Banana Bay Ecological Reserve Introduction
The coastal area between Eluanbi and Kenting was once covered with dense coastal forests, which were nearly destroyed due to human cultivation and the planting of kenaf. It wasn’t until 1982, when this area was designated as an ecological reserve, that the landscape began to recover. The Banana Bay Ecological Reserve is divided into two sections—north and south—by Provincial Highway 26, exhibiting distinctly different topographical features. The northern section consists of a cliff landscape formed by uplifted high-level coral reefs from the Pleistocene epoch, characterized by rugged terrain with fallen large coral rocks scattered throughout. During the winter monsoon winds, small crescent-shaped dunes may form. The southern section is located on a Holocene marine terrace, where Holocene coral reefs are covered by modern alluvial layers, and the coastal area is filled with wave-eroded channel and reef formations. Among the wave-eroded channels, coarse shell sand, coral remains, and coral gravel can often be seen. Due to the low-lying nature of the Banana Bay Ecological Reserve, many porous coral rocks and high-permeability sand dunes accumulate here. Coupled with abundant spring water and steep terrain that is unsuitable for development, the coastal forest of Banana Bay is currently the only relatively intact coastal forest area in Taiwan. Although the forest covers a small area, it is rich in plant diversity, which can be categorized into four plant zones: the coastal coral reef plant zone, the sandy herbaceous plant zone, the coastal shrub plant zone, and the coastal forest plant zone. The coastal coral reef plant zone is exposed year-round to intense sunlight, strong winds, and sea salt spray, leading to a stunted growth form of plants, with only a few sheltered plants reaching heights of up to one meter. The sandy herbaceous plant zone, located on the inner side of the coastal coral reef plant zone, features typical sand shore vine plants such as saddle vine, beach bean, and rootless vine, thriving in the narrow sandy beach landscape. The coastal shrub plant zone is characterized by larger plants, primarily consisting of shrubs and trees like white water tree, sea hibiscus, bird pepper tree, and yellow hibiscus. However, this area is still significantly affected by waves and sea winds, resulting in many trees being prostrate. The coastal forest plant zone mainly consists of evergreen broadleaf forests, where the composition of tree species varies based on their distance from the sea and light conditions. Common plants in coastal areas include Chinese parasol tree, jigsaw tree, water yellow skin, hairy persimmon, Matsu apple, and eggplant tree; while inland plants include Chinese parasol tree, skin-son tree, large-leaf pigeon tree, olive tree, and large-leaf mountain olive; shaded plant layers include fig tree, dogwood, red incense tree, climbing tree vine, wind vine, nine-headed lion grass, horsehair tree, and mountain blue.
