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The forest hidden in the middle of Taipei is less than ten minutes from an MRT station. In Fuyang Eco Park you can relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city
Fuyang Eco Park is located on an old military ammunition depot built during the Japanese occupation. After the ROC government arrived in Taiwan, the Four Four Arsenal was built in Sanchangli (now the Xinyi Special District) and the ammunition was stored in this area. Because of the area was restricted and controlled by the military, the natural habitats in the area were preserved and, to this day, many protected animals can be seen here. After the military moved out from the area and with the help of nearby residents and other organizations, the Taipei City Government transformed the area into park lands and established the Fuyang Eco Park, the first natural eco park in Taipei in 2006.
Realizing the value of Fuyang’s ecosystem, the Society of Wilderness established the Fuyang Fixed-Point Observation Group. The society officially adopted the park in 2004 and received the sponsorship of Wistron (now Wistron Foundation) in 2006. The society aims to protect this rare green jewel in Taipei through guided tours, surveys of frog species, and habitat maintenance.
On the day of the interview (March 14), we participated in a guided tour held by the Society of Wilderness in the morning to gain a better understanding of the ecology in Fuyang Eco Park. First, a forest game was held in the open space of the entrance. Members of the public who participated in the tour acted as different types of plants, such as Bidens alba, silvergrass, Alocasia odora, Trema tomentosa, Ficus fistulosa, and wild coffee, with a total of more than ten types of plants. The adults and children followed the instructions of the volunteers to act out the lives and deaths of the plants, simulating the natural process.
Why was an event like this created? This was a response to the “natural ecology succession area” in the park. After the military moved out from the area, a children's play area was constructed in the succession area, resulting in the land becoming bare and lifeless. After the Society of Wilderness adopted the park, they decided to return the land to nature and allowed nature to run its course. By allowing nature to thrive without human interference, this barren land has gradually return to life. Now, the plants in the succession area may seem chaotic but, in fact, the area is filled with life. Animals, such as insects, frogs, snakes, and birds, have gradually returned to the ecosystem.
After warming up, the volunteer narrator introduced the large Chinese tallow next to the entrance of the park. Chinese tallows are seasonal trees of the Triadica genus of the family euphorbiaceae. Before the trees shed their leaves, the leaves turn yellow then red, displaying vivid colors. Chinese tallows are also host plants of the Pyrops watanabei. Every summer, around July, you can find Pyrops watanabeis in the trees.
In fact, Chinese tallows are not native to Taiwan. The trees were brought to Taiwan from China by early settlers and have high economic value. The leaves of the Chinese tallow can be used to make black dye for cloth. The trunk is hard to split due to its natural strength and can be used to make furniture or sculptures, or even spinning tops. Additionally, the sap of the Chinese tallow is a natural bug repellant, while the exterior of the trunk is covered in wax, which can be used for candles, and the seeds can be refined into lantern oil. Therefore, we can say that the Chinese tallow is an invaluable treasure from head to toe.
When we look up at the tops of the Chinese tallow trunk, we can find ferns growing on the tree, such as bird-nest fern and Pseudodrynaria coronans. The Pseudodrynaria coronans wraps itself around the trunk of the tree and the leaves are split into feathers. The bird-nest fern sits on the split in the trunk and the bottom of the plant resembles a bird’s nest. The edge of the leaves are smooth to the touch and wavy. They represent the evolution of the ferns and are indicators of a mature forest.
Next, we followed the path to the wetlands ecology observation area. On the way, the female volunteer talked about milk trees which are a common sight in the park. Milk trees favor humid environments with abundant water sources. These trees belongs to the Ficus genus family and can be divided into female and male plants. A feature of the plant is the small flowers that grow in the fruit. More specifically, the fruits should be classified as hypanthodium. The petals expand and envelope the entire inflorescence, which resembles a small fruit but actually contains a sea of flowers.
