccenis lam and reed, interwoven with massive area of mud beach forming perfect rest and breeding grounds for migratory birds. At season migration for birds, great numbers will stop by or take residence for the winter arrive for rest, being one of the most essential bird watching areas in northern Taiwan. The Council of Agriculture has officiated the area as “Guandu Nature Reserve” in June 1986.

|An Introduction
▸Temperature: annual average 22℃; the lowest monthly average 15℃ and the highest 28.7℃.

▸Rainfall: annual average 2,071 mm.

▸Altitude above sea level: 0-10 m.

▸Geology : the soil at Guang-du plain is of Modern alleviated stratum, with Pleistocene epoch breccia to the North and Miocene Epoch rocks at Kwei-Zhi-Kang of Beitou. To the northwest of the plain, Chinshan fault passes by.

▸Geographic formation: There is not much height variation. The land contour lowers from north to southwest, therefore, water flows in the same direction. It is mostly swampland at the southern part of the embankment with tides. Most of the plants are emerged under water in high tides, and one can see only the top of mangrove. In low tides, mud beach appears.

|Current Situation and Suggestion
Because there is sand and underground water pumping the past, basin sinks seriously, and the backwash of sea-water has changed the saline content of soil producing amazingly fast large size of land for mangrove. As a result, it has not only replaced former mud beaches, but also affected birds which feed on naked muddy beach. The reduction of reed and cyperus malaccenis lam largely decreases the diversity of habitat modes, rendering fewer spots available for birds to rest. Other serious man-made pollution has such spoiled the water with high content of oxygen and metal, not to mention waste soil dumping, and land development, which has greatly devastated local ecology.

|Endangered Animals within the area
*Endangered Species of birds
白鸛 (Ciconia ciconia)
琵鷺 (Platalea leucorodia)
黑面琵鷺 (Platalea minor)
隼 (Falco peregrinus)
諾氏鷸 (Tringa guttifer)

*Rare species of birds
唐白鷺 (Egretta eulophotes)
黑頭白 (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
巴鴨 (Anas formosa)
松雀鷹 (Accipiter virgatus)
赤腹鷹 (Accipiter soloensis)
鳳頭蒼鷹 (Accipiter trivirgatus)
灰面鷲 (Butastur indicus)
老鷹 (Milvus migrans)
大冠鷲 (Spilornis cheela)
魚鷹 (Pandion haliaetus)
環頸雉 (Phasianus colchicus)
水雉 (Hydrophasianus chirurgis)
彩鷸 (Rostratula benghalensis)
燕鴴 (Glareola maldivarus)
玄燕鷗 (Anous stolidus)
小燕鷗 (Sterna albifrons)
白眉燕鷗 (Sterna anaetheta)
蒼燕鷗 (Sterna sumatrana)
畫眉 (Garrulax canorus)

*Others Conservation-Deserving Species of Birds
喜鵲 (Pica pica)
紅尾伯勞 (Lanius cristatus)

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Travel Info
Guandu Nature Park
[關渡自然公園/Guān dù zìrán gōngyuán]
-Located in:North Taiwan
-County:Taipei
-Features:?Nature Park
-Highly recommend to: Nature Lovers
-Contact:02-28587417
-Address:No. 360, Zhixing Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City Taiwan

Editor：baibai@ReadyGo
Thanks to Forestry Bureau for the content sharing.