The park was once a massive log pond area for the southern Taiwan timber industry during the Japanese colonial period.
The ecological restoration project won the World Architecture Festival's Landscape of the Year award in 2012.
It is designed as a 'sponge city' project to mitigate urban flooding by regulating runoff through its wetland basins.
The park features a unique suspended rope bridge that provides an elevated perspective over the mangrove vegetation.
Designers utilized local recycled wood and stone to maintain historical continuity with the site's industrial past.
Zhongdu Wetlands Park is a restored 12.6-hectare ecological area in Kaohsiung that successfully rehabilitated a former industrial timber yard into a functional wetland ecosystem. The park functions as a critical urban green lung, utilizing natural filtration methods to improve local water quality and biodiversity. Visitors can traverse the park via a network of wooden boardwalks and suspension bridges that cross over brackish ponds and mangrove habitats. It is a premier site for birdwatching, as the intentional planting of native species has attracted numerous migratory and endemic avian populations. The site incorporates educational signage detailing the history of the timber industry and the biological engineering involved in the site's restoration. The park is integrated with the surrounding Zhongdu neighborhood, effectively blending recreational space with ecological preservation.
The suspension bridge overlooking the central mangrove pond during golden hour.
Bring mosquito repellent, as the wetland environment supports high insect activity.
Stay on the designated wooden paths to protect the fragile mangrove ecosystems and avoid tripping hazards.
Visit during low tide to see the mudskipper and crab activity in the marshy areas.
Attempting to walk through the marshy mudflats, which are protected and potentially unstable.
No fishing, feeding of animals, or littering; respect the silence of the birdwatching areas.
