[Coral-List] sign up to support us to save Taoyuan Algae Reef in Taiwan

[Allen Chen]

Dear Coral-Lister,

I would like to draw your attention that we are running a campaign to save an extraordinary “algae reef” in the Taoyuan  coast, Taiwan. Please visit our petition website (http://creeg.biodiv.tw/SaveAlgaereef/en/savealgaereefs/ <http://creeg.biodiv.tw/SaveAlgaereef/en/savealgaereefs/>) and sign up to support us!

We just have had a ReefSite, entitled “Unprecedented calcareous algal reefs in northern Taiwan merit a high conservation priority" accepted and in press in Coral Reefs.

Taoyuan algae reef, built mainly bycrustose coralline algae (CCA), is an extraordinary massive reef found on tidal flats extending continuously along the coastline of Taoyuan City, Northwest Taiwan. It is approximately 27km in length and a maximum of 450m in width with a large tidal range of 4m.

Carbon-14 dating indicated the age of the reef to be around 7500 BP, and consisted of some sediment-tolerant corals, such as Cyphastrea, and Dipsastraea. After 4400 BP to the present, the CCA genera, such as Mesophyllum, Phymatolithon, and Harveylithon, have contributed to the present algal reef through constant growth over time as stacked layers over the surface of the reef which is porous in its appearance. The Taoyuan CCA reef performs similar ecosystem functions to those of coral reefs.

However, long-term industrial pollution and continuous habitat destruction by land reclamation for the industrial park, windmill constructions, particularly the recent development project of a liquid nature gas (LNG) receiving station and port by the Taiwan Chinese Petroleum Cooperation (CPC) threaten the future of Datan algae reef system.

Local communities, NGOs, and Academy have raised serious concerns that over 300 hectares of Datain algae reefs will be directly impacted and disappeared once the environmental impact assessment of this project is approved. The worse scenario of hydraulic model test indicates that the neighbor Guanxin Algal Reef Wildlife Protected Area (GARWPA) will be continuously destroyed by littoral drift due to groin effect of CPC-LNG port jetty construction, highlighting the merit of prioritizing conservation of this unique ecosystem in Taiwan.


Thus, we request Taiwan government to:

1.    Recognise the uniqueness and preciousness of Taoyuan algae reef and declare the Datan algae reef as a national-protected natural landscape under the legal protection in Taiwan.

2.    Stop the Guan Tan industrial park developmental project and the construction of  the 3rd liquid natural gas receiving station/ port immediately.

3.    Reconsider the alternative location, such as Taipei harbour, for  the construction of the 3rd liquid natural gas receiving station/ port to fulfil the need of the national energy policy for non-nuclear homes, reduction of carbon dioxide emission”.

Please sign up and support us to save the Taoyuan algae reefs.

Thank you!

Cheers, Allen

Allen Chen, PhD (JCU)
Professor/ Research Fellow
Biodiversity Research Center
Academia Sinica
Taipei, Taiwan
E-mail:cac at gate.sinica.edu.tw/ <http://gate.sinica.edu.tw/> acropora.chen at gmail.com <mailto:acropora.chen at gmail.com>
Tel:886-2-27899549/886-930073637
Skype:acropora403 <skype:acropora403>