Road through Qieding Wetland Threatens Black-faced Spoonbill Habitat

This year the number of black-faced spoonbills at Qieding Wetland reached a record high, but a road development project planned by the Kaohsiung City Government will "carve a slash" through Qieding Wetland, potentially damaging the integrity of the migratory birds' habitat.

Qieding Wetland is an important habitat for black-faced spoonbills in Kaohsiung

This afternoon (2/6), the Kaohsiung City Environmental Protection Bureau will convene the "Third Meeting of the Special Task Force for the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Qieding 1-4 Road Construction." The Citizens of the Earth Foundation, the Chinese Wild Bird Federation, the Taiwan Wetland Protection Alliance, the Qieding Township Ecological Culture Association, and the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society, among other environmental groups, issued a statement calling for a halt to the wetland road project and proposing an alternative route along the wetland's periphery, so as to achieve a win-win outcome between the migratory bird habitat and the transportation needs of local residents.

Qieding Wetland, located in Qieding District, Kaohsiung City, was originally salt pans; after salt production ceased, it gradually transformed into an ecological wetland and became one of the main wintering habitats for migratory birds in southern Taiwan. Tens of thousands of migratory birds appear here every year, among them the star conservation species, the black-faced spoonbill. For the past two years, the number of black-faced spoonbills at Qieding Wetland has exceeded 130, meeting BirdLife International's criteria for an "Important Bird Area."

This year's black-faced spoonbill census conducted by the Chinese Wild Bird Federation showed that of the 1659 black-faced spoonbills across Taiwan, Kaohsiung City ranked third in regional numbers, behind only Tainan City and Chiayi County. Of Kaohsiung City's 157 black-faced spoonbills, 145 were at Qieding Wetland, indicating that Qieding Wetland has become an important habitat for the black-faced spoonbill in Kaohsiung.