In order to help the milk trees pollinate and reproduce, nature has cleverly evolved fig wasps to help with this important task. The small size of the fig wasps allows the insect to burrow into the fruit. Besides carrying the pollen of the other the milk trees, the wasps also lay their eggs in the fruit before dying. After some time, the fig wasps are born and the fruits ripen. The milk trees work with the fig wasps to complete the mission of reproducing, representing the co-dependence of different species in nature.
Furthermore, the fruits of the milk trees are not only snacks for squirrels and birds, but they also attract insects to feed. When the insects come, they also attract frogs. With frogs, snakes will come, and with snakes, birds of prey that hunt snakes will also appear. Starting with the milk tree fruit, we can see how a food chain can link multiple species.
After a few more minutes of walking, we arrived in the wetlands ecology observation area. The Society of Wilderness planted many native Taiwanese plants here, such as Cephalanthus naucleoides (water guava), Barringtonia racemosa (small-leaved barringtonia), and Salix kusanoi. However, because of the current dry season, the water levels in the wetlands are very low. If the water level was higher, you could see many dragonflies and damselflies flying between the plants.
In the past, you could also see Taipei tree frogs, a unique species in Taiwan, in the area. However, according to the data of the frog survey team in recent years, Taipei tree frogs only appear in Fuyang Eco Park during the breeding season between October and February, which is very different to when the park was opened. Why is this the case? This is due to deteriorating habitat, human interference, and the competition with foreign species. So, during the Society of Wilderness tour, Ms. He Chiu-Mei was invited to introduce the common foreign species of spot-legged tree frogs and American bullfrogs.
Spot-legged tree frogs are native to South China, Hong Kong, and Indochina. Because they can easily spread among aquatic plants and gardening plants and they breed very quickly, the population of the frog grows exponentially and creates a serious threat to the native frog species. The backs of the spot-legged tree frogs are often marked with an X or Y and some horizontal stripes. However, because of the large and unclear variations, they can easily be confused with the native species of Polypedates braueri. Besides their similar appearances, the two species share close ancestral relations and similar habitats. However, because the spot-legged tree frogs spawn faster (and the average spawn rate and quantity is higher) than the Polypedates braueri, this frog has a significant survival advantage. Additionally, the tadpoles of spot-legged tree frogs also hunt the tadpoles of native Taiwanese species, stopping the native frog species of Taiwan from reproducing.
The American bullfrog originates from the northeast of North America and was introduced to Taiwan because of its value as a food source. The bullfrog is large in size, measuring between 11 to 20 centimeters and can weigh more than one kilogram. The bullfrog is highly adaptable and highly reproductive. The adult frogs and tadpoles both hunt other frogs and tadpoles, so is called the Tyrannosaurus rex of the frog family. With the addition of its habitat being similar to other frogs, the bullfrog is a significant threat to the native frogs of Taiwan. Moreover, the large amount of bullfrogs purchased and released by some religious groups has endangered the native frogs of Taiwan. The release of these foreign species has doomed native species.
American crayfish is also a large threat to native species. American crayfish are also known as Louisiana crawfish or small lobsters in China. A single female crayfish can lay up to 500 eggs, representing their strong reproductive abilities. Combined with their fast growth rate, they can reach maturity in six months. Naturally, the crayfish are aggressive and vicious. They eat aquatic plants, earthworms, tadpoles, fish, shrimp, and frogs. Therefore, the American crayfish do not only endanger fish and frog species, but also destroy aquatic plants and firefly habitats.
The Fuyang Eco Park has three treasures: Taipei tree frogs, giant red flying squirrels, and cicadas (Pyrops watanabei). However, because of the season and the time of day, we were not able to see these treasures during our visit. We look forward to returning for another visit. Through the guided tour led by the volunteer, our eyes and ears were opened. We believe that if we return to Fuyang Eco Park we will have a richer and deeper experience.
Fuyang Eco Park is different to normal parks. Although the land has been restored through manpower, no excessive artificial construction was done. The natural scenery has been preserved. Each themed area uses minimal artificial equipment to ensure that the natural scenery and special ecological resources are preserved within the park. If you want to learn more about Fuyang Eco Park or if you are willing to put in the work to help protect the habitats in the park, we welcome you to visit the Society of Wilderness website for more information.
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