Shuanglianpi Wetland ( zh, t= 雙連埤) is a partially protected natural area in
Yilan County in northern Taiwan. Situated 470 meters above sea-level, it contains a botanically rich, shallow lake, which, from the perspective of plant species density, is considered to be 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 ...
with global significance by the
Forestry Bureau of Taiwan.
At Shuanglianpi, 17.16 hectares of water surface and shorezone fringe are designated as a Wildlife Refuge by Taiwan.
Biodiversity
Flora
Shuanglianpi displays over one third of Taiwan's native aquatic plant diversity with 112 species. These contribute to the currently observed total of 321
vascular plant
Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...
taxa in the wetland area, which are distributed among 105 families.
Threatened species according to the Taiwan Red List of Vascular Plants include ''
Salix kusanoi'' (endangered), ''
Pogostemon stellatus'' (endangered), ''
Limnophila trichophylla'' (endangered), ''
Eleocharis ochrostachys'' (endangered) ''
Utricularia aurea'' (endangered), ''
Brasenia schreberi'' (vulnerable), and ''
Cyperus platystylis'' (vulnerable).
Of these, ''Salix kusanoi'' is particularly noteworthy as it is endemic to Taiwan and known from only two locations. In addition, Shuanglianpi is also the only known place where ''
Trapa bispinosa
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok (Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin kok ...
'' can be seen in Taiwan.
Floating floral mats formed by emergent vegetation and
humus
In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
that drift according to the direction of the wind are another feature of Shuanglianpi.
The only examples of this precise phenomenon in Taiwan, these "floating islands" mediate light entering the water and contribute both to species richness and improved water quality.
Fauna
58
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
species have been recorded at Shuanglianpi, where an additional 32 other kinds of
aquatic insect
Aquatic insects or water insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some ''diving'' insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects c ...
are also found. Some are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
either to Taiwan or the wider region.
They join 206 insect taxa in the surrounding terrestrial habitats.
Sources vary on the diversity of birdlife with the number of species placed between 39.
and over 70
Some are again unique to Taiwan, including the
Taiwan blue magpie
The Taiwan blue magpie (''Urocissa caerulea''), also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie (), or the "long-tailed mountain lady" (; Taiwanese Hokkien: Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû), is a bird species in the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan ...
(''Urocissa caerulea'')'',''
Taiwan scimitar babbler (''Pomatorhinus musicus''),
black-necklaced scimitar babbler
The black-necklaced scimitar babbler (''Erythrogenys erythrocnemis'') is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae.
It is found in Taiwan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist ...
(''Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis''),
Taiwan yuhina
The Taiwan yuhina (''Yuhina brunneiceps''), also known as Formosan yuhina, is a small songbird endemic to the island of Taiwan.
Taxonomy and systematics
Like other yuhinas, it is closely related to the white-eyes and if these were considered a ...
(''Yuhina brunneiceps''),
Taiwan whistling thrush
The Taiwan whistling thrush (''Myophonus insularis''), also known as the Formosan whistling thrush, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Taiwan.
Taxonomy
The Taiwan whistling thrush was collected by Robert Swinhoe an ...
(''Myophonus insularis'') and
Taiwan barbet (''Psilopogon nuchalis''). The
long-tailed shrike
The long-tailed shrike or rufous-backed shrike (''Lanius schach'') is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes. They are found widely distributed across Asia and there are variations in plumage across the range. The species ranges across ...
(''Lanius schach''),
Mandarin duck
The mandarin duck (''Aix galericulata'') is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is medium-sized, at long with a wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus ''Aix''. ...
(''Aix galericulata''), and
common teal
The Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca''), common teal, or Eurasian green-winged teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in temperate Eurosiberia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian teal is often called simply the teal due to being th ...
(''Anas crecca''), which are threatened on the Taiwan Red List of Birds, are all reported.
Shuanglianpi
herpetofauna
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...
contains records of approximately 18 reptile and 19 amphibian species.
