IC Broadcasting’s Island Symbiosis – Listening to Taiwan: A Relay Station of Migratory Birds, Guandu Nature Park Creates a Wetland Sanctuary

In 1863, Robert Swinhoe, a naturalist and British Consul in Taiwan, set out from Tamsui in a small boat and headed upstream along the Tamsui River. When going through a narrow pass, tens of thousands of migratory birds on both sides of the river were startled by the sound of the boat’s oars rowing through the water and took flight, filling the sky above the marsh with the dense silhouettes of birds and their incessant cries. This marsh is the Guandu Wetland. Now the “Guandu Nature Park” and “Guandu Wetland of National Importance” have been established here, and the site has become an excellent stopover point for migratory birds.

Yeh Tsai-Fu, Director of the Department of Conservation, Guandu Nature Park, said that when winter migratory birds arrive in northern Taiwan with the northeast monsoon, some of the birds will enter the wetlands around Guandu and Wugu along the periphery of the Datun Mountain range to rest and replenish their energy. Therefore, Guandu Nature Park can be seen as an important supply station for migratory birds coming and going from the south to the north.

However, such a valuable wetland in Guandu has been harmed by human activities. Guizikeng Creek and Shuimokeng Creek that flow through this area have brought industrial and household wastewater, while many unscrupulous operators have dumped trash and steel waste on the abandoned farmlands in Guandu after the salinization of the soil. Seeing such a tragedy, conservationists and birdwatchers were worried and began to voice their concern in the 1980s in the hopes of protecting this environment.

After 20 years of efforts, Guandu Nature Park was finally established and officially opened to the public in 2001, with the management entrusted to the Wild Bird Society of Taipei. Today, Guandu Nature Park has become an important nature learning center in the greater Taipei region. The park is divided into the Main Area, Core Reserve Area, Sustainable Management Area, and Outdoor Observation Areas. Habitat maintenance is carried out in each area according to the landscape and management objectives.

Financially, the Wild Bird Society of Taipei operates Guandu Nature Park on a 100 percent return of earnings and self-financing basis. In addition to government subsidies and income from operations and educational activities, there are also donations from the public and sponsorship from enterprises, which together form the major force in the protection of the Guandu wetlands. For example, Wistron Foundation launched the “Moon Pond Adoption Project” in 2022 to help carry out ecological surveys and habitat conservation work at “Moon Pond”, found in the Main Area.

Let us go to Guandu now and let Director Yeh Tsai-Fu tell you about the establishment history of Guandu Nature Park, as well as the stories on the implementation of work in the park, such as green space maintenance, paddy field management, and habitat maintenance.