Project title: Survey of Bioligical Indicator in Coastal Areas of Taoyuan City in 2020
Project executive agency: Taoyuan City Government
Project execution team: Society of Streams, R. O. C.
Features of wetland:
Xucuogang Important Wetland is famous for its migratory bird resources, which designated as an important bird area (IBA) by BirdLife International. This wetland includes a total area of 961ha. According to Article 40 of the Wetland Conservation Law in 2015, it was regarded as a national important wetland. In September 2018, the "Xucuogang Important Wetland (National) Conservation and Utilization Plan" was announced.

Xucuogang Important Wetland

Project results and contents:
Ecological survey─Bird Suvery
According to the survey from December 2019 to November 2020, are at least 72 species 10,240 individuals of birds in Xucuogang Important Wetland. The most abundant month is December.

Species richness per month

Individual bird count per month

This includes 9 species of Conservation birds: Chinese Egret（Egretta eulophotes）, Black-shouldered Kite（Elanus caeruleus vociferus）, Eurasian Kestrel（Falco tinnunculus）, Pheasant-tailed Jacana（Hydrophasianus chirurgus）, Little Tern（Sternula albifrons sinensis）, Far Eastern Curlew（Numenius madagascariensis）, Black-tailed Godwit（Limosa limosa melanuroides）, Red Knot（Calidris canutus） and Brown Shrike（Lanius cristatus）.

Chinese Egret│Photo by 趙偉凱

Black-shouldered Kite│Photo by 羅永發

Also included are 5 species of invasive birds: Sacred Ibis（Threskiornis aethiopicus）, Oriental Magpie-Robin（Copsychus saularis）, Javan Myna（Acridotheres javanicus）, Common Myna（Acridotheres tristis）, Black-collared Starling（Gracupica nigricollis）.

Sacred Ibis│Photo by 李培芬

Javan Myna│Photo by 李培芬

Ecological survey ─ Vegetation survey
At least 56 species of vegetation (which belong to 30 families and 53 genera) in Xucuogang Important Wetland. Inculde 2 rare species: Kandelia (Kandelia obovate) and Flatstalk Bulrush(Bolboschoenus planiculmis), and 24 naturalized plants: Panicum maximum, Brachiaria mutica, Axonopus compressus, Paspalum conjugatum, Livistona chinensis subglobosa, Ricinus communis, Casuarina equisetifolia, Nerium oleander, Leucaena leucocephala, Medicago polymorpha, Oenothera laciniata, Anredera cordifolia, Physalis angulata, Ipomoea mauritiana, Cuscuta japonica, Alternanthera sessilis, Alternanthera bettzickiana, Bidens pilosa radiata, Conyza bonariensis, Parthenium hysterophorus, Aster subulatus, Crassocephalum crepidioides, Rumex japonica and Sesbania sesban.

Plant composition

Ecological survey ─ Benthic organisms and fish survey
More than 34 species of benthic organisms, and 33 species of fish, live in Xucuogang Important Wetland. In the past, exotic species Amazon sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) and mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) was easy to find in the river. After habitat construction, the exotic species population is on a downward trend, and the survey still needs to continue.

Benthic organisms and fish survey

Continuous basic ecological surveys and the establishment of an ecological database will give us the basic data needed for future trend analysis, in order to understand the ecological resources and environmental changes in the coastal area of Taoyuan City.