By Wolfgang Beyer
Holding precious wetland ecosystems on the southwest coast of Taiwan, Taijiang National Park is Taiwan’s eighth national park. To introduce its beauty, Chunghwa Post is specially issuing a set of four stamps, featuring Cigu Lagoon, Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve, Wangzailiao Sand Bar, and Sicao Mangrove Green Tunnel. Their designs follow:
- Cigu Lagoon (NT＄6): This lagoon is a remnant of the historical and much larger Taijiang Lagoon, which shrank due to sedimentation. The sea’s waves break on the seaward side of the sand bars that enclose the lagoon, so the lagoon itself is quite placid. This calmness, along with the circulation of water between the ocean and the lagoon facilitated by the shape of the lagoon’s mouth, has allowed flora and fauna to flourish there. Fishermen make good use of its environmental advantages to cultivate oysters and catch fish. The fishing industry, with its variety of oyster sheds and fixed fishing nets installed here, gives the lagoon a special scenic beauty.
- Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve (NT＄8): Located in the wetlands at the mouth of the Zengwen River, the reserve spans across vast estuarial mudflats. With rich nutrients from upstream, the area supports copious benthic organisms and plankton. These abundant sources of food attract large populations of migratory birds every winter. Among these, the endangered black-faced spoonbills are especially eye-catching.
- Wangzailiao Sand bar (NT＄15): Isolated on the western, seaward side of the Cigu Lagoon, this sand bar, along with the Dingtou’e Sand bar, protects the mouth of the Cigu Lagoon. Australian pines occupy the high ground at the center of the sand bar, and you can often see herons perching and building nests in the treetops there. Everywhere on the beach, one finds coastal plants, such as beach morning glory and littoral spinegrass. It’s an excellent place to observe sand bar topography.
- Sicao Mangrove Green Tunnel (NT＄28): The Sicao Wetlands are home to one of Taiwan’s largest expanses of mangroves, supporting several species of the tree. Behind the Sicao Dazhong Temple, you can enjoy a beautiful green tunnel created by three different kinds of native mangroves (the red mangrove, the black mangrove and the grey mangrove) as well as the Kandelia mangrove.
Date of Release:24th April 2020
