In 2001 the local government proposed that Sicao Wildlife Refuge be turned into a national park. With years of campaign, communication and research, the National Park Planning Committee approved the "Taijiang National Park Plan" draft that included part of Cigu Township in the national park in its 83rd meeting on June 29, 2009. The area was approved as Taiwan's eight national park by the Executive Yuan on September 28. Taijiang National Park headquarter was iaugurated on December 12 the same year, signaling that the park had begun operating.
The park has a total area of 39,310 hectares. Land area includes public lands from Yanshui River to the Zengwen River of Tainan City, Tainan Black-faced spoonbill Reserve and Cigu Lagoon, covering 4095 hectares. The main focuses of the plan are to protect wetlands biodiversity, history of settlement and the characteristic salt and fishing industries. The sea area portion of the park encompasses the coastal water of 20-meter isobaths and the sea region of 20-meter isobaths from Yanshui Estuary to the south end of Tungchi Island in Penghu archipelago, which is 54-kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide. It was the main water route for early Han Chinese settlers crossing from Tungchi Island to Luerhmen. The sea thus encompasses 34,405 hectares.
he main foundations of future development and conservation efforts will be the park's diverse, precious and internationally important natural resources, ecological and cultural landscape, and distinctive culture and history. In tune with the international trend to attach more importance to conservation and preservation of heritage, every effort will be made to protect the natural landscape, wild flora and fauna and historic relics, providing a place for recreation for the public and for research, saving complete ecosystems, a rich gene pool and places of historic importance for future generations.