(Central News Agency reporter Yang Shumin, Taipei, 25th) The Forestry Department said today that the “2024 Black-faced Spoonbill Global Synchronous Census” totaled 6,988 individuals worldwide, an increase of 355 individuals compared to last year, breaking the record; Taiwan is still the world’s largest winter area for Black-faced Spoonbills. There were 4,135 individuals in total, but the number dropped slightly to 93 for the first time; maintaining habitat is still the key.
The Forestry and Conservation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture released the results of the “Global Simultaneous Census of Black-faced Spoonbills”, which is conducted regularly every January by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society in contact with various countries. This year it will be held from January 20 to 21. Commissioned by the Forestry Department, the Wild Birds of the Republic of China Co-ordinated by the society and working with more than 100 investigators from bird societies and conservation groups across Taiwan, this year’s global census recorded a total of 6,988 birds, an increase of 355 birds from last year. The numbers in all major wintering areas have increased.
The Forestry Department also said that in comparison, Taiwan experienced a slight decrease for the first time, with 93 individuals (2.2%) less than last year. However, Taiwan is still the largest wintering place for black Piper, with a total of 4,135 individuals recorded (59.2%); followed by The order is 1630 in China (accounting for 23.3%), 702 in Japan (accounting for 10.1%), 375 in Hong Kong and Shenzhen (Deep Bay) (accounting for 5.4%), 86 in Vietnam (accounting for 1.2%), and 39 in South Korea (accounting for 0.6 %), 13 in Macau (accounting for 0.2%), 7 in the Philippines (accounting for 0.1%), and 1 in Thailand.
In Taiwan, the Forestry Department stated that compared with last year, there were 94 more birds at the mouth of Zhuoshui River in the north and 105 more in Pingtung in the south. This shows that individual black-faced spoonbills have migrated from Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Chiayi in the core areas of distribution in the past. The phenomenon of spreading and moving between Yunlin in the north and Pingtung in the south.
For all parts of Taiwan, more than 90% are concentrated in the southwestern coastal areas, with Tainan having the largest number of 2,088. The other counties and cities, in order from most to least, are Chiayi with 887, Zhuoshui Xikou with 454 (at the junction of Changhua and Yunlin), There are 423 in Kaohsiung, 121 in Pingtung, 93 in Yunlin, 44 in Yilan, 10 in Kinmen, 6 in New Taipei, 5 in Penghu, 3 in Changhua and 1 in Hsinchu. A total of 12 counties and cities have records.
Subscribe to the “Good Morning World” e-newsletter and master 10 world affairs in 3 minutes a day
Subscribe
The Forestry Department also said that from the winter of 2023 to the spring of 2024, the Tainan City Wild Bird Society and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture rescued a total of 86 black herons, of which 25 were released into the wild after rescue, most of which were poisoned by botulinum toxin. . Clostridium botulinum originally exists in the environment and usually does not breed in large quantities. Unless continuous high temperatures cause the still water to be hypoxic and produce dead fish, it will breed. Other fish will be weak and die due to toxins in the environment. When they are about to die, eating black pipe will cause it. Poisoned.
The Forestry Department also said that after a large number of deaths occurred 20 years ago, the Tainan City Government began to strengthen environmental cleanup, and this year is also the case; in addition, habitat is the key to conservation, and “land-based fish farms” have been included in the ecological salary payment project since the 110th year of the Republic of China. From October to April of the following year after harvest, if the appropriate water level (below 20 centimeters) is maintained for at least one month continuously, the maximum annual disbursement of NT$10,000 per hectare will be issued. The area of friendly fish farms in Tainan City in 2011 and 2012 was approximately 200 hectares. (Editor: Chen Zhengwei) 1130425