In the latter category, the
central Formosa toad (''Bufo bankorensis''), temple tree frog (''
Kurixalus idiootocus''), Nantou flying frog (''
Zhangixalus moltrechti''),
tributary flying frog (''Zhangixalus prasinatus''), bangkimtsing frog (''
Odorrana swinhoana
''Odorrana swinhoana'' is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Taiwan and widely distributed in hilly areas below . It is named for Robert Swinhoe, a British naturalist and diplomat. Its common names include Swinhoe's brown ...
''), long-legged brown frog (''
Rana longicrus'') and Taipei flying frog (''
Zhangixalus taipeianus'') can only be found in Taiwan.
This limit to global geographic range also applies to at least two reptiles: the
Formosa grass lizard (''Takydromus formosanus'') and the
Formosa slug snake (''Pareas formosensis'').
From all herpetofauna, various taxa are threatened with extinction according to
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
evaluations: the Taipei flying frog (vulnerable at the national level), long-legged brown frog (vulnerable globally), and
Chinese softshell turtle
The Chinese softshell turtle (''Pelodiscus sinensis'') is a species of softshell turtle that is native to China (Inner Mongolia to Guangxi, including Hong Kong) and Taiwan, with records of escapees—some of which have established introduced po ...
(''Pelodiscus sinensis'', vulnerable globally).
At least 16 fish species are represented at Shuanglianpi as well.
These include the
rosy bitterling
The rosy bitterling or Tairiku baratanago (''Rhodeus ocellatus'') is a small freshwater fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae (carp), native to East Asia from the Amur River basin to the Pearl River (China), Pearl River basin.
Females are abou ...
(''Rhodeus ocellatus''), which is thought to have been originally endemic to Taiwan;
the Taiwan Venus fish (''
Aphyocypris kikuchii
''Aphyocypris kikuchii'' is a species of cyprinid fish. It is endemic to Taiwan. It is a benthopelagic freshwater fish that grows to total length
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These ...
''), which is both endemic to Taiwan and endangered;
the
river loach
The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae, of small fish from South, Southeast and East Asia. The family includes about 202 species. They are sometimes sold as "lizardfish" or (in Germany) "flossensaugers". Many of th ...
(''Formosania lacustre''), another endemic species; and the
Japanese rice fish
The Japanese rice fish (''Oryzias latipes''), also known as the medaka, is a member of genus ''Oryzias'' ( ricefish), the only genus in the subfamily Oryziinae. This small (up to about ) native of East Asia is a denizen of rice paddies, marshes, ...
(''Oryzias latipes''), which is vulnerable to extinction at the national level.
Other species categories such as mammals require further research.
Threats
The ecosystem at Shuanglianpi is threatened by
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
and agriculture in the surrounding area, although
rural depopulation
Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective.
In industrializing economies like Britain in the eighteenth century or East Asia in the ...
might be reducing pressure from farming.
Eutrophication
Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...
and hydrological interventions are additional threats, among various human disturbances over the years. A nearby road may be an obstacle to the water flow too.
Management
Goals of the Shuanglianpi Wildlife Refuge cover conservation of lowland Machilus-Castanopsis sub-montane evergreen broadleaved forest habitat; maintenance of precious and unique genetic diversity in Taiwan; establishment of resources and trained personnel for public communication; revitalization of habitats for the fish species ''Oryzias latipes'', the tributary flying frog (''Zhangixalus prasinatus''), whose entire global range is confined to northern Taiwan, and endangered taxa; guaranteeing the ecological integrity of succession processes; conservation of biological diversity; and delivering the conditions for sustainable community development via green economic practices.
A Taiwanese non-governmental organisation called the Society of Wilderness contributes to the day-to-day management of the Shuanglianpi Wildlife Refuge. Since 2010, it has collaborated with
Wistron
Wistron Corporation () is an electronics manufacturer based in Taiwan. It was the manufacturing arm of Acer Inc. before being spun off in 2000. As an original design manufacturer, the company designs and manufactures products for other compani ...
, the publicly listed electronics manufacturer, which supports conservation, habitat revitalization, and education via the Wistron Foundation.
Some additional financial support for the protected area is also supplied by the local government.
References
{{Coord, 24, 44, 57, N, 121, 38, 17, E, display=title
Protected areas of Taiwan
Landforms of Yilan County, Taiwan