Mangrove Protected Area

Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants that thrive in estuarine environments where rivers meet the sea. Currently, only four species of mangroves exist in Taiwan: Kandelia obovata (Oriental mangrove), Lumnitzera racemosa (Black mangrove), Avicennia marina (Grey mangrove), and Rhizophora stylosa (Spotted mangrove). Along the Tainan coastline, from the mouth of the Bazhang River in the north to the mouth of the Zengwen River in the south, the coastal areas experience calmer winds and waves. There are numerous sandbars, lakes, and estuarine wetlands, and the accumulation of silt and sand in the estuaries and coastal regions provides an excellent environment for mangroves to establish and propagate. They are distributed in Beimen District, growing in the shallow muddy wetlands at the mouth of the Jishui River, with species including Avicennia marina and Kandelia obovata. In Jiangjun District, they grow at the mouth of the Jiangjun River, featuring Kandelia obovata and Avicennia marina. Qigu District hosts scattered mangroves, including Avicennia marina and Lumnitzera racemosa, across five hectares in muddy wetlands near Hailiao Port, within the internal channels of coastal fish farms, and at the mouth of the Zengwen River. Mangrove forests harbor a wealth of minerals and organic matter, making them a paradise for mudskippers and fiddler crabs. The city government will continue its annual efforts to plant mangroves through artificial restoration, hoping that these national treasure-level mangroves will create the most natural ecological environment for Tainan City's coastal areas.