Budai Wetland Ecological Park (formerly known as Nanbudai Wetland) Introduction
The South Budai Wetland is located in the idle salt fields south of the urban area of Budai Township, Chiayi County. It used to be part of the sixth district salt fields of the Budai Salt Company, covering an area of approximately 1,385 hectares, including lagoon waters. The wetland is bordered to the north by the Western Coastal Expressway and the Zhanliao Waterway, to the east by Taiwan Provincial Highway 17 and Budai Junior High School, to the south by the Longgong Creek crossing Taiwan Provincial Highway 17, and to the west by the lagoon waters. Hundreds of years ago, the South Budai Wetland was a shallow lagoon of the Taofeng Inner Sea (the remaining Haomei Lagoon today). Later, due to reclamation by early settlers, it became fishponds. In the 1930s, Japanese expansionism led to a surge in demand for salt, known as the "mother of industry," prompting the forced acquisition of private fishponds for the establishment of salt fields. After the restoration of Taiwan in the 1950s and 1960s, the salt industry once created a brilliant era known as the "platinum years" along the southwestern coastal region of Taiwan. However, with the transformation of Taiwan's social and economic structures, the salt industry struggled against global competition due to the liberalization of salt imports. In 2002, Taiwan Salt Corporation finally announced the cessation of all salt field operations, marking the end of the development of the salt industry in Taiwan. Today, the abandoned and idle salt fields, after years of erosion and freshwater dilution from rain, and environmental factors such as groundwater over-extraction leading to land subsidence, have transformed into a wetland paradise that attracts a large number of migratory birds, both winter and summer visitors, especially from September to April each year. This area is one of the most important habitats for wild birds along the southwestern coast. In the South Budai Wetland, various bird species such as the Black-faced Spoonbill, White Spoonbill, and Black-headed Gull can be observed, with rich biodiversity worth exploring.
