Datan Algal Reef Hope Spot: Taiwan's Story of Perseverance
The northwestern coast of Taiwan holds a mysterious reef that remains a secret from much of the world – including local residents.
Crabs congregate on the rocky shore of the Guanxin Algal Reef (c) Ssu Kuei YEH
The algal reef ecosystem in Taoyuan, Taiwan expands along approximately 27 kilometers of the Taoyuan coastline in Taiwan and is a special biotic ecosystem compounded of more than 7,500 years of history
Zoom in and out on the map for a closer look at the Hope Spot!
Hidden in plain sight during the day, this prolific reef comes to life at dusk with thousands of fish, crabs and macroinvertebrates rising to the water’s surface.
Timelapse along the reef at night
This particular reef’s one-of-a-kind endemic species population, topography and ecosystem exist nowhere else in the world.
Barnacles collect under the rocks
Unfortunately, much of this exquisite algal reef has suffered destruction from industrial development and pollution throughout the last 50 years, and the remaining healthy area of the reef is under threat from a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving port project. However, local community-based groups, NGOs and researchers are determined to convince the Taiwanese government to officially protect this unique reef and are working to preserve their cultural and fishing heritage, protect the living environment and develop a sustainable eco-tourism and hospitality industry to sustain the local economy.
Save Datan Algal Reef – A Message from Allen Chen, Hope Spot Champion
Allen Chen, Hope Spot Champion and research professor at Biodiversity Research Centre, Academia Sinica, Taiwan says, “The algal reef in Taoyuan is an ecosystem that’s very new to science. We are just beginning to reveal the fundamentals of the life this reef holds, and we have only been able to scratch the surface until now. With the Hope Spot designation, we believe we can raise our government’s awareness of how precious the Datan algal reef is and compel them to protect it.”
Polycyathus chaishanensis
Mainly constructed by crustose coralline algae (CCA), these porous, blackish reefs are enormous in size and will turn reddish when CCA actively grows in the winter. The reefs’ highly porous nature provides habitat to many marine species including the recently discovered endemic coral species Polycyathus chaishanensis.
Starfish cling to the rocky reef in Datan Algal Reef
The reefs are also home to a large population of moray eels, crabs, numerous CCA species and the IUCN Red-Listed threatened green sea turtle. The reef serves as a potential nursery ground for several shark species, including the IUCN Red-Listed endangered hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) which are observed migrating through the reef’s waters annually between March and June.
Destruction Looms
A major part of the algal reef have been silently sacrificed to support Taiwan's economic growth, landfill projects and industrial park construction.
It is estimated that about 75% of the reef (the northern region of the reef) has been damaged by industrial pollution in the last 50 years.
The remaining 25% algal reef (the southern region of the reef) is still threatened by a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving port project and storage stations of the Chinese Petroleum Corporate of Taiwan (CPC) and coastal and offshore wind turbines of Taipower Company.
Dr. Liu, Hung-Chang, a researcher with Independent Land Crab Ecology describes, “I have studied the ecology of land crabs for 30 years and have checked several thousand kilometers of seashores throughout my life and studies. I am amazed by the high diversity and abundance of crab fauna, as well as the abundance of other marine life there. It is a miracle that Datan algal reef can have such abundant marine life after being so seriously influenced by toxic polluted water from local industries for over 30 years. I can’t imagine how wonderful the original virgin seashore of Datan Algal Reef was.”
The Fight for Protection
In 2014, a marine protected area located south of the Datan algal reef was established under the Taiwan Wildlife Act (TWA) at the Guanxian section.
Heavy protests from NGOs to prevent further development along the Taoyuan coast were finally heard. However, the Datan algal reef itself is not encompassed in the MPA, leaving it to remain under threat of destruction.
The threat became a reality at a meeting in February 2019 in which the Taiwanese government approved of the construction plans for the LNG project – with marine scientists and activists strongly opposing the plans, citing doubts surrounding both its legality and necessity.
Lui Chih-Chien, President of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union describes how the short-term gains simply don't justify the destruction of the reef.
“According to the data presented by the developer, Chinese Petroleum Corporation of Taiwan, there will be a natural gas oversupply within several years after the construction of the LNG receiving terminal. However, the utilization rate of the terminal would not be high. I doubt why we have to sacrifice the 7500-year-old precious algal reef coastline for temporary natural gas usage.”
NGOs continue to speak out to convince the government to save what's left of the reef.
Allen Chen (left) and Erin Tseng (right), Datan Algal Reef Hope Spot Champions, rally supporters at the reef.
The Datan algal reef is perhaps the area’s healthiest in terms of reef structure, coverage, and biodiversity, making it incredibly vital to shield it from suffering the same fate as its surrounding reefs. The algal reef is proposed as a “stepping stone” for other reef-associated organisms in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. The Datan algal reef is the largest biotic structure, thus providing its reef-associated species a connection to northern populations in Japan.
“The Datan algal reef is a wonderful example of people working together and recognizing the importance of protecting marine ecosystems,” says Dr. Sylvia Earle. She continues, “We have the evidence that there’s incredible life in this reef, and the time is now to officially protect it.”
SOS Signal from Datan Algal Reef
You can learn more about the Datan Algal Reef Hope Spot in the Ocean Story, Datan Agal Reef in Taiwan is Declared a Hope Spot in Support of Saving a Unique Ecosystem from Industrialization.
