zones, changing Taiwan’s ecological environment. Under the call for conservation by the government and private organizations, Mataian Wet Land was built five years ago with the help of the Council of Agriculture and the Hualien County Government.
The successful establishment of the Mataian Wet Land (馬太鞍溼地) not only set up a conservation class that teaches people about the importance of environment conservation but also make it a must-visit attraction in Hualien. I visited Mataian Wet Land in the middle of January.
Mataian Wet Land is located in Kwangfu Township (光復鄉) of Hualien County (花蓮縣). Between the Central Mountain Range and Coastal Mountain Range, the wet land valley is formed by soil that flowed down from the two mountain ranges. The fertile soil and ample water provide nutrition to creatures in the wet land.
There is a visitor center beside the entrance to the wet land. I visited the center and I got a general idea about the wet land and also picked up some information guiding me in my visit to the land. Due to less human damage, the wet land has kept its nature as much as possible. There are many water plants together with birds, insects and animals in this wet land.
Summer is the best time to visit the wet land because lotus flowers bloom during the period. In order to let visitors closely look into the wet land, there is a wooden bridge (about 300 meters long) that crosses over the lotus pool. Aborigine’s fishing traps may be seen on the river, showing visitors the way the ancient aboriginal residents catch fish. This ancient fish-catching skill is known as a very environmentally-friendly fish-catching method.
It takes about one or two hours to finish visiting the wet land.
Terms of use