Matai'an Wetland Ecological Park
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| Matai'an Wetland Ecological Park | |
|---|---|
| 馬太鞍濕地公園 (Chinese) | |
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_location_map.svg)  Location within Hualien County  Location within Taiwan | |
| Location | Guangfu, Hualien County, Taiwan |
| Nearest city | Hualien City |
| Coordinates | 23°39′29.6″N 121°24′31.8″E / 23.658222°N 121.408833°E |
| Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
The Matai'an Wetland Ecological Park (traditional Chinese: 馬太鞍濕地公園; simplified Chinese: 马太鞍湿地公园; pinyin: Mǎtàiān Shīdì Gōngyuán) is a wetland in Guangfu Township, Hualien County, Taiwan.
Matai'an, which means tree bean, comes from the Matai'an tribe of the indigenous Amis people who inhabit the area around the wetland.[1] The wetland is also called the Fataan Wetland Ecological Park.[2]
History
The area around the wetland has been used by the local tribe for farming and fishing.[3][4] Recently, the area has been developed for tourism purpose where currently it has three inns.[5]
Since the 1970s, natural disasters have created 88 barrier lakes in Taiwan, although most of them disappeared within a year.[6] A landslide during Tropical Storm Wipha in July 2025 created a barrier lake in Matai'an. It overflowed in September of the same year, during Typhoon Ragasa, sweeping away a bridge along Provincial Highway 9 and causing flooding in Guangfu, Fenglin and Wanrong Townships.[7][8] Authorities said that 60 million tonnes of the lake's 91 million tonnes of water was discharged.[9] At least 18 people were killed while 107 others were injured. Around six people went missing[10] with 300 others stranded.[11] 60% of Guangfu's population, equivalent to 5,200 people, were forced to seek shelter in the higher floors of their residences.[9]
Geology
The wetland is located at the foot of Mount Masi and spans over an area of almost 100 hectares.[12][4] The wetland is formed by the flow of Fudeng River.[3] The wetland consists of around 100 types of water plants. It is also equipped with a bicycle trail.[13]
