↑Ecological Bamboo Raft Cruise in Dense Mangrove

↑Mangrove of Avicennia marina in Yungan Ditch

↑Charadrius Charadius is pulling the welehia out

↑Lumnitzera racemosa form May to July and from October to November

Eco-tour in Yungan
Yungan is located in lagoon area of Southwest Coast of Taiwan, and in the past one hundred years or so, it was influenced by the flooding of downstream of Agongdian River and the accumulation of sea sand. In addition to river treatment, the landscape of Yungan has been shaped. Yungan, Baoning, and Yentian have been transformed from inner sandbar or fish ponds into clustering and because of the development of fish farming industry, they have become rich villages on Southwest Coast.

Although the landscape of Yungan has been shaped, yet there are sites to trace the history of Yungan to allow future gener- ation to witness the development including mangrove clustering, wetland, sandbar, and estuaries presenting the sustainable lives of animals and plants. Hands-on experience, thus, becomes the inevitable theme of eco- tour in Yungan.

Mangrove and Yungan Ditch
In southwestern Taiwan, Erren River, Agongdian River, and Dianbao River enter the ocean in the coastal area of Kaohsiung County and they form a large lagoon area between Taiwan Strait and the land. Yungan was once under the administration of Mituo Siang and due to the influence of Agongdian River, the spacious inner sea became unique nature landscapes of sandbar, salt field, and mangrove forest and the habitat of crabs, shells, fish and birds.

Agongdian River like other rivers in Taiwan has been threatened by pollution problem and the mangrove trees along the sides were destroyed and only the four kilometers from the south of Yungan Ditch to Sinda inner sea bypass Yungan Bridge and Sinlung Bridge grow high and dense mangrove trees to attract the nesting of egrets. In the evening time, many egrets are seen here.

Mangroves are woody plants that are suitable to grow at the tropical estuaries. According to International Society for Mangrove Ecosystem, there are 24 geneses, 30 species, and 83 kinds of mangrove. True mangrove refers to the woody plants grow at the tidal areas of estuaries and they develop the| characteristics of having aerial root and being viviparous to adapt to the weather for growth. Around the world, there are only 60 kinds of true mangrove and in Taiwan, we have threaded trees, Rhizophora mucronata, Lumnizera racemosa, Avicenma marina, and incense trees.

Mangrove clustering in Yungan Ditch is mainly Avicennia marina, the densest area in Taiwan with the average height of six meters and width of more than ten cm. Avicennia marina is the treasure of the environmental protectionists. It is truly believed that in the future there will be great responses gained from ecological bamboo raft cruise.