Longluan Lake Introduction
Longluantan is located at the southwestern corner of Hengchun Township. The pond has a vast surface area of nearly 175 hectares, and the water is deep, with an average depth of up to 3.5 meters. It is an important agricultural water resource facility and is considered the largest inland lake on the Hengchun Peninsula. Due to the many fish ponds, grasslands, farmland, water pools, and shrubs scattered around the pond, it creates a diverse natural environment for various species to thrive, making it an important habitat for bird congregations. Situated along the migratory route of birds, Longluantan attracts a flock of migratory birds seeking warmth during the autumn and winter months. During this time, in addition to the resident species like the Purple Gallinule, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, and herons, rare visitors such as the Black-faced Spoonbill, Mandarin Duck, Stilt, species of waterfowl, Mallard, and gulls arrive in droves, transforming the usually serene Longluantan into a lively scene reminiscent of a joyful bird festival. To preserve this precious sight, a nature center has been established on the west bank of Longluantan, Taiwan's first exhibition hall themed on avian ecology. It provides dynamic birdwatching activities, as well as static displays of photographs, specimens, videos, and presentations to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of migratory routes, the breeding process and significance of birds, the relationship between birds and humans, and the impact of environmental changes on birds, offering a comprehensive bird ecology educational experience. Longluantan also serves as a habitat for unique plant species. With a high degree of plant species diversity and many rare types, an ecological park has been specially created to prevent the decline of plant populations due to climate change or human activities. The Longluantan Ecological Park categorizes the plant species into nine forest zones based on their growth environments and uses, including rare plants, bird-attracting plants, butterfly-attracting plants, montane plants, coral reef plants, hedge plants, grassland shrubs, flowering plants, and coastal forests, highlighting the richness of biological resources at Longluantan.
