Longluan Lake Introduction
Longluantan is located at the southwestern corner of Hengchun Township. The water surface is vast, covering nearly 175 hectares, with an average depth reaching 3.5 meters. It is an important agricultural water management facility and is considered the largest inland lake on the Hengchun Peninsula. Surrounded by numerous fish ponds, grasslands, farmlands, water pools, and shrubs, Longluantan creates a diverse natural environment that serves as an important habitat for various bird species. Located along the migratory route of birds, Longluantan sees a flock of migratory birds seeking warmth every fall and winter. During this period, aside from the native species such as the gallinule, little egret, cattle egret, and black-crowned night heron, rare guests like the Eurasian coot, mandarin duck, European stonechat, waterfowl, mallards, and gulls appear as if attending an annual carnival, turning the usually tranquil Longluantan into a lively bird paradise. To preserve this precious scene, a nature center was established on the west bank of Longluantan, which is Taiwan's first exhibition hall themed around bird ecology. It offers dynamic bird watching activities, as well as static displays of images, specimens, videos, and presentation materials, allowing visitors to gain an in-depth understanding of migratory routes, the breeding processes and significance of birds, their interaction with humans, and the impact of environmental changes on avian populations, essentially providing a complete lesson in bird ecology education. Longluantan is also a habitat for unique plant species. Due to the high diversity of plant species in the area, and the presence of many rare species, an ecological park has been established to protect these plants from the threats posed by climate change or human activities. The park categorizes rare plants, bird-attracting plants, butterfly-attracting plants, mountain plants, coral reef plants, hedgerow plants, grassland shrubs, flowering and fruiting plants, and coastal forests into nine forest areas according to their growth environment and purposes, highlighting the richness of biological resources at Longluantan.
