Taipei, May 4 (CNA) The Feitsui Reservoir in northern Taiwan, a habitat of the endangered yellow-margined box turtle, should be designated as a wildlife protection area, the director of the Feitsui Reservoir Administration said Saturday.
The yellow-margined box turtle is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on its red list, which means its population levels are "critical," according to Liu Ming-long.
Liu said that thanks to long-term studies that tracked the species, wildlife researchers have confirmed that the reservoir's catchment area has the world's most stable population of the animals.
The water in the reservoir is mainly for family and public use, Liu noted, adding that because of this, activities such as fish release, fishing and boating are prohibited in its catchment area.
However, to prevent people from poaching in the area, Liu suggested that the area be planned and designated as a wildlife protection area.
The reservoir, which spans the Xindian River in northern Taiwan, southeast of the city of Taipei, began storing and serving water to metropolitan Taipei in 1987. It has a catchment area covering 303 square kilometers, according to Liu.
As the government has aggressively promoted wildlife conservation in recent years, the catchment area has become a paradise for animals, Liu added.
Liu expressed hope that an area of about 1,250 hectares can be demarcated as a wildlife protection area.
According to Liu, the habitats of the turtle around Taiwan have been destroyed and that poaching has become worse. Therefore, the government should take measures to prevent further losses.
Statistics show that the government seized 3,646 smuggled yellow-margined box turtles in Taiwan between August 2006 and July 2012.
The species, which has a long lifespan, usually takes more than 10 years to become mature and its birth rate is low, Liu added.
(By Liu Chien-Pang and Y.L. Kao)