Longluan Lake Introduction
Longluantan is located at the southwestern corner of Hengchun Township. The lake has a vast surface area of nearly 175 hectares, with an average depth of up to 3.5 meters, making it an important agricultural water conservancy facility and the largest inland lake in the Hengchun Peninsula. Due to the many fish ponds, grasslands, farmlands, water pools, and shrubs scattered around the lake, a diverse natural environment has formed, creating an important habitat for bird populations. Conveniently located on the migratory route of migratory birds, Longluantan attracts flocks of wintering birds seeking warmth during the fall and winter seasons. During this time, in addition to the resident species such as the Purple Gallinule, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, and Black-crowned Night Heron, rare visitors like the Common Moorhen, Eurasian Wigeon, Red-backed Shrike, waterfowl, Mallard, and seabirds arrive as if for an annual carnival, instantly bringing life to the usually tranquil Longluantan, transforming it into a joyful wild bird paradise. Due to this precious scene, a nature center has been established on the west bank of Longluantan, which is Taiwan’s first exhibition hall themed around bird ecology. It provides dynamic birdwatching activities as well as static pictures, specimens, videos, and informational materials to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of migratory routes, the breeding processes and significance of birds, the relationship between birds and humans, and the impact of environmental changes on birds, allowing guests to experience a complete course in bird ecology education. Longluantan is also a habitat for special plant species. Due to the high biodiversity of plant species in the park, which includes many rare varieties, an ecological park has been specially established to prevent the crisis of plant population decline caused by climatic or human activities. This ecological park categorizes rare plants, bird-attracting plants, butterfly-attracting plants, mountain plants, coral reef plants, hedge plants, grassland shrubs, flowering and fruiting plants, and coastal forests into nine major forest areas based on their growth environments and purposes, showcasing the richness of biological resources in Longluantan.
