Managed by the Wild #Bird Society of #Tainan, the Pheasant-tailed Jacana #Conservation Park has brought the local population of jacanas from under 50 in the 1990s to over 1,741 now via community engagement, outreach, and water chestnut cultivation. #Taiwan https://twitter.com/TaiwanBirding/status/1308011154132758529

#Tainan's Guantian District has adopted the "rice & water caltrop in rotation" cultivation method to make its vast fields a prime #habitat for insects, frogs, and #waterfowl, after the local jacana population was almost wiped out by many stressors, including excessive pesticides.

#Conservation efforts began in 1990, when 15 hectares of land were leased from Guantian District to lower the impact of the #Taiwan high-speed #railway project on the jacana habitat; artificial #ponds were created to provide a breeding ground for the once-endangered #birds.

Around 100 jacana chicks hatch each year. Together with advocating #eco-friendly #farming methods for the surrounding regions, the park promotes ecological monitoring, #Satoyama concepts & agricultural tourism designed around jacana #conservation. #Taiwan https://conservation.forest.gov.tw/EN/latest/0064552

Dr. Jane Goodall also visited this #bird sanctuary in #Tainan, twice, during 2001 and 2008. #Taiwan https://www.forest.gov.tw/EN/forest-news/0023193

For more info:

- https://jacanatw.org/ 
- https://issuu.com/jacana.tw 
- https://www.facebook.com/PheasanttailedJacana/
- https://www.siraya-nsa.gov.tw/en/attractions/detail/41

Photos: https://www.facebook.com/twforest/photos/pcb.1601924813312908/1601922766646446/?type=3&theater

Close up of the smiling water #caltrop (菱角) aka #mustache nut that is: a) mistakenly stated as "water chestnut" at the start of this thread; b) commonly eaten boiled as a snack or in soup in #Taiwan; c) often mistaken for #bats. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/02/09/2003730655