Aogu Wetland () is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

in Dongshi Township,

Chiayi County Chiayi County (Mandarin pinyin: ''jiā yì xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Ka-gī-koān'') is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. It is the sixth largest county in Taiwan. Name The former Chinese placename was ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

History

The wetland used to be a main

agricultural land Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other organism, forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous ...

Taiwan Sugar Corporation Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC; ; pinyin: ''Táiwān Tángyè Gōngsī'') or Taisugar (; pinyin: ''Táitáng'') is a state-run enterprise of Taiwan, with headquarters in Tainan City. History The corporation was established on 1 May 1946 by the ...

for farming, fishing, husbandry and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

plantation. However, due to the continuing

subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope move ...

of the area caused by the

seawater Seawater, or salt water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has appro ...

invading the

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

, the land became unsuitable for agriculture. As time passes by, the area became a wetland during high

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide t ...

. In 2009, the wetland was designated as the location for Aogu Wildlife Conservation Sanctuary and oversee by

Chiayi County Government The Chiayi County Government (CYHG; ) is the local government of the Republic of China that governs Chiayi County. History The country government was formed in October 1950 by the Taiwan Provincial Government. Organization * Accounting and S ...

Geology

The wetland is located at the mouth of

Beigang River The Beigang River, formerly known as the Pakan from its Hokkien pronunciation, is a river in Taiwan named for Beigang, a port 20 kilometres from its mouth. It flows through Yunlin and Chiayi counties for 82 km. At the river mouth, lies the ...

and Luijiao Drainage Channel. It spands over an area of 1,500 hectares, making it the largest wetland in Taiwan. It features more than 200 species of bird.

Ecology

The habitat of the wetland consists of deep water swamps, dry farmlands, marshes, mudflats, paddy fields and windbreak forest. Terrestrial birds and water birds often fly to this place to find foods. Various species of fish are also found in the fish ponds.

Transportation

The wetland is accessible by bus from

Chiayi Station Chiayi () is a railway station in Chiayi, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railways and Alishan Forest Railway. History The station was firstly constructed in 1896 and opened on 20 April 1902 with service on the West Coast line. The station was a s ...

of Taiwan Railways.

References

External links