Qieding Wetland Park Established, Government to Help Promote Ecotourism

Nearly ten thousand migratory birds winter at the Qieding Wetland in Kaohsiung City every year, creating a precious spectacle of skies filled with flying birds. But in the past, this area was designated by the former Kaohsiung County Government as a fishing port special zone and a yacht zone. Civil society groups and conservation advocates once loudly urged the government to change course and leave a home for the waterbirds. Responding to public opinion on conservation, the Urban Planning Committee of the Ministry of the Interior passed on September 20 a rezoning proposal promoted by the Coastal Branch of the Construction and Planning Agency. Part of the original Xingda Fishing Port Special Zone plan, an 82-hectare area on the north side, was designated as Qieding Wetland Park. In response, Lin Kun-hai, secretary-general of the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society, expressed gratification, but also hoped the government would go further and include the surrounding wetlands as well, so that the waterbirds' home could be preserved intact.

Li Chen-kuang, section chief of the Coastal Restoration Section of the Coastal Branch of the Construction and Planning Agency, pointed out that being able to change the original development plan into a wetland park through administrative procedures and gain local support is a major breakthrough, in which local NGOs' sustained concern and commitment played a very important supporting role. As for whether the surrounding wetlands will be included, communication with local residents will continue to be pursued and consensus sought.

The Urban Planning Committee held its 764th meeting on the 20th and passed the case "Change of the Xingda Port Fishery Special Zone Plan (in conjunction with the establishment of Qieding Wetland Park)," meaning that subsequent procedures will be carried out in accordance with legal procedures, including the promulgation and implementation of the urban plan, the allocation of state-owned land, and the planning and design of the wetland park. Li Chen-kuang said the case will add 82 hectares of wetland park land. Because the case reduces excavation and fill by 6.2 million cubic meters, it is estimated to cut carbon emissions by 1,366 tonnes, equivalent to saving nearly 200 million yuan; it can also save about 1.23 billion yuan in zone expropriation costs.

Li Chen-kuang said that in the future, native mangrove tree species will be restored in the wetland park, salt-pan water diversion and drainage channels will be repaired, and long-term ecological monitoring will be carried out. This year, the Coastal Branch has commissioned the Kaohsiung City Government to carry out the "Preliminary Overall Planning and Basic Design for Habitat Environment Creation at Qieding Wetland Park," conducting a preliminary survey and planning of the park's environment with the goal of creating diverse ecological habitats and incorporating disaster-prevention flood detention mechanisms. It is expected that, with local support, it can be linked with plans such as the Yong'an Wetland to form a nationally important wetland ecological corridor, build a wetland park with biodiversity, and spur new development in local communities.

Before the government drew up this plan, local groups including the Qieding Ecological and Cultural Association, the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society, and the Citizens of the Earth Association (now a foundation) had all appealed on behalf of the Qieding Wetland. In 2009, the Kaohsiung County Government, in order to open Roads 1-1 and 1-6 through the fishing port special zone, cut the Qieding Wetland in two from north to south, severely damaging the integrity of the ecological corridor, which once drew strong local protests.

Zheng He-tai, chairman of the Qieding Ecological and Cultural Association, which has long operated in the area, said the Qieding Wetland was formerly the Zhuhu Salt Pan and is now one of the largest gathering places for migratory birds, including wintering geese and ducks, passing Baikal teal, and the internationally protected black-faced spoonbill.

Zheng He-tai said the area was once "filled with flying birds across the sky." Before the roads were opened, shorebirds of the family Scolopacidae and Charadriidae reached 10,000; currently there are 3,000 to 4,000. Before the roads were opened, wintering geese and ducks numbered 8,000, and now there are still around 3,000. The area was also originally visited by many black-faced spoonbills, which are now gradually returning; this year their numbers have increased compared with last year, and they need more habitat and foraging space, which the Qieding Wetland can provide.

Besides winter migratory birds, Zheng He-tai said that in summer four species of herons can be seen breeding here, including cattle egret, little egret, intermediate egret and black-crowned night heron. This summer, great egrets could also be seen lingering, and perhaps they will breed here in the future too.

Zheng He-tai believes the government's willingness to conserve the wetland is commendable, but it is a great pity that the wetland in the salt-pan area on the west side, and the land south of Roads 1-1 and 1-6 that was originally designated as a yacht-only zone and has since been deregistered, have not been included.

Lin Kun-hai believes the current scope can be described as the result of years of negotiation between civil groups and the government. Seeing the government willing to first rezone part of the National Property Administration's land and designate it as a wetland park, in principle he welcomes it, but the yacht industry special zone on the south side overlaps in function with the South Star yacht-only zone already planned by the city government in Xiaogang District, and whether it should be reviewed again is worth the government's consideration.

As for the part on the west side belonging to the salt-pan area, the government presumably excluded it out of consideration for local needs, but Lin Kun-hai said that looking at the current planning and practices of the district office, including having already filled part of it for use as a cleaning crew site, this is not appropriate for the wetland ecology, and he hopes the district office will reconsider carefully.

Li Chen-kuang suggested that if local groups have different expectations for land use planning, the most feasible approach should be to seek the source within the system and change it through administrative procedures. The Xingda Fishing Port Special Zone plan was designated 20 years ago according to industrial development needs, and it is not appropriate to criticize the past with modern eyes, but communication with local areas will continue, using existing cases to promote environmental education so that nearby residents recognize the importance of the wetland. He believes that conserving the wetland can drive tourism, and residents will then be willing to preserve the surrounding wetlands.

(Homepage image courtesy of Zheng He-tai)

※ This article was originally published by the Environmental Information Center