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By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter
The variety of black kites nationwide hit a report high of 1,033 final 12 months, exhibiting that eco-friendly development and farming strategies have helped with their conservation, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency mentioned on Thursday.
The nightfall emergence survey for black kites final 12 months confirmed that the populations continued to develop steadily over the previous 13 years, from lower than 200 in 1992 to 1,033 final 12 months, it mentioned.
The annual survey was initiated by Wild Bird Society of Keelung cofounder Shen Chen-chung (沈振中) in 1992 and scaled up in 2013 when Lin Hui-shan (林惠珊) — a researcher on the Bird Ecology Lab at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology — joined the trouble.
Photo courtesy of the Bird Ecology Lab at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
Lin arrange a analysis group consisting of almost 70 personnel in collaboration with the Raptor Research Group of Taiwan (RRGT) to analyze the variety of black kites.
Last 12 months’s survey additionally marked the primary time nightfall roosting of black kites was recorded in Keelung’s Shenao (深澳) and Rueibin (瑞濱) areas since 1994, the report mentioned.
The distribution of black kites was once concentrated in New Taipei City’s Wanli (萬里) and Gongliao (貢寮) districts and Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫) in northern Taiwan, in addition to Pingtung County’s Sandimen Township (三地門) and Dahan Mountain (大漢山) in southern Taiwan, it mentioned.
Dusk roosting recorded in Shenao and Rueibin, in addition to elevated sightings round coastal areas and riversides in northern Taiwan, and the Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) and the Hushan Reservoir (湖山水庫) in central Taiwan, confirmed that black kite populations are shifting from mountainous areas to low-lying plains, the company mentioned.
“They are returning to historical habitats,” it mentioned.
The dimension of the black kite population is intently associated to habitat integrity and wholesome meals sources, the company mentioned, including that the species as soon as confronted survival disaster on account of habitat loss, and the usage of pesticides and poisons.
The scenario improved after the company started selling its ecological service cost scheme and eco-friendly farming, in addition to tightened regulation on purposes of extremely poisonous pesticides and rat poison, it mentioned.
Raptors corresponding to black kites are key indicators of environmental well being and biodiversity, the company mentioned.
The company has been cooperating with the lab on monitoring black kite populations through satellite tv for pc monitoring expertise and selling related training since 2013, it mentioned.
It additionally joined the RRGT’s effort to recruit volunteers for simultaneous surveys performed nationwide throughout winter and autumn, the company mentioned, including that the survey has grow to be Taiwan’s largest raptor monitoring community.