Zhouzai Wetland Park

Zhouzai Wetland Park is located on Zhouzai Road by Lotus Pond in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City. It was originally a low-lying rice paddy field. Many years ago, numerous pheasant-tailed jacanas gathered here. However, due to urban development, they migrated to the area around Guantian in Tainan. To bring these beautiful pheasant-tailed jacanas back to Kaohsiung, groups like the Taiwan Wetland Conservation Alliance promoted the 'Pheasant-tailed Jacana Homecoming Project.' They lobbied the city government to restore the land to its original state and establish a wetland park. The Kaohsiung City Public Works Bureau approved this initiative, and a wetland park was jointly created using eco-engineering methods. The goal was to restore urban wilderness and ecological habitats, constructing a freshwater pond ecosystem where floating-leaved plants and animals like water caltrops, lotus flowers, pheasant-tailed jacanas, and little grebes can coexist. Visitors can freely stroll along the open pathways of the wetland park, admiring the blooming lotus flowers on the ponds and the beautiful sight of various birds such as greater painted-snipes, common moorhens, little grebes, and egrets leisurely navigating among the aquatic plants. Zhouzai Wetland is now open – everyone is welcome to apply online to reserve a visit (guided tours explaining the park's animal and plant ecology are provided by Wetland Alliance ecological guides).